Van Gogh's life story. Van Gogh: biography, interesting facts, creativity

On March 30, 1853, the famous Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh was born, whose exhibition was sung by the famous group “Leningrad” in their song last year. The editors decided to remind their readers what kind of master this is, why he is famous and how he ended up without an ear.

Who is Vincent Van Gogh and what did he paint?

Van Gogh is a world famous artist, author of the famous “Sunflowers”, “Irises” and “Starry Night”. The master lived only 37 years, of which he devoted no more than ten to painting. Despite the short duration of his career, his legacy is enormous: he managed to paint more than 800 paintings and thousands of drawings.

What was Van Gogh like as a child?

Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in the Dutch village of Grote-Zundert. His father was a Protestant minister, and his mother was the daughter of a bookbinder and bookseller. The future artist received his name in honor of his paternal grandfather, but it was not intended for him, but for the first child of his parents, who was born a year before Van Gogh, but died on the very first day. So, Vincent, being born second, became the eldest in the family.

Little Vincent's household considered him to be wayward and strange, and he was often punished for his mischief. Outside the family, on the contrary, he was very quiet and thoughtful, and almost did not play with other children. He went to the village school for only a year, after which he was sent to a boarding school 20 km from his home - the boy perceived this departure as a real nightmare and could not forget about what happened, even as an adult. Afterwards he was transferred to another boarding school, which he left in the middle of the school year and never recovered. Approximately the same attitude awaited all subsequent places where he tried to get an education.

When and how did you start drawing?

In 1869, Vincent joined his uncle's large art and trading company as a dealer. It was here that he began to understand painting, learn to appreciate and understand it. Afterwards he got tired of selling paintings, and little by little he began to draw and make sketches himself. Van Gogh did not receive any education as such: in Brussels he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, but left it after a year. The artist also visited the prestigious private art studio of the famous European teacher Fernand Cormon, studied impressionist painting, Japanese engraving, and the works of Paul Gauguin.

How was his personal life?

Van Gogh had only unsuccessful relationships in his life. He fell in love for the first time while still working for his uncle as a dealer. Regarding this young lady and her name, the artist’s biographers are still arguing, without going into details, it is worth saying that the girl rejected Vincent’s advances. Afterwards, the master fell in love with his cousin, she also refused him, and the young man’s persistence turned all their common relatives against him. His next chosen one was a pregnant street woman, Christine, whom Vincent met by chance. Without hesitation, she moved in with him. Van Gogh was happy - he had a model, but Christine turned out to have such a harsh disposition that the lady turned the young man’s life into hell. So every love story ended very tragically, and Vincent could not recover for a long time from the psychological trauma inflicted on him.

Is it true that Van Gogh wanted to become a priest?

This is true. Vincent was from a religious family: his father was a pastor, one of his relatives was a recognized theologian. When Van Gogh lost interest in the painting trade, he decided to become a priest. The first thing he did after finishing his career as a dealer was move to London, where he worked as a teacher in several boarding schools. Afterwards, however, he returned to his homeland and worked in a bookstore. He spent most of his time sketching and translating passages from the Bible into German, English and French.

At the same time, Vincent expressed a desire to become a pastor, and his family supported him in this and sent him to Amsterdam to prepare for entering the university to study theology. Only his studies, just like at school, disappointed him. Leaving this institution, he took courses at the Protestant Missionary School (or maybe he did not graduate from them - there are different versions) and spent six months as a missionary in the mining village of Paturage in Borinage. The artist worked so zealously that the local population and members of the Evangelical Society assigned him a salary of 50 francs. After completing a six-month internship, Van Gogh intended to enter an evangelical school to continue his education, but considered the introduced tuition fees to be a manifestation of discrimination and abandoned his intentions. Then he decided to fight for the rights of workers and turned to the management of the mines with a petition to improve working conditions. They did not listen to him and removed him from his position as a preacher. This was a serious blow to the artist’s emotional and mental state.

Why did he cut off his ear and how did he die?

Van Gogh was in close contact with another, no less famous artist, Paul Gauguin. When Vincent settled in the south of France in the town of Arles in 1888, he decided to create the “Workshop of the South,” which was to become a special fraternity of like-minded artists; Van Gogh assigned an important role in the workshop to Gauguin.

On October 25 of the same year, Paul Gauguin arrived in Arles to discuss the idea of creating a workshop. But peaceful communication did not work out; conflicts arose between the masters. In the end, Gauguin decided to leave. After another argument on December 23, Van Gogh attacked his friend with a razor in his hands, but Gauguin managed to stop him. How this quarrel occurred, under what circumstances and what was the reason is unknown, but that same night Vincent did not cut off his entire ear, as many are accustomed to believe, but only his earlobe. Whether he expressed his repentance this way or whether it was a manifestation of his illness is unclear. The next day, December 24, Van Gogh was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where the attack repeated, and the master was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy.

The tendency to hurt himself was also the cause of Van Gogh’s death, although there are many legends regarding this too. The main version is that the artist went for a walk with drawing materials and shot himself in the heart area with a revolver, bought to scare away birds while working plein air. But the bullet went lower. So the master independently reached the hotel where he lived, he was given first aid, but it was not possible to save Vincent Van Gogh. On July 29, 1890, he died from loss of blood.

How much are Van Gogh's paintings worth now?

Vincent Van Gogh, by the mid-20th century, came to be regarded as one of the greatest and most recognizable artists. His works, according to auction houses, are considered one of the most expensive. A myth has spread that during his life the master sold only one painting - “Red Vineyards in Arles”, but this is not entirely true. This painting was the first for which a significant sum was paid - 400 francs. At the same time, documents on the lifetime sale of at least 14 more works by Van Gogh have been preserved. It is unknown how many real transactions he made, but we should not forget that he started out as a dealer and was capable of trading his paintings.

In 1990, at a Christie's auction in New York, Van Gogh's painting "Portrait of Doctor Gachet" was purchased for $82.5 million, and "Portrait of the Artist without a Beard" cost $71.5 million. The paintings "Irises", "Landscape with Thunderstorms" clouds”, “Wheat field with cypress trees” are estimated at approximately $50 million to $60 million. The still life “Vase with daisies and poppies” was bought in 2014 for $61.8 million.

Since the master’s biography is really oversaturated with interesting facts, I would like to structure my story into two parts. The first covers the story of how Vincent Van Gogh became famous, and the second will contain the usual selection of amusing incidents and events from the life of the great artist. The material is not a biographical presentation; the most interesting moments and situations from the artist’s life are collected here.

Priceless correspondence with my brother

The biography of the great artist is rich in interesting facts, most of which he himself spoke about in correspondence with his brother Theo. Thanks to these priceless letters, we know what kind of person Vincent van Gogh was. A total of 903 letters have been preserved from the period of their communication in the period from 1872 to 1890. What is noteworthy is that after Vincent began painting, he illustrated almost every letter he wrote. In this way, the artist demonstrated how the work was progressing; in addition, he told in detail what colors were present in the painting. For art, this is a phenomenal phenomenon when all the interesting facts about van Gogh are described in his own letters. The level of frankness in the correspondence is so high that Vincent talked about all his illnesses, including impotence.

Theodore was sensitive to his correspondence with his brother, saving 820 letters. The same cannot be said about Vincent; only 83 letters were found in his belongings, this is a very small number, considering that their dialogue lasted for 18 years. This is due to the artist’s frequent moves, instability and generally fickle lifestyle.

The woman who started it

Let's start from the end, since the mass dissemination of Vincent's work began only after his death. Meet Theodore's wife, Johanna. At the age of 29, she was left a widow, with a small child in her arms. Of her material possessions, she had an apartment in Paris, 200 paintings and hundreds of drawings by Vincent, a dozen unsold paintings by other French artists.

Johanna Gesina van Gogh-Bonger

After selling the apartment, she returned to Holland, stayed near Amsterdam, and opened her own small business there. Soon she married a Dutch artist who fully supported her idea of popularizing the work of Vincent van Gogh. She established connections with friends of her late husband, organized exhibitions and presentations. I collected letters from the brothers’ correspondence from all over the world and began to translate them into English. By the way, Johanna was a foreign language teacher by training, so she prepared for the publication on her own. Unfortunately, in 1912 she became a widow for the second time. After that, she changed her last name back to van Gogh, and transported Theodore's body from Holland to Vincent's grave in France. She planted a sprig of ivy on the grave, which she took nearby from Doctor Gachet’s garden. In the same year, she organized a major presentation of van Gogh’s work in Berlin. This city was not chosen by chance - they already knew about the artist there. The German writer and art connoisseur, Julius Meyer-Graefe, worked on this.

The creators of Vincent van Gogh's romantic story

Julius Meyer-Graefe.

As soon as Western Europe began to talk about van Gogh, art critic and writer Julius Meyer-Graefe I immediately became interested in the brilliant artist. After the translation of the brothers’ correspondence fell into his hands, he realized that a big story could be developed from this. In 1920-1921, he published a series of several books dedicated to the life of the artist and his friends. These books told the whole world about the impressionists and post-impressionists of France at the end of the nineteenth century. Julius was immediately dubbed a van Gogh connoisseur, and on this wave he began to buy and then sell his paintings, issuing certificates of authenticity.

In the mid-20s, a certain person appeared Otto Wacker, he assured Julius that he had a unique collection of van Gogh paintings. Julius, having felt the taste of big money, even believed in the fairy-tale story that these paintings were bought from a mysterious Russian aristocrat. It is worth noting that these paintings really replicated the master’s style well, so it was difficult to distinguish them from the original. But soon people began to have doubts, and since tidy sums were involved, the police also became interested in this case. During the checks, a studio was discovered in which several still wet Van Goghs were found. Oddly enough, he was involved in this Otto Wacker. Soon a trial took place, where Otto received 19 months in prison and a huge fine. Since Julius Meyer-Graefe sold counterfeits without malicious intent, he got off with a large fine, but his name was completely discredited. At this point, Johanna had already died, her son was not yet 20 years old, and Julius had lost respect, so no one was actively involved in promoting Van Gogh.

Irving Stone "Lust for Life"

When the forgery scandal subsided, an American writer of Jewish origin took up the story of the mad artist. Irving Stone (Tennenbaum), he wrote a novel "Lust for Life". This book was rejected by 17 publications for various reasons, but it was still published in 1934. The writer himself has repeatedly stated that all the dialogues are fictitious, but basically they correspond to the motives of reality. You need to understand that he planned to release a bestseller, so he did not pursue historical accuracy at all. This novel was made into a Hollywood film 22 years later, which was nominated for an Oscar four times and still received it once. Interesting facts from life were deliberately replaced with fictitious ones in order to give the story a more dramatic and cinematic character.

It was from this point that the story of Vincent van Gogh was historically misinterpreted. After the movie came out, most people referred to the book "Thirst for Life", which was made into an Oscar-winning film, rather than the authentic but “boring” correspondence between two brothers.

1. Wanted to become a priest like his father and grandfather

"Still Life with the Bible" 1885.

All children in their family were instilled with a love of religion from a very early age, since the father of the family was a priest. In his youth, Vincent wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, but in order to be ordained, he had to study at the seminary for five whole years. He was an impulsive person by nature, and it seemed to him that this was too long and unproductive. I decided to enroll in an intensive course at an evangelical school. This course lasted three years, including a six-month missionary mission in a mining town. In the last month of his life under terrible conditions, he realized that religion was not able to help in truly difficult situations.

During his sermon, which he worked on for a long time, the miners did not listen to him at all. Unfortunately, he understood these people, and knew that his words would not make their slave-like working conditions any less difficult. Upon arriving back in Holland, he did not enroll in an evangelical school. He came to his father and told him about his thoughts on this matter, and that he no longer believed in the god about whom he had read so much. Naturally, they had a big quarrel over this and never communicated again. A few years later, after Vincent learned of his father's death, he painted a still life with a Bible and sent it to Theo.

2. Started drawing at a late age

Vincent van Gogh "Burning Grass" 1883.

No matter what angle you look at it, van Gogh began painting very late, but very intensively, and under the supervision of knowledgeable people. In this he was helped by the best textbooks from all over Europe, the artist Anton Mauwe from The Hague, who was his relative. In addition, the experience he acquired during many years of selling paintings in different cities of Europe came in handy. He entered two different art academies, but several months passed and he quit his studies without regret. He wrote to his brother that academic painting no longer attracted him, and the knowledge of the old masters would not help in realizing his plans as an artist. At that time, he was a big fan of Jean-François Millet, and copied a huge number of his paintings.

3. Sold a lot more than one painting

"Red vineyards in Arles"

There is an established opinion that he and his brother allegedly sold only one painting, “Red Vineyards in Arles.” This is far from true; during his lifetime the van Goghs managed to sell fourteen At the same time, two still lifes with sunflowers were bought by Vincent’s friend, Paul Gauguin. If we return to the “red vineyards”, then this is really the only painting that was sold for big money. This generous buyer was the famous artist and philanthropist Anna Bosch, the purchase took place at a major exhibition of impressionists. Anna Bosch knew about the artist’s serious condition at that time. He was just in the hospital, and she wanted to support him in this way. After Vincent's death, she acquired another painting by him, but a few years later she sold both paintings at exorbitant prices.

4. A business plan for selling paintings was developed

Two brothers in their youth, Vincent on the left.

You shouldn’t be surprised, because Vincent worked in galleries for a long time and sold paintings to wealthy people. Accordingly, he knew the popular genres and styles that sell best. And Theodore actually owned his own art gallery in the center of Paris, and also understood how you can earn decent money from painting. After Vincent arrived in Paris, he became acquainted with a new genre for himself - impressionism. I communicated a lot with artists who worked in this genre, but soon, due to my hot temper, I quarreled with almost everyone. The brothers decided to work in the field of interior painting, which was aimed at the middle class. During that period, all the sunflowers and a large number of vases with flowers were painted. But work in this direction was stopped by the very attack that led to Vincent cutting off his earlobe and being admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

5. Van Gogh's severed ear

“Self-portrait with a cut off ear and pipe”, 1888.

This is probably the most popular misconception, so I want to say the following: Vincent van Gogh didn't cut off his ear, but only cut off part of the lobe. After this action, he headed to the brothel where he and Gauguin often vacationed. The door was opened for him by a young lady who worked there, Vincent told her: “Take care of this treasure.” After that, he turned around and went home, went up to the second floor and went to bed. What’s interesting is that if he had cut off his entire ear, he would have simply died from blood loss, because he was discovered only ten hours later. This case is described in more detail in the material that I published earlier: Why did van Gogh cut off his ear? Everything is described there in detail, maintaining chronology and cause-and-effect relationships.

6. His brother supported him all his life

Theodore van Gogh

As soon as Vincent decided to become an artist, his brother Theo immediately began to support him. Every month he sent money, it most often went for three things: materials, food, and rent. When unexpected expenses appeared, Vincent asked to send more, describing the reason in detail. When the artist lived in places where it was difficult to get paints and canvases, he would make a whole list, and Theo would send him huge parcels in return. Vincent was not ashamed to ask for money, because in return he sent finished paintings, which he called goods. His brother kept Vincent’s paintings at his home, where he brought potential clients, art connoisseurs and collectors to try to sell at least something.

But it was impossible to make significant money on such paintings at that time, so he actually supported Vincent. Every month he sent 200 francs To roughly understand what kind of money this is, I’ll say that Vincent paid 15-20 francs a month for housing, and a good book on anatomy cost 3 francs. Here's another good example: the postman, who became famous as Vincent's friend, received a salary of 100 francs, and with this money he supported a family of four.

7. Recognition came after death

"Starry Night" at the Museum

All serious artists in France knew Vincent since 1886, and followed his work to the best of their ability. It was impossible not to know about the artist, whose brother owns a large painting salon in the center of Paris. Theo's apartment was a personal exhibition of Vincent's paintings for 5 whole years, all the local artists of those years visited there, including Claude Monet himself. By the way, at the exhibition in 1888, Monet very positively assessed “Starry Night”, calling it the best painting of the show.

The interesting facts do not end there: his relative, the famous landscape artist Anton Mauwe, was involved in popularizing the van Gogh family in Holland. Anton, in turn, knew one of the best landscape painters in Holland, Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch. They even had a meeting where they discussed Vincent's talent. As a result, they agreed that the guy really has potential and can reach great heights. When Vincent learned about this news, he finally realized that he would become an artist, and from that moment he began to paint one painting or drawing a day.

8. Terrible health condition

"Still Life with Absinthe" 1887.

It is difficult to imagine that people in those days did not even realize the catastrophic harmfulness of absinthe. France at that time was the capital of absinthe; it was inexpensive and very popular among creative people. Vincent was incredibly fond of this drink, and dedicated a neat still life portrait to it. The situation was also aggravated by smoking; for the last 10 years of his life, he never parted with his pipe. In letters to his brother, he said that in this way he satisfied the hunger that haunted him constantly. This lifestyle gave its generous “results”.

Vincent van Gogh's illnesses:

Bipolar affective disorder;
Manic depressive psychosis;
Borderline Personality Disorder;
Sunstroke;
Meniere's disease;
Lead poisoning;
Acute intermittent porphyria;
Syphilis;
Gonorrhea;
Impotence;
Lost more than 15 teeth.

He told his brother about half of his illnesses, the rest was taken from hospital medical records. He received sexually transmitted diseases from his common-law wife, who was a prostitute. After they separated, Vincent spent two weeks in the hospital, but did not blame his former love for anything. Teeth quickly deteriorated from absinthe and smoking, which is why there are no self-portraits of van Gogh where his teeth would be visible. Lead poisoning occurred from white paints; by the way, nowadays lead white paint is considered highly toxic, is prohibited, and is no longer manufactured.

9. Worked only with the best materials of those times

Fragment from a painting

The brothers were very well versed in art products, since they were closely in the environment of painting. Due to the fact that Vincent used only high-quality paints, his paintings have survived so well to this day. IN online museum from Google you can examine any painting in detail, every stroke is visible on it, evaluate its purity and brightness. These paintings are over a hundred years old, but they look like new, only a few cracks. What is noteworthy is that he himself never created oil paint from pigments, but only bought ready-made ones in tubes. Unlike his friend, Paul Gauguin, who was an adherent of the old approach to the production of artistic materials.

10. Death of Vincent van Gogh

The last painting of the master. Fields with dark clouds.

It is erroneously believed that his last work is “Wheatfield with Crows.” In 1890, Theodore's entire family fell ill, most importantly, including the baby. Due to this, he had less time for Vincent, and the brothers gradually began to move away from each other. Theo sent him money less and less, and described in detail how difficult it was for him. Vincent often thought about suicide in the last year of his life, and was deeply disappointed at how poorly things were going for them. One day he decided that the game was not worth the candle, and that he had become too much of a burden.

On December 23, 1888, the now world-famous post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh lost his ear. There are several versions of what happened, however, Van Gogh’s whole life was full of absurd and very strange facts.

Van Gogh wanted to follow in his father's footsteps - to become a preacher

Van Gogh dreamed of becoming a priest, like his father. He even completed the missionary internship required for admission to an evangelical school. He lived in the outback among miners for about a year.

But it turned out that the admission rules had changed, and the Dutch had to pay for training. The missionary Van Gogh was offended and after that decided to leave religion and become an artist. However, his choice was not accidental. Vincent’s uncle was a partner in the largest art dealer company at that time, Goupil.

Van Gogh began painting only at the age of 27

Van Gogh began painting in adulthood, when he was 27 years old. Contrary to popular belief, he was not such a “brilliant amateur” like conductor Pirosmani or customs officer Russo. By that time, Vincent Van Gogh was an experienced art dealer and entered first the Academy of Arts in Brussels, and later the Antwerp Academy of Arts. True, he studied there for only three months until he left for Paris, where he met the Impressionists, including.

Van Gogh began with “peasant” paintings like “The Potato Eaters.” But his brother Theo, who knew a lot about art and supported Vincent financially throughout his life, managed to convince him that “light painting” was created for success, and the public would definitely appreciate it.

The artist's palette has a medical explanation

The abundance of yellow spots of different shades in the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, according to scientists, has a medical explanation. There is a version that this vision of the world is caused by the large number of drugs for epilepsy consumed by him. He experienced attacks of this disease in the last years of his life due to hard work, a riotous lifestyle and abuse of absinthe.

The most expensive Van Gogh painting was in Goering's collection

For more than 10 years, Vincent van Gogh’s “Portrait of Doctor Gachet” held the title of the most expensive painting in the world. Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito, owner of a large paper production company, purchased this painting at a Christie's auction in 1990 for $82 million. The owner of the painting indicated in his will that the painting should be cremated with him after his death. In 1996, Ryoei Saito died. It is known for certain that the painting was not burned, but where exactly it is now is unknown. It is believed that the artist painted 2 versions of the painting.

However, this is just one fact from the history of “Portrait of Doctor Gachet.” It is known that after the exhibition “Degenerate Art” in Munich in 1938, the Nazi Goering acquired this painting for his collection. True, he soon sold it to a certain Dutch collector, and then the painting ended up in the USA, where it remained until Saito acquired it.

Van Gogh is one of the most kidnapped artists

In December 2013, the FBI published the top 10 high-profile thefts of ingenious works of art with the goal that the public could help solve the crimes. The most valuable on this list are two paintings by Van Gogh – “View of the Sea at Schevingen” and “Church at Newnen”, which are valued at $30 million each. Both of these paintings were stolen in 2002 from the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It is known that two men were arrested as suspects in the theft, but their guilt could not be proven.

In 2013, Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “Poppies,” which experts value at $50 million, was stolen from the Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Egypt due to management negligence. The painting has not yet been returned.

Van Gogh's ear may have been cut off by Gauguin

The story with the ear raises doubts among many biographers of Vincent van Gogh. The fact is that if the artist cut off his ear at the root, he would die from loss of blood. Only the artist's earlobe was cut off. There is a record of this in the surviving medical report.

There is a version that the incident with the cut off ear occurred during a quarrel between Van Gogh and Gauguin. Gauguin, experienced in sailor fights, slashed Van Gogh in the ear, and he had a seizure from stress. Later, trying to whitewash himself, Gauguin came up with a story about how Van Gogh chased him in a fit of madness with a razor and crippled himself.

Unknown Van Gogh paintings are still found today

This fall, the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam identified a new painting by the great master. The painting “Sunset at Montmajour,” according to researchers, was painted by Van Gogh in 1888. What makes the find exceptional is the fact that the painting belongs to a period that art historians consider the pinnacle of the artist’s work. The discovery was made using methods such as comparisons of style, colors, techniques, computer analysis of the canvas, X-ray photographs and the study of Van Gogh's letters.

The painting “Sunset at Montmajour” is currently on display at the artist’s museum in Amsterdam in the exhibition “Van Gogh at Work.”

Vincent Willem van Gogh is a Dutch artist who laid the foundations of the post-impressionism movement, which largely determined the principles of creativity of modern masters.

Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in the village of Groot Zundert in the province of North Brabant, bordering Belgium.

Father Theodore Van Gogh was a Protestant clergyman. Mother Anna Cornelia Carbentus is from the family of a respected bookseller and bookbinding specialist from the city (Den Haag).

Vincent was the second child, but his brother died immediately after birth, so the boy was the eldest, and after him five more children were born in the family:

Theodorus (Theo) (Theodorus, Theo);
Cornelis (Cor) (Cornelis, Cor);
Anna Cornelia;
Elizabeth (Liz) (Elizabeth, Liz);
Willemina (Vil) (Willamina, Vil).

The baby was named after his grandfather, a minister of Protestantism. This name was supposed to be borne by the first child, but due to his early death it went to Vincent.

Memories of loved ones depict Vincent's character as very strange, capricious and wayward, disobedient and capable of unexpected antics. Outside of home and family, he was well-mannered, quiet, polite, modest, kind, distinguished by an amazingly intelligent look and a heart full of compassion. However, he avoided his peers and did not join in their games and fun.

At the age of 7, his father and mother enrolled him in school, but a year later he and his sister Anna were transferred to home schooling, and a governess taught the children.

At the age of 11, in 1864, Vincent was sent to school in Zevenbergen. Although it was only 20 km from his homeland, the child had a hard time withstanding the separation, and these experiences were remembered forever.

In 1866, Vincent was assigned as a student to the educational institution of Willem II in Tilburg (College Willem II in Tilburg). The teenager made great progress in mastering foreign languages; he spoke and read French, English, and German perfectly. Teachers also noted Vincent’s ability to draw. However, in 1868 he suddenly abandoned his studies and returned home. He was no longer sent to educational institutions; he continued to receive his education at home. The famous artist’s memories of the beginning of his life were sad; childhood was associated with darkness, cold and emptiness.

Business

In 1869, in The Hague, Vincent was recruited by his uncle, who bore the same name, whom the future artist called “Uncle Saint”. Uncle was the owner of a branch of the company Goupil&Cie, which was engaged in the examination, evaluation and sale of art objects. Vincent acquired the profession of a dealer and made significant progress, so in 1873 he was sent to work in London.

Working with works of art was very interesting to Vincent, he learned to understand the fine arts, and became a regular visitor to museums and exhibition halls. His favorite authors were Jean-François Millet and Jules Breton.

The story of Vincent's first love dates back to the same period. But the story was incomprehensible and confusing: he lived in a rented apartment with Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugene; biographers argue about who was the object of love: one of them or Carolina Haanebeek. But no matter who the beloved was, Vincent was refused and lost interest in life, work, and art. He begins to read the Bible thoughtfully. During this period, in 1874, he had to transfer to the Paris branch of the company. There he again becomes a regular at museums and enjoys creating drawings. Having hated the dealer's activities, he stopped bringing income to the company, and he was fired in 1876.

Teaching and religion

In March 1876, Vincent moved to Great Britain and became a free teacher at a school in Ramsgate. At the same time, he is thinking about a career as a clergyman. In July 1876 he moved to school in Isleworth, where he additionally assisted the priest. In November 1876, Vincent reads a sermon and becomes convinced of his destiny to convey the truth of religious teaching.

In 1876, Vincent came to his home for the Christmas holidays, and his mother and father begged him not to leave. Vincent got a job in a bookstore in Dordrecht, but he doesn’t like the trade. He devotes all his time to translating biblical texts and drawing.

His father and mother, rejoicing at his desire for religious service, send Vincent to Amsterdam, where, with the help of a relative, Johannes Stricker, he prepares in theology for admission to university, and lives with his uncle, Jan Van Gogh. Gogh), who had the rank of admiral.

After admission, Van Gogh was a theological student until July 1878, after which, disappointed, he abandoned further studies and fled from Amsterdam.

The next stage of the search was associated with the Protestant missionary school in the city of Laken, near Brussels. The school was led by Pastor Bokma. Vincent gains experience in composing and reading sermons for three months, but leaves this place too. Biographers' information is contradictory: either he quit his job himself, or was fired due to sloppiness in clothing and unbalanced behavior.

In December 1878, Vincent continued his missionary service, but now in the southern region of Belgium, in the village of Paturi. Mining families lived in the village, Van Gogh selflessly worked with children, visited houses and talked about the Bible, and cared for the sick. To support himself, he drew maps of the Holy Land and sold them. Van Gogh proved himself to be an ascetic, sincere and tireless, and as a result he was given a small salary from the Evangelical Society. He planned to enter the Evangelical school, but the education was paid, and this, according to Van Gogh, is incompatible with true faith, which cannot be associated with money. At the same time, he submits a request to the mine management to improve the working conditions of the miners. He was refused and deprived of the right to preach, which shocked him and led to another disappointment.

First steps

Van Gogh found peace at his easel, and in 1880 he decided to try himself at the Brussels Royal Academy of Arts. His brother Theo supports him, but a year later his studies are abandoned again, and the eldest son returns under his parents' roof. He is absorbed in self-education and works tirelessly.

He feels love for his widowed cousin Kee Vos-Stricker, who raised their son and came to visit the family. Van Gogh is rejected, but persists and is kicked out of his father's house. These events shocked the young man, he flees to The Hague, immerses himself in creativity, takes lessons from Anton Mauve, comprehends the laws of fine art, and makes copies of lithographic works.

Van Gogh spends a lot of time in neighborhoods inhabited by the poor. The works of this period are sketches of courtyards, roofs, alleys:

"Backyards" (De achtertuin) (1882);
“Roofs. View from Van Gogh's studio" (Dak. Het uitzicht vanuit de Studio van Gogh) (1882).

An interesting technique is that combines watercolors, sepia, ink, chalk, etc.

In The Hague, he chooses a woman of easy virtue named Christine as his wife.(Van Christina), which he picked up right on the panel. Christine moved to Van Gogh with her children and became a model for the artist, but her character was terrible, and they had to separate. This episode leads to a final break with parents and loved ones.

After breaking up with Christine, Vincent moves to Drenth, in the countryside. During this period, landscape works by the artist appeared, as well as paintings depicting the life of the peasantry.

Early works

The period of creativity representing the first works executed in Drenthe is distinguished by its realism, but they express the key characteristics of the individual style of the artist. Many critics believe that these features are explained by the lack of basic art education: Van Gogh did not know the laws of human representation, therefore, the characters in paintings and sketches seem angular, ungraceful, as if emerging from the bosom of nature, like rocks on which the vault of heaven presses:

"Red Vineyards" (Rode wijngaard) (1888);
"Peasant Woman" (Boerin) (1885);
"The Potato Eaters" (De Aardappeleters) (1885);
“The Old Church Tower in Nuenen” (De Oude Begraafplaats Toren in Nuenen) (1885), etc.

These works are distinguished by a dark palette of shades that convey the painful atmosphere of the surrounding life, the painful situation of ordinary people, the sympathy, pain and drama of the author.

In 1885, he was forced to leave Drenthe, as he displeased the priest, who considered painting debauchery and forbade local residents to pose for paintings.

Parisian period

Van Gogh travels to Antwerp, takes lessons at the Academy of Arts and additionally at a private educational institution, where he works hard on depicting nudes.

In 1886, Vincent moved to Paris to join Theo, who worked in a dealership that specialized in transactions for the sale of art objects.

In Paris in 1887/88, Van Gogh took lessons at a private school, learned the basics of Japanese art, the basics of the impressionistic style of painting, and the work of Paul Gauguin. This stage in Vag Gogh’s creative biography is called light; the leitmotif in his works are soft blue, bright yellow, fiery shades, his brushwork is light, betraying movement, the “flow” of life:

Agostina Segatori in het Café Tamboerijn;
“Bridge over the Seine” (Brug over de Seine);
"Papa Tanguy" and others.

Van Gogh admired the Impressionists and met celebrities thanks to his brother Theo:

Edgar Degas;
Camille Pissarro;
Henri Touluz-Lautrec;
Paul Gauguin;
Emile Bernard and others.

Van Gogh found himself among good friends and like-minded people, and was involved in the process of preparing exhibitions that were organized in restaurants, bars, and theater halls. The audience did not appreciate Van Gogh, they recognized them as terrible, but he immersed himself in learning and self-improvement, comprehending the theoretical basis of color technology.

In Paris, Van Gogh created about 230 works: still lifes, portrait and landscape paintings, painting cycles (for example, the “Shoes” series of 1887) (Schoenen).

It is interesting that the person on the canvas takes on a secondary role, and the main thing is the bright world of nature, its airiness, the richness of colors, and their subtle transitions. Van Gogh opens a new direction - post-impressionism.

Blooming and finding your own style

In 1888, Van Gogh, worried about the lack of understanding of the audience, left for the southern French city of Arles. Arles became the city in which Vincent understood the purpose of his work: not to strive to reflect the real visible world, but to express your inner “I” with the help of color and simple technical techniques.

He decides to break with the Impressionists, but the peculiarities of their style have been manifested in his works for many years, in the ways of depicting light and air, in the manner of arranging color accents. Typical of impressionistic works are a series of canvases depicting the same landscape, but at different times of the day and under different lighting.

The attractiveness of Van Gogh’s style of work from his heyday lies in the contradiction between the desire for a harmonious worldview and the awareness of one’s own helplessness in the face of a disharmonious world. Full of light and festive nature, the works of 1888 coexist with dark phantasmagoric images:

"Yellow House" (Gele huis);
"Gauguin's Chair" (De stoel van Gauguin);
“Cafe terrace at night” (Cafe terras bij nacht).

The dynamism, movement of color, and the energy of the master’s brush are a reflection of the artist’s soul, his tragic quest, and impulses to understand the surrounding world of living and nonliving things:

"Red Vineyards in Arles";
"The Sower" (Zaaier);
"Night cafe" (Nachtkoffie).

The artist plans to establish a society uniting budding geniuses who will reflect the future of humanity. To open society, Vincent is helped by Theo. Van Gogh assigned the leading role to Paul Gauguin. When Gauguin arrived, they quarreled so much that Van Gogh almost cut his throat on December 23, 1888. Gauguin managed to escape, and Van Gogh, repenting, cut off part of his own earlobe.

Biographers have different assessments of this episode; many believe that this act was a sign of madness provoked by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Van Gogh was sent to a mental hospital, where he was kept in strict conditions in the department for the violently insane. Gauguin leaves, Theo takes care of Vincent. After treatment, Vincent dreams of returning to Arles. But city residents protested, and the artist was offered to settle next to the Saint-Paul hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, near Arles.

Since May 1889, Van Gogh has lived in Saint-Rémy, and in a year he paints more than 150 large works and about 100 drawings and watercolors, demonstrating mastery of halftones and contrast. Among them, the landscape genre predominates, still lifes that convey the mood and contradictions in the author’s soul:

"Starry Night" (Nightlights);
“Landscape with olive trees” (Landschap met olijfbomen), etc.

In 1889, the fruits of Van Gogh's creativity were exhibited in Brussels and were met with rave reviews from colleagues and critics. But Van Gogh does not feel joy from the recognition that has finally come; he moves to Auvers-sur-Oise, where his brother and his family live. There he constantly creates, but the author’s depressed mood and nervous excitement are transmitted to the canvases of 1890; they are distinguished by broken lines, distorted silhouettes of objects and faces:

“Village road with cypress trees” (Landelijke weg met cipressen);
“Landscape in Auvers after the rain” (Landschap in Auvers na de regen);
“Wheat field with crows” (Korenveld met kraaien), etc.

On July 27, 1890, Van Gogh was fatally wounded by a pistol. It is unknown whether the shot was planned or accidental, but the artist died a day later. He was buried in the same town, and 6 months later his brother Theo, whose grave is located next to Vincent, also died of nervous exhaustion.

Over 10 years of creativity, over 2,100 works appeared, of which about 860 were done in oils. Van Gogh became the founder of expressionism, post-impressionism, his principles formed the basis of Fauvism and modernism.

Posthumously, a series of triumphant exhibition events took place in Paris, Brussels, The Hague, and Antwerp. At the beginning of the 20th century, another wave of shows of works by the famous Dutchman took place in Paris, Cologne (Keulen), New York (New York), Berlin (Berlijn).

Paintings

It is not known exactly how many paintings Van Gogh painted, but art historians and researchers of his work are inclined to figure about 800. In the last 70 days of his life alone, he painted 70 paintings - one per day! Let's remember the most famous paintings with names and descriptions:

The Potato Eaters appeared in 1885 in Nuenen. The author described the task in a message to Theo: he sought to show people of hard work who received little reward for their work. The hands cultivating the field accept his gifts.

Red vineyards in Arles

The famous painting dates back to 1888. The plot of the film is not fictional; Vincent talks about it in one of his messages to Theo. On the canvas, the artist conveys the rich colors that amazed him: deep red grape leaves, a piercing green sky, a bright purple rain-washed road with golden highlights from the rays of the setting sun. The colors seem to flow into one another, conveying the author’s anxious mood, his tension, and the depth of his philosophical thoughts about the world. Such a plot will be repeated in Van Gogh’s work, symbolizing life eternally renewed through work.

Night cafe

“Night Cafe” appeared in Arles and presented the author’s thoughts about a man who independently destroys his own life. The idea of self-destruction and steady movement towards madness is expressed by the contrast of bloody burgundy and green colors. To try to penetrate the secrets of twilight life, the author worked on the painting at night. The expressionistic style of writing conveys the fullness of passions, anxiety, and painfulness of life.

Van Gogh's legacy includes two series of works depicting sunflowers. In the first cycle there are flowers laid out on a table; they were painted during the Parisian period in 1887 and were soon acquired by Gauguin. The second series appeared in 1888/89 in Arles, on each canvas - sunflower flowers in a vase.

This flower symbolizes love and loyalty, friendship and warmth of human relationships, beneficence and gratitude. The artist expresses the depths of his worldview in sunflowers, associating himself with this sunny flower.

“The Starry Night” was created in 1889 in Saint-Rémy; it depicts the stars and the moon in dynamics, framed by the boundless sky, the Universe eternally existing and rushing into infinity. The cypress trees located in the foreground strive to reach the stars, and the village in the valley is static, motionless and devoid of aspirations for the new and infinite. The expression of color approaches and the use of different types of strokes conveys the multidimensionality of space, its variability and depth.

This famous self-portrait was created in Arles in January 1889. An interesting feature is the dialogue of red-orange and blue-violet colors, against the background of which there is a immersion into the abyss of a person’s distorted consciousness. Attention is drawn to the face and eyes, as if looking deep into the personality. Self-portraits are a conversation between the painter and himself and the universe.

"Almond Blossoms" (Amandelbloesem) created in Saint-Rémy in 1890. The spring blossoming of almond trees is a symbol of renewal, the birth and strengthening of life. The unusual thing about the canvas is that the branches float without a foundation; they are self-sufficient and beautiful.

This portrait was painted in 1890. Bright colors convey the significance of every moment; brushwork creates a dynamic image of man and nature, which are inextricably linked. The image of the hero of the picture is painful and nervous: we peer into the image of a sad old man, immersed in his thoughts, as if he had absorbed the painful experience of years.

“Wheat Field with Crows” was created in July 1890 and expresses the feeling of approaching death, the hopeless tragedy of existence. The picture is filled with symbolism: the sky before a thunderstorm, approaching black birds, roads leading to the unknown, but inaccessible.

Museum

(Van Gogh Museum) opened in Amsterdam in 1973 and presents not only the most fundamental collection of his creations, but also works of the Impressionists. This is the first most popular exhibition center in the Netherlands.

Quotes

Among the clergy, as well as among the masters of the brush, a despotic academicism reigns, dull and full of prejudices;
Thinking about future hardships and adversities, I would not be able to create;
Painting is my joy and tranquility, giving me the opportunity to escape from life’s troubles;

(Vincent Willem Van Gogh) was born on March 30, 1853 in the village of Groot Zundert in the province of North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands in the family of a Protestant pastor.

In 1868, Van Gogh dropped out of school, after which he went to work at a branch of the large Parisian art company Goupil & Cie. He worked successfully in the gallery, first in The Hague, then in branches in London and Paris.

By 1876, Vincent had completely lost interest in the painting trade and decided to follow in the footsteps of his father. In the UK, he found work as a teacher at a boarding school in a small town in the suburbs of London, where he also served as an assistant pastor. On October 29, 1876, he preached his first sermon. In 1877 he moved to Amsterdam, where he began studying theology at the university.

Van Gogh "Poppies"

In 1879, Van Gogh received a position as a secular preacher in Wham, a mining center in the Borinage, in southern Belgium. He then continued his preaching mission in the nearby village of Kem.

During this same period, Van Gogh developed a desire to paint.

In 1880, in Brussels, he entered the Royal Academy of Arts (Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles). However, due to his unbalanced character, he soon dropped out of the course and continued his art education on his own, using reproductions.

In 1881, in Holland, under the guidance of his relative, landscape artist Anton Mauwe, Van Gogh created his first paintings: “Still Life with Cabbage and Wooden Shoes” and “Still Life with Beer Glass and Fruit.”

In the Dutch period, starting with the painting “Harvesting Potatoes” (1883), the main motif of the artist’s paintings was the theme of ordinary people and their work, the emphasis was on the expressiveness of scenes and figures, the palette was dominated by dark, gloomy colors and shades, sharp changes in light and shadow . The canvas “The Potato Eaters” (April-May 1885) is considered a masterpiece of this period.

In 1885, Van Gogh continued his studies in Belgium. In Antwerp he entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. In 1886, Vincent moved to Paris to join his younger brother Theo, who by then had taken over as leading manager of the Goupil gallery in Montmartre. Here Van Gogh took lessons from the French realist artist Fernand Cormon for about four months, met the impressionists Camille Pizarro, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, from whom he adopted their style of painting.

In Paris, Van Gogh developed an interest in creating images of human faces. Without the funds to pay for the work of models, he turned to self-portraiture, creating about 20 paintings in this genre in two years.

The Parisian period (1886-1888) became one of the artist's most productive creative periods.

In February 1888, Van Gogh traveled to the south of France to Arles, where he dreamed of creating a creative community of artists.

In December, Vincent's mental health took a turn for the worse. During one of his uncontrollable outbursts of aggression, he threatened Paul Gauguin, who came to see him in the open air, with an open razor, and then cut off a piece of his earlobe, sending it as a gift to one of his female acquaintances. After this incident, Van Gogh was first placed in a psychiatric hospital in Arles, and then voluntarily went for treatment at the specialized clinic of St. Paul of the Mausoleum near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The hospital's chief physician, Théophile Peyron, diagnosed his patient with "acute manic disorder." However, the artist was given a certain freedom: he could paint in the open air under the supervision of staff.

In Saint-Rémy, Vincent alternated between periods of intense activity and long breaks caused by deep depression. In just one year of his stay at the clinic, Van Gogh painted about 150 paintings. Some of the most outstanding paintings of this period were: “Starry Night”, “Irises”, “Road with Cypress Trees and a Star”, “Olive Trees, Blue Sky and White Cloud”, “Pieta”.

In September 1889, with the active assistance of his brother Theo, Van Gogh's paintings took part in the Salon des Indépendants, an exhibition of modern art organized by the Society of Independent Artists in Paris.

In January 1890, Van Gogh's paintings were exhibited at the eighth Group of Twenty exhibition in Brussels, where they were enthusiastically received by critics.

In May 1890, Van Gogh's mental condition improved, he left the hospital and settled in the town of Auvers-sur-Oise in the suburbs of Paris under the supervision of Dr. Paul Gachet.

Vincent actively took up painting; almost every day he completed a painting. During this period, he painted several outstanding portraits of Dr. Gachet and 13-year-old Adeline Ravoux, the daughter of the owner of the hotel where he stayed.

On July 27, 1890, Van Gogh left his house at the usual time and went to paint. Upon his return, after persistent questioning by the couple, Ravu admitted that he had shot himself with a pistol. All attempts by Dr. Gachet to save the wounded were in vain; Vincent fell into a coma and died on the night of July 29 at the age of thirty-seven. He was buried in the Auvers cemetery.

American biographers of the artist Steven Nayfeh and Gregory White Smith in their study “The Life of Van Gogh” (Van Gogh: The Life) of Vincent’s death, according to which he died not from his own bullet, but from an accidental shot committed by two drunken young men.

During his ten-year creative career, Van Gogh managed to paint 864 paintings and almost 1,200 drawings and engravings. During his lifetime, only one painting by the artist was sold - the landscape "Red Vineyards in Arles". The cost of the painting was 400 francs.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources