Countless great painters could be recognized today, but one man stands out among them. This is Vincent van Gogh. Without evening knowing it, Van Gogh was one of the world’s best artists. His struggles with mental illness and hardship took a big toll on his life. Through this, he produced some of the most renowned works known. Many know of only his art and not his heartbreaking story. The life of Vincent van Gogh will be discovered.
The great painter began his life in 1853 within a small village by the name of Groot-Zundert in the Netherlands. His parents Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Carbentus had a son who was stillborn by the name of Vincent Willem van Gogh. Almost a year later, they had another son, giving the baby the same name. Growing up, Vincent would walk with Anna and see his name engraved upon a tombstone. She highly disliked Vincent, believing that he could never live up to how the baby would’ve been. Both his father and grandfather were ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church. The family went on to have two more sons and three girls. Vincent’s younger brother by four years, Theodorus van Gogh, was consistently close to him throughout his life. Anna was most probably suffering from depression, as she would very rarely exhibit affection and love with any of her six children. Praise was never received, forcing Vincent to do his best at everything he did in an attempt at impressing his mother and deserving her love. Anna was an amateur artist, so she instructed her children to draw in sketchbooks. Vincent appreciated the arts and loved to sketch. He would take plants and bugs from his area and bring them home to accurately draw later. Vincent was forced to leave school at a young age to work. His uncle was an art dealer at a firm, Goupil and Cie. As he worked, he was surrounded by art. He would visit museums to learn about the great masters. With Vincent’s determination, he taught himself to read and speak German, French, and English fluently, so he could sell art to clients in multiple areas of Europe. Theo was also forced to work there. After finishing his apprenticeship, Vincent was sent to another branch of the firm in London. At 20, he moved into a home owned by Saran Ursula Loyer, a widow, and her daughter, Eugenie, who was 19 at the time. Vincent once wrote to his family that he was extremely content in his living area and adored the hustle of London. He helped the women of the home by gardening and doing other miscellaneous chores. The event that is about to unfold is where historians differ on views. Some believe that Vincent fell deeply in love with the daughter since they were similar in age. Others believe he fell for the mother. He proposed marriage to either one of them, but in response was greeted with the truth. The woman whom Vincent wanted to marry was already engaged to another man. Vincent was confused and attempted to convince her to marry him instead. They began to argue, and he was kicked out of the boarding house and told never to set foot on the premises again. From the age of 20 to 23, Vincent read the Bible every day and put himself at high standards. This is believed to have stemmed from his childhood, specifically his mother. Customers at the art firm in which Vincent was working were told not to purchase the artwork. As a result, Vincent was fired. He decided that he wanted to follow his father’s career path and become a minister. He found employment teaching at a Methodist school for boys. Unhappy with his job, he applied to the School of Theology in Amsterdam. One of the requirements to receive the position was to pass an exam based upon the Latin language. Vincent, wanting to be the best he could be, punished himself by sleeping outside or skipping meals if he did poorly during his studies. He was unable to pass the test, regardless of being fluent in Latin-based languages. It didn’t matter to Vincent as to what church he was a part of, but rather whom he was helping. He wanted to preach the Bible to the poor. He went to the Evangelical Church of Belgium and was denied once more. In 1878, he volunteered to go to Brussels, Belgium, where most ministries didn’t want to go. It was considered one of the poorest areas of the country. Upon arrival, the church supplied Vincent with his own personal home. While living there, Vincent sketched the peasants working in the coal mine. There was once an extremely sick woman in the area who could no longer work, therefore losing her home. Vincent gave the woman his home and decided to inhabit one of the coal mining shacks. He was forced to sleep on the hardwood floor with only a single blanket. The peasants around the area referred to Vincent as the Christ of the Coal Mines. The church community, embarrassed and frustrated, fired him.
After much disappointment, Vincent realized that the one thing he loved to do was paint. He enjoyed painting with all his emotions, both positive and negative. At 27, Vincent wrote a letter to Theo stating that he wanted to become a true artist. He was still working at the art dealership and promoted him to pursue his dream. Theo offered to financially support Vincent and his art. They came to an agreement that Theo would send 50 francs to him a month and in return, Vincent would send his paintings to him, allowing Theo to keep all the profit made from selling them. Vincent was grateful for his brother and would miss meals so he could afford the costs of paint and canvases. Unlike now, lead paint wasn’t believed to be dangerous. Vincent would use his mouth to wet the paintbrush. This may have contributed to his poor health. Although he concluded that he wanted to be an artist, Vincent still had to push through his depression and modesty. In the same year, Vincent fell in love with yet another woman, his older first cousin by the name of Kee Vos-Stricker. She was mourning, as she just become a widow. Vincent proposed, promising happiness and a bright future. He left his home and fled to his uncle and aunt’s house in Amsterdam. Vincent was extremely persistent and begged to speak to her. When they wouldn’t cooperate, he placed his hand over the gas flame, stating that he would stop talking when he couldn’t stand the burning of his flesh anymore. They blew out the flame and asked him to go back home. Vincent later moved to The Hague, which was surrounded by the Dutch art movement. At 28, he finalized his first oil painting and sent it to Theo to sell. While living there, he met Clasina Sien Maria Hoornik. She was a prostitute and alcoholic suffering from syphilis. She had a 4-year-old child and one on the way when she met Vincent. He almost immediately fell in love with her, writing to Theo that he enjoyed feeling needed. Being the most supportive individual in his life, Theo increased his monthly pay in hopes that Vincent would be able to support Sien and her children. She began modeling for him in his sketches. This was extremely helpful as he couldn’t afford professional models. He caught both gonorrhea and syphilis from Sien. Syphilis is known to cause symptoms, such as madness. The pain was so severe that he was hospitalized. While recovering, she held unloyalty to Vincent and continued selling herself on the streets. When Theo learned of this, he threatened to terminate Vincent’s finances if he didn’t stop his relationship with her. He broke up with her and later left The Hague.
A sketch of Sien by Vincent van Gogh
In 1885 and at the age of 33, Vincent painted a piece titled The Potato Eaters. Today, it’s thought to be one of his first masterpiece paintings. It portrays the emotions and essence of these poor farmworkers. He hoped it would sell, as there was a similar dark style of painting done by the Dutch. However, it wasn’t popular in Paris, where Theo was sent to during his work with Goupil and Cie. Letters would be sent back and forth, with Theo sketching out examples of Monet’s works, as they sold very well. He had never seen this style of art or Monet but was interested in the works. Once Vincent arrived in Paris, Theo first brought him to the art gallery so that he could see the works mentioned in the letters. Vincent was mesmerized by the Impressionistic style and movement. He almost instantly understood why it was popular and swapped out his dark color palette for a bright one. Theo also introduced Vincent to various painters known today, hoping that he could find inspiration and friendship. Because hiring a model was extremely expensive, Vincent and his friends would pose for one another for practice. He also looked in the mirror to create his many self-portraits. His postman, Joseph Roulin, also allowed for portraits to be done. It was traditional for the Impressionists to only paint on days when the weather was glorious, caring about the perfect light. They also understood the market and what would sell. Many would also wait for inspiration. Vincent was the opposite. His strong work ethic and willingness to paint contributed to his masterworks. He believed that the level of passion that he had didn’t compare to the other artists. In a letter, he once wrote, “I feel such a creative force in me. I am convinced that there will be a time when I will make something good every day on a regular basis. I am doing my very best to make every effort because I am longing so much to make beautiful things, but beautiful things mean painstaking work, disappointment, and perseverance.” Vincent often had outbursts towards the other artists and Theo would be forced to apologize on his behalf. The only artist inspired by his immense determination was Paul Gaugin. He encouraged Vincent to destress and drink a green liquor called absinthe. It was known to cause hallucinations and was not a positive contributed to his mental health. Vincent began studying Japanese art and read literature on Buddhist philosophy. He told the other impressionists that he wished to move there. Toulouse-Lautrec informed him that the French countryside held an extremely similar look to the Japanese countryside, encouraging him to move there instead. This resulted in his moving to Arles.
Portrait done of Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh
The Potato Eaters by Van Gogh
Painting of Vincent Van Gogh by Paul Gaugin
The move promoted Vincent to create more works than ever before. Upon reaching the town, he stumbled upon a yellow house with very cheap rent of 15 francs a month. He spent most days painting alone, surviving on a diet of coffee and cheap bread. During the night, he drank absinthe. At times when no food was present, he ate paint and drank paint thinner. This disintegrated his nervous system and mental state. Theo was extremely worried about Vincent and paid Gaugin to live and paint in Arles. When Vincent found out that he would be arriving, Vincent filled the house with yellow sunflowers, in hopes of brightening the home for his best friend. During this time, he began steering away from the Impressionistic styles, forming his own techniques. Initially, Vincent and Paul were getting along, but due to his declining mental state, things took a turn. Vincent would start arguments and Paul began to feel uncomfortable in the home. During one particularly bad fight, Gaugin left the house, taking his luggage with him. He announced that he was taking the train back to Paris. As he walked down the street of Arles, Gaugin heard footsteps quickly approaching him. As he turned, he saw Vincent gripping an open razor blade. The two froze and stared at one another for a moment before Vincent snapped out of it and realized what he was doing. He turned and ran away back to the home, as Gaugin hurried to the train. The two never spoke again. A few hours later, Vincent arrived at the local brothel. The side of his face was bleeding. He asked a prostitute to open her palm. He handed the woman an object, his severed ear.
A painting by Vincent Van Gogh showing his home
The next day, the police showed up at Vincent’s home, taking him to the hospital. He was to be treated for an open wound where the ear used to be. When Theo arrived at the hospital, Vincent was laying in bed and having seizures. He was weak and hallucinating. Theo wrote a letter to their mother and sisters stating that Vincent was extremely ill and may pass away. He also wrote that he blamed himself for not visiting him sooner. After two weeks of care in the hospital, Vincent was released back to his home. Theo waited until Vincent’s recovery to break the news that he was engaged. Her name was Johanna Bonger and she was a pianist and worked at the British Museum Library. They both shared their passion for the arts. Vincent saw the news as a sign that he was soon to be neglected and not supported by Theo anymore. The majority of the people in the small town believed that Vincent was a threat to himself and others. They signed a petition stating that they wanted him to be locked in the cell of a hospital. In a letter to Theo, he asked him if he could be sent to St. Remy Asylum and that he knew his life as a painter was never going to happen. He also stated that he wanted to be employed at the hospital. Along with the letter, two crates of his paintings were sent. Theo never gave up on Vincent’s dream. He paid extra for two rooms in the asylum. One was to be used as a studio for his painting and the other was his living area. The hospital’s gardens inspired Vincent to paint more and focus on his mental well-being. He was fed well and stayed sober. After years of being unrecognized, Vincent received a letter from Theo stating that his art was going to be displayed at an art show in Paris. One of his paintings, The Red Vineyards, sold for 400 francs. This is the first time his paintings were bought.
The Blossoming Almond Tree by Vincent Van Gogh
A portrait of Paul Gachet by Van Gogh
On July 27th, 1890, Vincent received a letter from Theo stating that he was having trouble selling paintings that month. He never stated that he would withdraw Vincent’s funds, but rather just sharing his issues. In the letter, the monthly 50 francs were included, but the mention of financial difficulty sent Vincent’s mind on a downward spiral. He felt like a burden and believed that their lives would be better without him. Vincent found a loaded pistol and walked into the center of a field before shooting himself in the chest. Bleeding and shocked, Vincent realized he was still alive and that he missed his heart. He stumbled back to his apartment where Gachet began operating. He sent for Theo to be on the soonest available train. Upon arrival, Theo found his brother in bed. He was covered in bandages and was smoking his pipe. Theo crawled into bed next to Vincent as he was scared for his brother’s life. Staying up all night discussing the happy memories from their childhood focused the attention on a positive subject. As they both were falling asleep, Vincent simply said, “This is just like when we were home. Please take me home.” Theo agreed to bring him back to their hometown as soon as he recovered. Sadly, this would never happen. Vincent passed away in his sleep at 37 years old. His coffin was covered with bright yellow sunflowers. Six months later, Theo passed away, as he had secretly been suffering from syphilis too. The brothers were buried side by side, signifying their unbreakable bond. Theo’s now widow, Johanna, was left with close to nothing except their son and an extensive collection of Vincent’s paintings. As she went through his crate of “rejects”, she came upon The Starry Night, which he had painted while looking out the window at the asylum. Vincent attached a beautiful letter explaining the painting, stating, “Looking at the stars always makes me dream as simply as I dream over the black dots representing towns and villages on a map…Just as we take a train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take depth to reach a star. We cannot get to a star while we are alive any more than we can take the train when we are dead…To die quietly of old age would be to go there on foot.” Johanna cataloged all of Vincent’s work, including the letters between both brothers. She began traveling across the continent to the areas where Vincent had occupied, in an attempt to find any of his paintings. Many people believed Vincent was a madman, so they either destroyed or gave away the paintings that were left. Her efforts helped catalog over 2,100 sketches and pieces, 860 of which were paintings. This doesn’t include those lost. Vincent’s mother, Anna, continued to reject him after his death. She even burnt a crate of her son’s work. She lived long enough to see for herself how wrong she was. The world realized that he was truly a genius. With Johanna’s assistance, Vincent’s paintings began to sell, and their glory was discovered. Today, Gogh’s work is worth a fortune due to its history and complex techniques. The portrait of Paul Gachet sold for $82.5 million. He is considered one of the best painters of all time and the most influential post-impressionist to walk this Earth. Despite all his struggles, one thing is for certain. Vincent van Gogh’s glorious work and legacy will continue to live on forever.
Vincent and Theodore Van Gogh's graves lay next to each other in the municipal cemetery.
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