Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh is a well-known artist. His paintings are very recognizable, and he has become known as the “tortured artist.” He was born in the year 1853, in Holland. His family was very religious, partly because of his father being a minister. His early years were spent quiet with little attention, if any, spent on art. In 1870, Van Gogh was employed by the Hague gallery at the age of 16; after he completed a “sketchy array of education.” He was then transferred to London then again to Paris by 1875 for his job. After he was relocated he lost all desire to become a professional art dealer and decided to devote his life to preaching gospel to the poor. His parents agreed to pay for his education to pursue this goal to father his father’s footsteps. He abandoned his lessons and began a ministry with the miners of Borinage, and during this time he was able to relate with the miners, their lifestyles, and their families. After a period of time working with the miners van Gogh urged himself, along with his brother Theo, to become an artist. So, that’s exactly what he did—become an artist. Without any proper training, or even any open artistic talent, he doubted his own abilities. His parents doubted him too, but it was the push of his brother (and the financial support) that kept him moving forward. Little did he know he would become one of the world greatest artists.
In 1881, at the age of 27, Vincent moved back in to live with his parents. He started teaching himself how to draw. He learned perspective, shading, and anatomy. Many of his earlier pieces were of the poor, which relates back to his work with the miners of Borinage. By the end of 1881 he moved from his parents and acquired art lessons from his cousin by marriage. He then began a relationship with a pregnant prostitute who already had one kid. He was shunned for this relationship and lost his friendship with his cousin, continuing to master the skills of drawing. He broke off the relationship and decided to move back in with his parents. He was then introduced to the paintings of Jean-Franqois Millet, a French artist who had become famous for his paintings of peasant life. This was van Gogh’s inspiration and he modeled his style after him. At 29, he moved out of his parents—again—and worked in a studio that he rented from a Catholic church. He began a piece that he thought would make his name respected in the artistic community; however, the piece that was entitled “The Potato Eaters” was not a success in his lifetime. After the failure of this work, he decided to get some more professional training and enrolled to an academy in Antwerp where he discovered the art of Peter Paul Rubens. These both greatly affected Vincent’s style in art. In early 1886 he moved to Paris to live with Theo. He realized that the fall of his first painting was because of the dark colors that were out of date. He needed to use more vibrant colors. He began using the techniques of the impressionists and post impressionists. In Early 1888 van Gogh befriened Paul Gauguin and moved to Arles hoping to create an art school. Paul did join him, but only later. Vincent painted sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s bedroom; these paintings would later become one of Vincent van Gogh’s signature pieces. At the end of 1888, van Gogh’s mental illness began to show through. He suffered from epilepsy, psychotic attacks, and delusions. When his roommate, Paul Gaguin, decided to leave van Gogh went psycho and tried to attack him with a knife. Later that same night is when Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear. He then gave it to a prostitute named Rachel. The police came to his house the next morning and took him to the hospital. He was realized a short while later, curious to find Gaugin leaving Arles and leaving his dreams of a school of art shattered. Vincent committed himself to an asylum, and here is where he would paint his most popular painting “The Starry Night.” Vincent van Gogh considered his life to be horrible, wasted, and without a purpose. He attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest on July 27, 1890. He survived the shooting but died two days later because of the same wound. Theo, van Gogh’s brother, collected all his work but died a short 6 months later. Theo’s widow took the work to Holland and promised herself to get the deceased and unpopular Vincent van Gogh the recognition that he so deserved. He became instantly famous after she published his art work.