Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter whose work is among the most influential in the history of Western art. He produced some two thousand works, including paintings, drawings, and sketches, and his expressive use of colour and of brushwork influenced the development of modern art.

Life

Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853. He worked as an art dealer, a teacher, and a preacher before turning to painting in his late twenties.

He lived in the Netherlands, in Paris, and in the south of France, where he produced many of his greatest works. He suffered from mental illness and died in 1890 from a gunshot wound, at the age of thirty-seven.

Works

Van Gogh's early works, from the Dutch period, are dark and sombre and depict the lives of peasants, as in The Potato Eaters. In Paris he encountered the Impressionists and the Neo-Impressionists, and his palette became brighter.

His later works, painted in Arles and in Saint-Remy, are characterised by bold colours, swirling brushwork, and expressive intensity. They include the Sunflowers, the Starry Night, and the Wheatfield series.

Style

Van Gogh developed a distinctive style that used colour and brushwork to convey emotion rather than to describe appearances. He applied paint thickly, in strokes that are themselves expressive, and he used complementary colours to create contrast.

His work influenced the development of Expressionism and of modern art more broadly. His letters to his brother Theo, which describe his intentions and his struggles, are among the most important documents in the history of art.

Legacy

Van Gogh's influence on art is immense. His works are among the most famous and most valuable in the world, and they are held in major museums.

His life has been the subject of many studies and of popular works, and his image as the misunderstood genius has shaped the popular conception of the artist.

The Dutch Period

Van Gogh's early works, from the Dutch period, are dark and sombre and depict the lives of peasants. The Potato Eaters, of 1885, is the most ambitious work of the period and shows his interest in the dignity of ordinary life.

He studied the works of the Dutch masters and of the realists, and he drew extensively. The period established the themes and the social concern that inform his later work.

The Paris Period

In Paris, from 1886 to 1888, Van Gogh encountered the Impressionists and the Neo-Impressionists. His palette became brighter, and he experimented with the techniques of the avant-garde.

He painted portraits, still lifes, and scenes of the city, and he developed the use of colour that characterises his mature style. The period was a period of rapid development and of intense production.

The Arles Period

In Arles, from 1888 to 1889, Van Gogh produced many of his greatest works, including the Sunflowers and the Yellow House. He hoped to establish a community of artists, and he was joined by Paul Gauguin.

The collaboration ended in a quarrel, and Van Gogh suffered a crisis in which he mutilated his ear. He was hospitalised and later entered the asylum at Saint-Remy.

The Saint-Remy Period

In the asylum at Saint-Remy, Van Gogh painted the view from his window, including the Starry Night, and he produced works of great intensity and imagination.

He continued to paint until his death in 1890. His letters to his brother Theo describe his intentions and his struggles, and they are among the most important documents in the history of art.

Summary

Van Gogh was a painter whose expressive use of colour and brushwork influenced the development of modern art. His works, produced in a career of only ten years, are among the most famous in the world.

Arles and the Yellow House

Van Gogh moved to Arles in the south of France in 1888, where he hoped to establish a community of artists. He rented the Yellow House and painted with a new intensity of colour.

He was joined for a time by Paul Gauguin, and the two worked together and argued about art. The association ended badly, and Van Gogh suffered a mental crisis in December of that year.

He painted some of his most famous works in Arles, including the Sunflowers and the Bedroom. The bright colours and the expressive brushwork of this period are characteristic of his mature style.

Saint-Rémy and Auvers

After the crisis Van Gogh entered the asylum at Saint-Rémy, where he continued to paint. He produced landscapes, portraits, and copies of the works of other artists.

In 1890 he moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, where he was treated by Dr Gachet. He painted with great energy, producing a large number of works in a short time.

His mental condition deteriorated, and he died in July 1890 from a gunshot wound. The circumstances of his death have been the subject of speculation and of controversy.

Style and Influence

Van Gogh's style is marked by bold colour, by expressive brushwork, and by a strong sense of pattern. He used colour to convey emotion and to render the intensity of his response to nature.

His letters, chiefly to his brother Theo, are among the most important documents in the history of art. They reveal his thought, his reading, and his ambitions.

He sold few works during his lifetime, and his reputation grew only after his death. He is now among the most celebrated artists in the world, and his influence on modern art has been profound.

See also

• Paul Gauguin
• Claude Monet
• Post-Impressionism