Symbols, colors and brushstrokes
Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) Was a Dutch post-impressionist painter. He is associated with Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin as the pillars of Post-Impressionism, however he considered to be unsuccessful during his lifetime, often considered a madman and became recognized only after his death in 1890. In around a decade Van Gogh created over 2100 artworks: landscapes, still lifes, portraits, including portraits of himself.
Self-Portrait (1887)
Van Gogh was born into an upper-middle-class family and started drawing early in his childhood. He was growing up quiet and thoughtful. Vincent developed a warm and loving relationship with his younger brother Theo, with whom he exchanged over 600 letter during his lifetime and became the most comprehensive primary source on his life, thoughts on art and art theory. Both brothers worked as art dealers, however due to lack of success later in his life Vincent was provided financially by Theo. In addition to financial help, Theo introduced his brother to many influential people in the world of art.
During his lifetime Van Gogh was working as an art dealer, which was later remarked as the best years of his life, a supply teacher in small town in England, a bookshop worker and a missionary before completely turning into art. In 1881 he began investing more time in his art with the help of his relatives.
Rooftops, View from the Atelier The Hague (1882)
(1879)
In the beginning of his career as an artist, Van Gogh used dark earthy tones and completed around 200 works between 1883 and 1885. By the end of this period he started studying work of Peter Paul Rubens, extending his palette to include carmine, cobalt and emerald green and started incorporating elements of Japanese woodblocks into some of his paintings. In 1886 he enrolled into Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, however his health both physical and mental began to come down due to Van Gogh’s poor diet, excessive smoking an alcohol consumption. Later the same year he was expelled from the academy and moved to Paris to live with his brother.
Peasant making a basket (1885)
During his stay in Paris he extensively experimented with his art, trying his hand in a variety of different styles. There, in a Fernand Cormon's atelier he met Émile Bernard, Louis Anquetin and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. In 1887 he moved to Asnieres where he met Signac. There, he started experimenting with Pointilism. The same year Van Gogh met Gauguin with whom he exchanged work and discussed art. As his health became more worn out he moved to Arles. He was enchanted by the local countryside and started including yellow in his work. Gauguin visited Van Gogh in 1888 and after some time of working together, the tension grew between two artists and as a result, mentally unstable Van Gogh severed part of his left ear. Because of excessive bleeding, Van Gogh was delivered to the hospital a few days later.
Potrait of Pere Tanguy (1887)
Bedroom in Arles (1888)
The Red Vineyard (1888)
Self-Portrait With the Bandaged Ear (1889)
Van Gogh entered an asylum in 1889. There he completed one of his most famous work The Starry night. Many of his artworks, as this one included swırls. During his time at the asylum he was allowed only short walks so his works included mostly views of the hospital, cypresses and olive trees from a hospital’s garden and views from his window.
The Starry Night (1889)
Cypresses (1890)
In 1890 Van Gogh left the asylum and moved into Paris suburb. During this time, his works seemed to have even larger and quick brushstrokes, distorted lines and vivid contrasting colors, which many acclaim to be connected to his mental state. In July of the same year, the artist shot himself in the chest and died 2 days after the incident.
Tree Roots (1890)
The Church at Avers (1890)