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Vincent Van Gogh

1853-1890 Netherlands/Post-Impressionist

 

Brief Biography-Vincent Willem Van Gogh was an artist we intrinsically feel sorry for because of his mental illness and its tragic consequences. He was not the only great artist to suffer the same fate; Edvard Munch had a finger shot off by a lady friend after they split up. He had a severe nervous breakdown in 1908 and entered a clinic for a long spell, as did Vincent on more than one occasion. Coincidently Munch was much influenced by him. These were just two people with mental illness and genius merging.
Vincent’s father was a pastor in his home village of Groot Zundert, who would have influenced him to preach. Instead, he went on a mission where he mixed with and preached to coal miners in Borinage, Belgium. His brother Theo had previously engaged in picture dealing, but it did not agree with him. When discharged from his missionary task, he moved around Belgium aimlessly in extreme poverty, and during this period, he began to paint. His cousin Anton Mauve encouraged him to study at the Antwerp Academy. He also took lessons at the La Haye School and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels but did not gain much from those classes. In 1886, he went to Paris, where he was introduced to impressionism through his brother Theo and met many artists of the era, including Paul Gauguin. In 1888, he went to Arles intending to set up an artist’s group. Gauguin visited him there, but with the unfortunate event of Vincent cutting off his ear in a fit of madness, Gauguin had to leave. Vincent spent time in an asylum before going to Auvers-sur-Oise in 1889, where his brother Theo married. After a short period of anguish and frenzied painting, he sadly shot himself.
As in the Potato Eaters, Vincent’s early dark style changed during his encounter with the impressionists. He marvelled at the bright colours; however, he went on to create his style of a more unrestrained, loose brush we see in most of his paintings. Today his works are amongst the most expensive on the art market.

 

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Four Cut Sunflowers

Four Cut Sunflowers

Memory

Memory of the Garden at Etten


Planting Potatoes

Peasants Planting Potatoes

The Drawbridge

The Drawbridge

The Rohne Barges

The Rohne Barges

The Yellow House

The Yellow House

View of Arles

View of Arles

Wheatfield

Wheatfield Under Clouded Sky

White House at Night

White House at Night

Church

Church at Auvers-Sur-Oise

Starry Night

Starry Night

Joseph Roulin

Joseph Roulin

Self Portrait

Self Portrait

The Potato Eaters

The Potato Eaters

Irises

Irises

The Night Cafe

The Night Cafe

Sunflowers

Sunfllwers

Starry Night Over-

Starry Night  Over the Rhone

A Pair of Shoes

A Pair of Shoes

A Weaver's Cottage

A Weaver's Cottage

At Eternity's Gate

At Eternity's Gate

Avenue with Poplars

Avenue with Poplars Near Nuenen

Armand Roulin

Armand Roulin

Cherry Tree Spring

Cherry Tree Spring

Cornfield

Cornfield with Cypresses

Cafe Terrace at Night

Cafe Terrace at Night

Cypress Trees

Cypress Trees

Cypresses

Cypresses with Two Female Figures

Doctor Gachet

Doctor Gachet

Earthen Bowl

Earthen Bowl and Potatoes#

Field with Poppies

Field with Poppies

Fruit Basket

Fruit Basket and Gloves

Houses

Houses Seen from the Back

La Mousme

La Mousme

Le Zouave

Le Zouave

Madame Ginoux

Madame Ginoux

Painter

Painter on His Way to Work

Patience Escalier

Patience Escalier

Gauguin's Armchair

Paul Gauguin's Armchair

Prisoners Exercising

Prisoners Exercising

Road with Cypress

Road with Cypress and Star

Absinthe

Still Life with Absinthe

The Harvest Arles

The Harvest Arles

The Irises

The Irises

The Old Mill

The Old Mill

The Olive Trees

The Olive Trees

The Red Vineyard

The Red Vineyard

The Slightly End Mill

The Slightly End Mill

Peasant-women-

Peasant-women Digging on a Snow-covered Field

Van Gogh's Chair

Van Gogh's Chair

Vase with Carnations

Vase with Carnations

Vase with Twelve-

Vase with Twelve Sunflowers

View of Arles

View of Arles with Irises

Wheat Field

Wheat Field

Wheat Field

Wheat Field with Crows

Windmills on Montmartre

Windmills on Montmartre

The Blooming Plumtree

The Blooming Plumtree