Vincent Van Gogh
"We spend our whole lives in unconscious exercise of the art of expressing our thoughts with the help of words." –Vincent Van Gogh
Early Life:
On March 30, 1853 in the small town of Groot-Zundert, Holland a boy name Vincent Van Gogh was born. While much is not known about his childhood we do know this. Vincent was born to Anna Cornelia Carbentus and the town Reverend Theodorus Van Gogh. Anna was described by her husband as being “a cheerful, lively woman, an excellent wife who helped her husband to create a peaceful and secure atmosphere. According to the family she was kind and mild. Little is known about Vincent’s father; however he raised his family in a religious household. Vincent was not the only child to Anna and Theodorus, he had five siblings. Three of them were girls (Elisabeth, Anna, Wil), and two of them were boys (Theo and Cor).
Since Vincent’s father was a pastor he grew up in a very religious household. At this point in his life he had little to know focus on art. Instead one of his early ambitions was to become a pastor, and in 1879 he became a missionary. Not much else is known about Vincent’s childhood other than he was serious, sensitive, and quite that preferred to be alone rather than be with others. In a later letter that he had sent to his brother Theo he stated his childhood as being” gloomy and cold and sterile.
Later Life:
In 1870, at the age of 17 after completing school Vincent was hired by French art dealer Goupil & Cie in The Hague. There he was trained; Vincent was later transferred to London. He was happy there and was rather successful at selling art. However, he was transferred again, this time to Paris. At this point Vincent was tired and done selling art. He decided that he wanted to become a pastor like his father. Although his parents were worried about his erratic behavior they supported him and paid for his schooling. Soon Vincent stopped going to his lessons, and started a ministry with miners in Borinage. He related to the minors, this is where he began wanting to paint, to leave something for mankind.
Vincent had received no lessons when it came to art. He was self-taught, at times he wanted to quit, however his brother Theo urged him to continue. In the beginning Vincent focused mostly on peasant life, which can be credited to the minors that he stayed with. One of the pieces that Van Gogh expected to make him respected in the art world was a piece called “The Potato Eater.” It was not considered a success during his lifetime, so he decided that he needed professional help. Van Gogh enlisted into an art academy in Antwerp; there he found art from Peter Paul Rubens, a man famous for Japanese art. This art made Vincent drop dark colors, and adopt a lighter, and brighter color palette.
In 1886, Van Gogh moved to Paris, France to live with his brother Theo. During his time in Paris met and befriended fellow artists such as Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Emile Bernard. By the year 1888 Vincent tried convincing these artists to join him in making their own art school. Vincent was confident in his new style which blended modern art with outlandish colors. However only Paul Gauguin accompanied Van Gogh. Towards the end of 1888 the first signs of mental illness began to show. Vincent began suffering from a variety of different mental illnesses such as epilepsy, and delusions.
At the end of that year these episodes became worse and worse. Eventually Vincent checked himself into an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. While in the asylum Vincent could not create art for long periods of time without suffering from episodes of his mental illness. However while he was in there he was able to create what is known as Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous piece. Many experts believe that the swirly lines in the night sky represent his mental state during the time of its creation. This same pattern can be seen in all the others pieces Van Gogh did during his time in the asylum.
Once Vincent got out of the asylum in 1890 he began working at an incredibly fast pace. Nearly each day he made at least one painting. During this time Van Gogh’s view on life had changed. According to the VanGoghGallery “Vincent viewed his life as horribly wasted, personally failed and impossible.” He continued writing to his brother Theo until July 27, 1890 when Vincent turned the gun on himself and shot his chest twice.
While tragic Van Gogh’s life was he was able to create masterpieces of art. He was able to triumph as an artist even if he wasn’t alive to see it unfold.
Alain Amiel.com (January 2, 2015). Van Gogh Adventure. Retrieved from http://www.vangoghaventure.com/english/indexenglish.htm
Templeton Reid, LLC. (January 2, 2015). The Van Gogh Gallery. Retrieved from http://www.vangoghgallery.com/
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Two Peasant Women in the Peat Fields
Oil on canvas
1883
Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Wikipedia. (January 11, 2015). Vincent Van Gogh. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh
Starry Night
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Location: Museum of Modern Art
Period: Post-Impressionism
Subject: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Genre: Landscape painting
Early Life:
On March 30, 1853 in the small town of Groot-Zundert, Holland a boy name Vincent Van Gogh was born. While much is not known about his childhood we do know this. Vincent was born to Anna Cornelia Carbentus and the town Reverend Theodorus Van Gogh. Anna was described by her husband as being “a cheerful, lively woman, an excellent wife who helped her husband to create a peaceful and secure atmosphere. According to the family she was kind and mild. Little is known about Vincent’s father; however he raised his family in a religious household. Vincent was not the only child to Anna and Theodorus, he had five siblings. Three of them were girls (Elisabeth, Anna, Wil), and two of them were boys (Theo and Cor).
Since Vincent’s father was a pastor he grew up in a very religious household. At this point in his life he had little to know focus on art. Instead one of his early ambitions was to become a pastor, and in 1879 he became a missionary. Not much else is known about Vincent’s childhood other than he was serious, sensitive, and quite that preferred to be alone rather than be with others. In a later letter that he had sent to his brother Theo he stated his childhood as being” gloomy and cold and sterile.
Later Life:
In 1870, at the age of 17 after completing school Vincent was hired by French art dealer Goupil & Cie in The Hague. There he was trained; Vincent was later transferred to London. He was happy there and was rather successful at selling art. However, he was transferred again, this time to Paris. At this point Vincent was tired and done selling art. He decided that he wanted to become a pastor like his father. Although his parents were worried about his erratic behavior they supported him and paid for his schooling. Soon Vincent stopped going to his lessons, and started a ministry with miners in Borinage. He related to the minors, this is where he began wanting to paint, to leave something for mankind.
Vincent had received no lessons when it came to art. He was self-taught, at times he wanted to quit, however his brother Theo urged him to continue. In the beginning Vincent focused mostly on peasant life, which can be credited to the minors that he stayed with. One of the pieces that Van Gogh expected to make him respected in the art world was a piece called “The Potato Eater.” It was not considered a success during his lifetime, so he decided that he needed professional help. Van Gogh enlisted into an art academy in Antwerp; there he found art from Peter Paul Rubens, a man famous for Japanese art. This art made Vincent drop dark colors, and adopt a lighter, and brighter color palette.
In 1886, Van Gogh moved to Paris, France to live with his brother Theo. During his time in Paris met and befriended fellow artists such as Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Emile Bernard. By the year 1888 Vincent tried convincing these artists to join him in making their own art school. Vincent was confident in his new style which blended modern art with outlandish colors. However only Paul Gauguin accompanied Van Gogh. Towards the end of 1888 the first signs of mental illness began to show. Vincent began suffering from a variety of different mental illnesses such as epilepsy, and delusions.
At the end of that year these episodes became worse and worse. Eventually Vincent checked himself into an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. While in the asylum Vincent could not create art for long periods of time without suffering from episodes of his mental illness. However while he was in there he was able to create what is known as Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous piece. Many experts believe that the swirly lines in the night sky represent his mental state during the time of its creation. This same pattern can be seen in all the others pieces Van Gogh did during his time in the asylum.
Once Vincent got out of the asylum in 1890 he began working at an incredibly fast pace. Nearly each day he made at least one painting. During this time Van Gogh’s view on life had changed. According to the VanGoghGallery “Vincent viewed his life as horribly wasted, personally failed and impossible.” He continued writing to his brother Theo until July 27, 1890 when Vincent turned the gun on himself and shot his chest twice.
While tragic Van Gogh’s life was he was able to create masterpieces of art. He was able to triumph as an artist even if he wasn’t alive to see it unfold.
Alain Amiel.com (January 2, 2015). Van Gogh Adventure. Retrieved from http://www.vangoghaventure.com/english/indexenglish.htm
Templeton Reid, LLC. (January 2, 2015). The Van Gogh Gallery. Retrieved from http://www.vangoghgallery.com/
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Two Peasant Women in the Peat Fields
Oil on canvas
1883
Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Wikipedia. (January 11, 2015). Vincent Van Gogh. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh
Starry Night
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Location: Museum of Modern Art
Period: Post-Impressionism
Subject: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Genre: Landscape painting