Post on 18-Feb-2017
Group 6
July 2, 2014
Period 3
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands. Vincent’s full
name is Vincent Willem Van Gogh. He had two brothers, Theo, and Vincent also named the
same, who passed away before Vincent was even born. He attended Brussels Academy and he
was forced to leave school at the age of 15 because his family was struggling financially. He got
a job at his uncle’s Cornelis’ art dealership.
June of 1873, Vincent was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London. There he met
Eugenie Loyer who also, rejected his marriage proposal. Van Gogh had a breakdown and he
threw all his books away except for the Bible. He then devoted his life to God. After that the
taught in a Methodist boys' school. In the fall of 1880, van Gogh decided to move to Brussels
and become an artist. Though he had no formal art training, his younger brother Theo offered to
support van Gogh financially.
Van Gogh became utterly depressed. For six weeks, he lived a nomadic life, moving
throughout while drawing and painting the landscape and its people. Van Gogh’s art helped him
stay emotionally balanced. In 1885, he began to work on what is considered to be his first
masterpiece, “Potato Eaters.” Van Gogh then was inspired by color and light. He began to buy
paint rather than food. He became sick. He cut off portion of his ear and gave it to a woman
named Rachel. After that the people of Arles signed a petition saying that van Gogh was
dangerous, he decided to move to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-
Provence. On May 8, 1889, he began painting in the hospital gardens. In November 1889, he was
invited to exhibit his paintings in Brussels. He sent six paintings, including "Irises" and "Starry
Night."
The “Starry Night” was Vincent Van Gogh’s famous painting. It was painted on June
1889. Its genre is landscape art. This painting is of a night sky with swirling clouds and below
there is a small town. Vincent painted Starry Night while staying in an Asylum at Saint- Remy in
1889.
On July 27, 1890, van Gogh shot himself on the chest but the bullet didn’t kill him. He
was found bleeding in his room. The doctors took him to the hospital. He died two days later on
July 29, 1890 in his brother’s Theo’s arms. He was 37 years old. On March 17, 1901, 71 of van
Gogh's paintings were displayed at a show in Paris, and his fame subsequently grew enormously.
Today, Vincent van Gogh is considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. He
completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300
watercolors, drawings and sketches. Several of his paintings rank among the most expensive in
the world; "Irises" sold for a record $53.9 million, and his "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sold for $82.5
million.