Vincent van Gogh- RPS #3
Vincent van Gogh (March 30, 1853 - July 29, 1890) is generally considered the greatest Dutch painter
after Rembrandt, though he had little success during his lifetime. Van Gogh produced all of his work
(some 900 paintings and 1100 drawings) for little compensation, or money, during a period of only 10
years before he succumbed to mental illness (possibly bipolar disorder) and died in 1890.
Vincent was born in Zundert, The Netherlands; his father was a protestant minister, a profession that
Vincent had admiration, or high respect for, and to which he would be drawn to a certain extent later in
his life.
In 1880, Vincent van Gogh followed the suggestion of his brother Theo and took up painting in earnest,
and in spring 1886 Vincent van Gogh went to Paris, where he moved in with his brother Theo; they
shared a house on Montmartre. At this convention, or gathering, he met the painters met Edgar Degas,
Camille Pissarro, Bernard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin, who became his competition,
or rivalry. He discovered impressionism, whose clear and simple description is the use of light and color,
more than its lack of social engagement. He enjoyed this, especially the technique known as pointillism
(where many small dots are applied to the canvas that blends into rich colors only in the eye of the
beholder, seeing it from a distance) made its mark on Van Gogh’s own style.
In 1888, only Paul Gauguin, whose simplified colour schemes and forms attracted van Gogh, followed his
invitation. The admiration was mutual, and Gauguin painted van Gogh painting sunflowers. However
their encounter ended in a quarrel because of some unnamed corruption, or dishonesty. Van Gogh
suffered a mental breakdown and cut off part of his left ear, which he gave to a startled friend. Needless
to say, that friend was devastated and extremely upset when she received it. She tried to offer Van Gogh
some consolation by spending time with him, and supporting him through his hard time.
The only painting he sold during his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, was created in 1888. It is now on display
in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. Vincent van Gogh's mother threw away quite a number of his
paintings during Vincent's life and even after his death. But she would live long enough to see her son
become a world famous painter. Many people made the assumption that Van Gogh’s parents never
supported his love of art, but that has never been proven.
Several paintings by Van Gogh rank among the most expensive paintings in the world. On March 30,
1987 Van Gogh's painting Irises was sold for a record $53.9 million at Sotheby’s, New York. On May 15,
1990 his Portrait of Doctor Gachet was sold for $82.5 million at Christie's, thus establishing a new price
record (see also List of most expensive paintings). The conservation or preserving of these paintings is
very important and costly.
Using your context clues, determine the meaning of this week’s RPS words, and write their definitions
below:
Word
Admiration
Definition
The state of looking up to someone with great
pleasure or approval.
Context Clues
High respect for
Assumption
To take something for granted or to draw
conclusions without enough information.
Made…but never been
proven
Compensation
Something that is given or received as a result of a
service, loss, injury, death, etc.
Money
Description
The state of giving a clear image of an event or
person through the use of words.
Convention
A meeting or formal assembly to which people,
usually in politics, get together to discuss ideas.
Clear, simple, light,
color
Gathering
Conservation
The act of preserving something, such as wildlife,
human rights, etc.
Preserving
Consolation
To give support, relief, or assistance; to attempt to
bring cheer.
Corruption
The state of being dishonest and acting in an evil and
untrusting way.
Spending time with,
supporting through hard
time
Dishonesty
Competition
A rivalry between two or more people, businesses,
etc.
The state of being upset or let down; to destroy or
destruct.
Devastated
Rivalry
Extremely upset
What background knowledge did you use to help you better understand this text? Answers will vary
What text structure is this passage? Chronological How do you know? There are dates, and a timeline of events
Is this a reliable source and how do you know? We would have no idea because there is no source given.
Summarize in one sentence what this text was about: This article is about the life of Vincent Van Gogh and his
accomplishments.
Did the author of this article make an impact on you? Why or why not? Answers will vary
What is the author’s purpose? To inform