“The life of an artist is a gamble, what a gamble, it’s all or nothing.” As for post-impressionist and Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, nothing is what was received. Out of the nine-hundred paintings produced within ten years, only one was sold. Van Gogh was often ridiculed by other artists about his work and he had very few friends. One of his closest friends was his younger brother Theodorus “Theo” van Gogh. Vincent would often write to Theo and on various occasions he would write about the hardships of life, including the ways in which he was treated. In one particular letter he wrote “I wish they would only take me as I am.” Van Gogh suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy and mental illness, most commonly believed to be manic depression. According to the artist, “I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.” Vincent van Gogh experienced multiple bi-polar breakdowns within a short period of time before his death on July 29, 1890. A few of his biographers claim that it was a child with a “malfunctioning gun” that fired the shot, killing the artist two days later, but because of his mental status, Vincent’s death is commonly believed to have been suicide. On December 23, 1888, Vincent suffered from a psychotic breakdown, cutting off a portion of his left ear and presenting it to a prostitute at his favorite brothel. He was found later in that day by policemen in a pool of his own blood. Officials then took him to the hospital of Arles, France where he was admitted into the asylum. Starry Night was painted during his stay at the asylum and is his adaptation of the view from the cell window.2 In van Gogh’s own words, “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars make... ... middle of paper ... ...vious with the given evidence within his artwork that Vincent van Gogh had a religious background. Works Cited "Vincent Van Gogh Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. Dewitte, Debra J., Ralph Larmann, and M. Kathryn. Shields. Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2012. Print. "VAN GOGH, Vincent: Sower with Setting Sun." VAN GOGH, Vincent: Sower with Setting Sun. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. "ArtWay.eu." ArtWay.eu. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. The Yellow House, Film (2007) "Vincent Van Gogh." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. "Vincent Van Gogh to Theo Van Gogh : C. 15-27 April 1882." Vincent Van Gogh to Theo Van Gogh : C. 15-27 April 1882. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. "Vincent Van Gogh's Health." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world’s greatest and most well-known artists, but when he was alive he considered himself to be a complete failure. It was not until after he died that Van Gogh’s paintings received the recognition they deserved. Today he is thought to be the second best Dutch artist, after Rembrandt. Born in 1853, he was one of the biggest artistic influences of the 19th century. Vincent Van Gogh created a new era of art, he learned to use art to escape his mental illness, and he still continues to inspire artists over 100 years later.
Van Gogh, V. W. Memoir of J. Van Gogh-Bonger. The Vincent van Gogh Gallery. David
...ded after his death, it was Artaud that claimed, “No, Van Gogh is not crazy, he was pushed to suicidal despair by a society which rejected his works.” Whether or not Artaud’s theory is correct, Vincent Van Gogh was in fact very ill and his paintings are famous for how lucid they are in illustrating the way his mental illness affected him. Van Gogh’s post-impressionist style is very unique of the late 19th century in France and most of his work was done with impasto technique as a way of expression. It is recognizable that his illness had a larger impact on his paintings’ subject matters than the style they were painted in. Vincent Van Gogh’s fame mostly came after his death, and while his paintings did help him to express himself, they now live on to visually translate the true, unwritten stories of his life and the effects paintings have with a mental illness.
Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands on March 30, 1853. He was born into a middle class family that sometimes struggled financially. His grandfather was a famous preacher and his father was a minister so religion was pretty important within his family. The other passion within the family was art. His mother was an artist and three of his uncles and later his brother were art dealers. He got his first job at age 15, at his uncle’s art dealership. The fact that Vincent’s family was struggling at this time gave him the responsibility to leave school and go to work. Despite his family 's misfortune, van Gogh was fluent in 4 languages and his concern with art and religion kept growing. At the age of 20, he was transferred to the Goupil Gallery in London. It was there that he fell in love with art and English culture. He visited galleries in his spare time and in many aspects increased his understanding as a whole. In this period of time he started to fall in love with a woman named Eugenie Loyer. Vincent was prepared to ask her to marry him, but Eugenie didn’t feel the same as he did so she rejected the proposal and this caused van Gogh to suffer a mental breakdown. In this time he turned to God and threw away all unnecessary possessions except for the bible. He was fired from the Gallery for telling the customers “not to buy the worthless art.” Vincent then started teaching at a Methodist school and preached on the side a little. This was the first time in his life where he started to contemplate becoming a minister. He studied for a year planing to take the entrance exam to become a minister at the School of Theology in Amsterdam. He was denied entrance after refusing to take the Latin exam calling it a “de...
2. May 16, 1890 Vincent van Gogh left the asylum and took an overnight train to Paris.
Auden, W.H. Van Gogh A self-portrait Letter Revealing his Life as a Painter. Marlowe and Company New York
Van Gogh, Vincent. Webexhibits , " Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh Saint-Rémy, c. 2 June 1889." Accessed March 29, 2014. http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/20/593.htm.
Painted by Vincent Van Gogh during a final burst of activity in Auvers before his suicide in July, Houses at Auvers features many of the characteristic elements typical of Van Gogh; the experimentation with color, texture, and thick brush strokes. This painting depicts the view and landscape in early summer, highlighting the patchwork of houses and the rolling greenery. Van Gogh’s unique, thick brush strokes lead the eyes through the painting, create texture and patterns and also highlight and shadow objects in the early summer sun, while his experimentation with color creates contrast and a bright, vibrant image.
During his stay Van Gogh was also given a small studio for painting. The room did not have the view the mountains but rather a view of the asylum’s garden. It was there for assumed that Van Gogh composed The Starry Night using elements of his previously completed
he artwork I chose to analyze is The Starry Night (June 1889) by Vincent Van Gogh.I
"Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)." Jan Van Eyck. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
The paining ‘Starry night’ was made when Van Gogh was in a mental asylum after he had an episode that resulted in him cutting of his own ear. The painting depicts the view from his asylum room, which Bennett could incorporate into his feeling of being trapped in a society that doesn’t accept him.
Vincent Van Gogh never gave up his style and insight in his early work compared to his later work. I will discuss the comparison of the Potato Eaters and Starry Night and even though there are obvious differences, the core of his passion and eccentricities can be seen.
At the age of sixteen, Van Gogh went to go work with his Uncle Vincent, whom he was named after, as an art dealer at the Goupil and Co. This job had branches not only in Europe, but America also. Vincent was assigned the branch in London. There he got his first rejection in love. He fell in love with the daughter of his landlady. Van Gogh thought her feelings would be mutual, though she was not attracted to him. In fact, she was disgusted by him. She was engaged to be married, anyway. Because he was so hurt from this rejection, he took it out on his career. He told the costumers they were buying useless junk and insulted them for that. Van Gogh had to go to Paris and only his uncle's influence allowed him a second chance with the firm. His harsh behavior toward the costumers continued. In 1876, the Goupil's managers had to let him go.
Vincent Van Gogh’s piece titled Starry Night, represents the artist’s insanity and isolation from the outside world. Van Gogh painted the view that was seen from the room, mixed with the emotions he felt inside. Starry Night is an oil painting on canvas and is two dimensional. The painting is found in the Museum of Modern Art located in New York. The variety of elements and principles of art, help to bring the painting to life, and help viewers understand what the art could represent.