Education: Vincent van Gogh .
This Dutch master is remembered as a tortured soul who suffered for his art
VINCENT Willem van Gogh has been a major influence on the art world for more than a century. The vibrant colours and intense emotions that explode on his canvases conjure up images of his fragile mental state and make a deep impression on the viewer. These are the works of a tortured genius.
In his short, tragic life Vincent sold just one painting but today his works fetch staggering prices. Let’s learn more about the life of this fascinating Dutch artist.
EARLY YEARS
Vincent was born on 30 March 1853 in Zundert in the Netherlands. His father, Theodorus, was a clergyman and his mother, Anna, the daughter of a book dealer. Vincent was the eldest child and had two brothers and three sisters. At first he attended the local school but later his parents sent him to boarding school.
At 16, Vincent moved to The Hague to start working in his uncle’s art dealership. During this time he started writing letters to his younger brother Theo so they could stay in touch. Theo would later play an important role in Vincent’s life as an artist.
Three years later Vincent went to London, England, to work at a branch of his uncle’s business, where he was surrounded by art and his creativity was stimulated. His work at the company began to deteriorate and at the age of 23 he was dismissed. He then decided to become a cleric and later a missionary among poor miners in Belgium. But these careers also weren’t successful.
BECOMING AN ARTIST
Vincent wanted to help others but would later realise that by creating art he could also be of use to humanity. In his late twenties he decided to study art and borrowed money from Theo to buy art materials. He took lessons with the Dutch artist Anton Mauve (1838-88) and at age 29 produced his first really good artwork.
His early art consisted of pencil, charcoal and ink sketches. He also experimented with watercolours. Vincent concentrated on depicting poor, hardworking people, especially between 1883 and 1885 when he lived in the town of Nuenen where
Vincent’s early work The Potato Eaters (1885) is on display in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. his father was the local minister. Later he started painting with oils.
Initially Vincent used mostly dark colours, such as brown and dark green. You’ll notice that these works are gloomy and sad. His most famous early painting is The Potato Eaters. In this dark work a farmer and his family are sitting down to supper. Vincent painted it soon after his father had suffered a fatal stroke.
LIVING WITH HIS BROTHER IN PARIS
We learn a lot about the artist’s life from the letters he wrote to Theo, who worked in an art gallery in Paris, France, and tried to promote Vincent’s art career. Theo encouraged his brother and sent him money. He also tried to sell Vincent’s paintings but no one showed any interest. When Vincent turned 33 he moved to Paris to live with his brother.
There Vincent became inspired by the work of the Impressionists. Impressionism was an art movement that focused on capturing the moment and depicted themes of modern life. Impressionist artists used light and colour effects, and worked in the open air using a style of painting similar to sketching. Their quick stipples and loose brushstrokes distinguish their style.
HIS STYLE DEVELOPS
During his time in Paris, Vincent’s painting style changed. The dark tones were replaced by lighter and more cheerful colours. He started painting landscapes and the boulevards of the city. He couldn’t use models for his paintings because they demanded payment. This led him to buying a mirror and painting many self-portraits.
Vincent also experimented with bright, contrasting colours and blending colours to create intense shades to make his work stand out. Can you see these changes in his work? Compare The Potato Eaters with his self-portraits (ABOVE), for example.
After two years in Paris, Vincent decided to move to Arles in the south of France where he hired a studio to continue his work. The area’s bright colours and piercing sunlight inspired him to further develop his style. You can see this especially in two masterpieces that originated there – Bedroom In Arles and Sunflowers (see page 83).
VINCENT’S DECLINE
The artist produced hundreds of paintings but no one would buy them because at the time society had no appreciation of his bold colours and nonrealistic style. Vincent’s already fragile state of mind was burdened by his poverty, by working almost constantly and by interpersonal conflicts.
Because of his mental torment he cut off a part of his left ear and in 1888 he was admitted to a mental hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
There he kept working and produced 35 masterpieces – among them one of his most famous works, The Starry Night. In 1890, at Theo’s behest, Vincent travelled to Paris and was admitted for observation at an institution in nearby Auvers where he felt reinvigorated and painted works of great beauty.
Vincent died on 29 July 1890 after shooting himself in the chest. He was just 37 years old. At the time of his death he was still unknown but he’s since come to be regarded as one of the most iconic and popular artists of all time.