Vincent
Or why we pick literature to pieces
All images found at
http://www.vangoghmuseum.co
m/bisrd/top-1-2.html
Failures

Most casual art lovers see
Van Gogh as a troubled,
but successful artist. This
is far from the actual truth
of his turbulent life, which
was fraught with failure in
every occupational pursuit
he attempted including
painting, and was marked
by intermittent episodes of
depression, violence and
acting out behaviors.
Self-portrait
Theo Van Gogh

Thanks to the preservation
of 1000's of letters Van
Gogh had written to
friends and family,
especially to his brother
Theo, we have a nearly
complete understanding of
his feelings, experiences,
and views on every aspect
of his life.
Career
Van Gogh’s career in
art, 10 years, is one of
the briefest in art
history.
 Although 1700 of his
works survived, he
sold only 1 painting
during his lifetime.

• Sold for $80, four
months before his
death
The Red Vineyard
Childhood

A look into his
childhood will give us
an understanding of
Van Gogh's creative
expression, as well as
an understanding of
the origins of
Expressionism.
13 Years Old
Childhood





Charming, but stubborn and hot-tempered
Sent away to boarding school at the age of
12
Left school at 16
Attempted to become a teacher and a
preacher, worked in a bookstore, and sold
art
Began painting after 9 month withdrawal
Childhood

18 years old
Vincent's sister, Elizabeth
Van Gogh, described his
demeanor as a child. He was
"intensely serious and
uncommunicative, and
walked around clumsily and
in a daze, with his head hung
low." She continued by
saying, "Not only were his
little sisters and brothers (he
was the oldest of 8) like
strangers to him, but he was
a stranger to himself."
Birth date

Vincent van Gogh was born in Groot Zundert, The
Netherlands on 30 March 1853.

Van Gogh's birth came one year to the day after
his mother gave birth to a first, stillborn child-also named Vincent.

There has been much speculation about Vincent
van Gogh suffering later psychological trauma as a
result of being a "replacement child" and having a
deceased brother with the same name and same
birth date. This theory remains unsubstantiated,
however, and there is no actual historical evidence
to support it.
Vincent’s Parents

Van Gogh was the
son of Theodorus
van Gogh (182285), a pastor of the
Dutch Reformed
Church, and Anna
Cornelia
Carbentus (18191907).
Van Gogh cuts off own ear!

Van Gogh had a
violent argument with
fellow painter and
housemate Gauguin
 He gave it to a local
prostitute telling her,
“Keep this object as a
treasure.”
Starry Night

June, 1889

Starry Night was
painted while Vincent
was in the asylum at
Saint-Rémy and his
behaviour was very
erratic at the time, due
to the severity of his
attacks.

Most famous painting
Portrait

Toulouse-Latrec was
influenced by Van
Gogh’s power and
intensity and his use of
blue and gray colors.
The Harvest

June 1888
 Tranquil painting
emphasizing lush
green and yellow
fields offset by violet
shadows on the sides
of wagons, houses and
hillsides.
Landscape with Snow

February, 1888
 Continues Van Gogh’s
love of the landscape
and use of
Expressionism
On the Threshold of Eternity

April-May, 1890

Saint-Rémy Hospital

Reflects Vincent’s
own condition - his
experience of
loneliness that lead
him to complete
despair
Sunflowers


August, 1888
Painted a series of
these flowers to
decorate his hospital
room
 Notice his signature
on the vase - just
“Vincent”
The Plains Near Auvers


July, 1890
Emphasizes extreme
detail, with tall grass
in the foreground
created by long slashes
of paint
 Shows Van Gogh’s
mastery of the
landscape
Last Self-portrait

September, 1889
 This portrait shows
Vincent as he saw
himself • a tortured soul,
battering desperately
against the terrors
which surrounded him
The Sower

June, 1888

First work in a series
showing the
connection between
the peasant and the
cycle of life
Head of a Peasant

March, 1885
 Van Gogh attempted
to show the brutal life
of the peasant
 Van Gogh identified
with the poor and
unrecognized levels of
society
Portrait of Patience Escalier

August, 1888
 Peasant farmer
 Depicts the sturdy
qualities associated
with the peasant’s life
Cafe Terrace at Night

September, 1888

“It amuses me
enormously to paint
the night right on the
spot. They used to
draw and paint the
picture in the
daytime after the
rough sketch. But I
find satisfaction in
painting things
The Night Cafe

September, 1888
 “I have tried to
express the terrible
passions of humanity
by means of red and
green.”
 “I have tried to
express the idea that
the cafe is a place
where one can ruin
oneself, go mad or
commit a crime.”
Corridor of Saint-Paul Asylum

October, 1889
 Hospital he stayed in
after he cut off his ear
 No exact diagnosis of
Vincent’s ailment was
made
 Contemporary doctors
believed he was
epileptic or manicdepressive
Wheat Field with Crows

July, 1890

One of his last 3
paintings

On Sunday, July 27,
1890, Vincent killed
himself

Psychologists believe
this painting was a
signal
Portrait of Doctor Gachet

June, 1890
 One of Vincent’s few
friends
 Vincent said of Dr.
Gachet, “He certainly
appears as ill and
confused as I am.”
 Sold in 1990 for $82.5
million
The Potato Eaters

April, 1885

Attempt to depict
harsh living conditions
of the peasants

Painted early in his
career he uses the
Dutch style
The Drinkers

February, 1890

Depicts the four ages
of man drinking
around a table

Caricature of men
drinking themselves to
death
Roses and Beetle

April-May, 1890

Van Gogh often chose
still life subject matter
to decorate his hospital
rooms during his
several stays for
mental breakdowns
Bedroom at Arles

Early September, 1889

“Color is everything;
giving by its
simplification a
grander style to things,
is to be suggestive
here of rest and sleep
in general

Reflects yearning for
companionship
Paul Gauguin’s Armchair

December 1888
 Ornately carved, with
aggressive arms and
legs
 Depicts a restless
personality bathed in
artificial light
Vincent’s Chair with Pipe

December, 1888

Simple workmanship
and rough unlit with
tobacco pouch speak
of the artist’s
desolation

Another self-portrait
“He was an honest man and a
great artist. He had only two
aims, mankind and art. Art he
loved above everything, and it will
make him live.”
-Dr. Gachet
(At Van Gogh’s funeral)