What Van Gogh painted. Van Gogh short biography

Vincent Van Gogh. Biography. Life and art

We do not know who Vincent Van Gogh was in a past life... In this life, he was born just a boy on March 30, 1853 in the village of Groot Zunder in the province of North Brabant near the southern border of Holland. At baptism, he was given the name Vincent Willem in honor of his grandfather, and the prefix Gog, perhaps, comes from the name of the small town of Gog, which stood near a dense forest next to the border...
His father, Theodore Van Gogh, was a priest, and besides Vincent, there were five more children in the family, but only one of them was of great importance to him - his younger brother Theo, whose life was intertwined with Vincent's in a confusing and tragic way.

The fact that in the case of Vincent, fate chose the factor of surprise, making the author extremely famous and revered, while unknown and despised during his lifetime, begins to manifest itself, it seems, already in the events of 1890, decisive for the unfortunate artist, which ended tragically for him in July. And this year began with the best omens, with that first, only and unexpected sale of his painting “Red Vineyards in Arles”.
The first enthusiastic critical article about his work, signed by Albert Aurier, appeared in the January issue of the Mercure de France magazine. In May, he moved from the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence psychiatric hospital to the town of Auvers-on-Oise, near Paris. There he met Dr. Gachet (an amateur artist, a friend of the Impressionists), who highly appreciated him. There he painted almost eighty canvases in just over two months. In addition, signs of an extraordinary destiny, something destined from above, appear from birth. By a strange coincidence, Vincent was born on March 30, 1853, exactly one year after the first-born of Theodorus Van Gogh and Anna Cornelius Carbenthus, who received the same name at baptism, was stillborn. The first Vincent's grave was located next to the church door through which the second Vincent passed every Sunday of his childhood.
This must not have been very pleasant, in addition, in the Van Gogh family papers there is a direct indication that the name of the stillborn predecessor was often mentioned in the presence of Vincent. But whether this had any effect on his "feeling of guilt" or his supposed feeling of being an "illegal usurper" by some is anyone's guess.
Following tradition, generations of Van Goghs chose two areas of activity for themselves: the church (Theodorus himself was the son of a pastor) and the art trade (like his father’s three brothers). Vincent will follow both the first and second paths, but will fail in both cases. However, both accumulated experiences will have a great influence on his future choice.

The first attempt to find his place in life dates back to 1869, when, at the age of sixteen, Vincent went to work - with the help of his namesake uncle (he is affectionately called Uncle Saint) - at the branch of the Parisian art company Goupil, which opened in The Hague . Here the future artist first comes into contact with painting and drawing and enriches the experience he receives at work with educational visits to city museums and copious reading. Everything goes quite well until 1873.
First of all, this is the year of his transfer to the London branch of Goupil, which had a negative impact on his future work. Van Gogh stayed there for two years and experienced a painful loneliness, which comes through in his letters to his brother, more and more sad. But the worst comes when Vincent, having exchanged the apartment that has become too expensive for a boarding house, which is maintained by the widow Loyer, falls in love with her daughter Ursula (according to other sources - Eugenia) and is rejected. This is the first acute love disappointment, this is the first of those impossible relationships that will constantly darken his feelings.
During that period of deep despair, a mystical understanding of reality begins to mature in him, developing into downright religious frenzy. His impulse grows stronger, displacing his interest in working at Gupil. And the transfer in May 1875 to the central office in Paris, supported by Uncle Saint in the hope that such a change would benefit him, would no longer help. On April 1, 1876, Vincent was finally fired from the Parisian art company, which by that time had passed to his partners Busso and Valadon.

More and more firmly convinced of his religious vocation, in the spring of 1877 Van Gogh moved to Amsterdam to live with his uncle Johannes, the director of the city shipyard, in order to prepare for the entrance exams to the Faculty of Theology. For him, who read with delight “On the Imitation of Christ,” becoming a servant of the Lord meant, first of all, devoting himself to specific service to his neighbor, in full accordance with the tenets of the Gospel. And great was his joy when, in 1879, he managed to obtain a position as a secular preacher in Wham, a mining center in the Borinage in southern Belgium.
Here he teaches the miners the Law of God and selflessly helps them, voluntarily dooming himself to a miserable existence: living in a shack, sleeping on the floor, eating only bread and water, subjecting himself to bodily torture. However, local authorities do not like such extremes, and they deny him this position. But Vincent stubbornly continues his mission as a Christian preacher in the nearby village of Kem. Now he doesn’t even have such an outlet as correspondence with his brother Theo, which is interrupted from October 1879 to July 1880.
Then gradually something changes in him, and his attention turns to painting. This new path is not as unexpected as it might seem. Firstly, making art was no less common for Vincent than reading. Work at the Goupil gallery could not help but influence the honing of his taste, and during his stay in various cities (The Hague, London, Paris, Amsterdam) he never missed the opportunity to visit museums.
But first of all, it was his deep religiosity, his sympathy for the outcast, his love for people and for the Lord that find their embodiment through artistic creativity. “One must understand the defining word contained in the masterpieces of the great masters,” he writes to Theo in July 1880, “and God will be there.”

In 1880, Vincent entered the Academy of Arts in Brussels. However, due to his irreconcilable nature, he very soon leaves her and continues his art education as a self-taught person, using reproductions and regularly drawing. Back in January 1874, in his letter, Vincent listed fifty-six favorite artists to Theo, among whom the names of Jean François Millet, Théodore Rousseau, Jules Breton, Constant Troyon and Anton Mauve stood out.
And now, at the very beginning of his artistic career, his sympathies for the realistic French and Dutch schools of the nineteenth century have in no way weakened. Moreover, the social art of Millet or Breton, with their populist themes, could not help but find in him an unconditional follower. As for the Dutchman Anton Mauwe, there was another reason: Mauwe, along with Johannes Bosboom, the Maris brothers and Joseph Israels, was one of the major representatives of the Hague School, the most significant artistic phenomenon in Holland in the second half of the 19th century, which united the French realism of the Barbizon school formed around Rousseau, with the great realistic tradition of Dutch art of the 17th century. Mauve was also a distant relative of Vincent's mother.
And it was under the guidance of this recognized master that in 1881, upon returning to Holland (to Etten, where his parents had moved), Van Gogh created his first two paintings: “Still Life with Cabbage and Wooden Shoes” (now in Amsterdam, in the Vincent Van Museum Gogh) and “Still Life with Beer Glass and Fruit” (Wuppertal, Von der Heydt Museum).

For Vincent, everything seems to be working out for the better, and the family seems to be happy with his new calling. But soon relations with parents deteriorate sharply, and then are completely interrupted. The reason for this, again, is his rebellious character and unwillingness to adapt, as well as a new, inappropriate and again unrequited love for his cousin Kay, who recently lost her husband and was left alone with a child.

Having fled to The Hague, in January 1882, Vincent meets Christina Maria Hoornik, nicknamed Sin, an older prostitute, an alcoholic, with a child, and even pregnant. Being at the apogee of his contempt for existing decency, he lives with her and even wants to get married. Despite financial difficulties, he continues to be faithful to his calling and completes several works. Most of the paintings from this very early period are landscapes, mainly sea and urban: the theme is quite in the tradition of the Hague School.
However, its influence is limited to the choice of subjects, since Van Gogh was not characterized by that refined texture, that elaboration of details, those ultimately idealized images that distinguished the artists of this movement. From the very beginning, Vincent gravitated towards an image that was more truthful than beautiful, trying first of all to express a sincere feeling, and not just achieve a good performance.

Vincent Van Gogh. This surname is familiar to every schoolchild. Even as children, we joked among ourselves “you paint like Van Gogh”! or “Well, you’re Picasso!”... After all, only the one whose name will forever remain in the history of not only painting and world art, but also of humanity is immortal.

Against the background of the destinies of European artists, the life of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) stands out in that he discovered his craving for art quite late. Until the age of 30, Vincent did not suspect that painting would become the ultimate meaning of his life. The calling matures in him slowly, only to burst out like an explosion. At the cost of work almost at the limit of human capabilities, which will become the lot of the rest of his life, during 1885-1887 Vincent will be able to develop his own individual and unique style, which in the future will be called “impasto”. His artistic style will contribute to the rooting in European art of one of the most sincere, sensitive, humane and emotional movements - expressionism. But, most importantly, it will become the source of his creativity, his paintings and graphics.

Vincent Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in the family of a Protestant pastor, in the Dutch province of North Brabant, in the village of Grotto Zundert, where his father was in service. The family environment determined a lot in Vincent's fate. The Van Gogh family was ancient, known since the 17th century. In the era of Vincent Van Gogh, there were two traditional family activities: some of the representatives of this family were necessarily involved in church activities, and some were involved in the art trade. Vincent was the eldest, but not the first child in the family. A year earlier, his brother was born, but soon died. The second son was named in memory of the deceased by Vincent Willem. After him, five more children appeared, but with only one of them the future artist would be bound by close fraternal ties until the last day of his life. It would not be an exaggeration to say that without the support of his younger brother Theo, Vincent Van Gogh would hardly have succeeded as an artist.

In 1869, Van Gogh moved to The Hague and began trading paintings at the Goupil company and reproductions of works of art. Vincent works actively and conscientiously, in his free time he reads a lot and visits museums, and draws a little. In 1873, Vincent began correspondence with his brother Theo, which would last until his death. Nowadays, the brothers’ letters have been published in a book called “Van Gogh. Letters to Brother Theo" and can be purchased at almost any good bookstore. These letters are moving evidence of Vincent's inner spiritual life, his searches and mistakes, joys and disappointments, despair and hopes.

In 1875, Vincent received an appointment to Paris. He regularly visits the Louvre and the Luxembourg Museum, exhibitions of contemporary artists. By this time, he was already drawing himself, but nothing foreshadows that art will soon become an all-consuming passion. In Paris, a turning point occurs in his mental development: Van Gogh becomes very interested in religion. Many researchers associate this condition with the unhappy and one-sided love that Vincent experienced in London. Much later, in one of his letters to Theo, the artist, analyzing his illness, noted that mental illness was a family trait.

From January 1879, Vincent received the post of preacher in Vama, a village located in the Borinage, an area in southern Belgium, the center of the coal industry. He is deeply struck by the extreme poverty in which the miners and their families live. A deep conflict begins, which opens Van Gogh’s eyes to one truth - the ministers of the official church are not at all interested in truly easing the lot of people who find themselves in inhumane conditions.

Having fully understood this sanctimonious position, Van Gogh experiences another deep disappointment, breaks with the church and makes his final life choice - to serve people with his art.

Van Gogh and Paris

Van Gogh's last visits to Paris were associated with work at Goupil. However, never before had the artistic life of Paris had a noticeable influence on his work. This time Van Gogh's stay in Paris lasted from March 1886 to February 1888. These are two extremely busy years in the life of an artist. During this short period, he mastered impressionistic and neo-impressionistic techniques, which helped to clarify his own color palette. The artist, who came from Holland, turns into one of the most original representatives of the Parisian avant-garde, whose innovation breaks from within all the conventions that fetter the enormous expressive possibilities of color as such.

In Paris, Van Gogh communicated with Camille Pissarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, Emile Bernard and Georges Seurat and other young painters, as well as with the paint dealer and collector Papa Tanguy.

last years of life

Towards the end of 1889, during this difficult time for himself, aggravated by attacks of insanity, mental disorders and suicidal tendencies, Van Gogh received an invitation to take part in the exhibition of the Salon of Independents, organized in Brussels. At the end of November, Vincent sends 6 paintings there. On May 17, 1890, Theo has a plan to settle Vincent in the town of Auvers-sur-Oise under the supervision of Dr. Gachet, who was fond of painting and was a friend of the Impressionists. Van Gogh's condition is improving, he works a lot, paints portraits of his new acquaintances and landscapes.

On July 6, 1890, Van Gogh comes to Paris to visit Theo. Albert Aurier and Toulouse-Lautrec visit Theo's house to meet him.

From his last letter to Theo, Van Gogh says: “...Through me you took part in the creation of some paintings that, even in a storm, preserve my peace. Well, I paid for my work with my life, and it cost me half my sanity, that's true... But I have no regrets.”

Thus ended the life of one of the greatest artists not only of the 19th century, but in the entire history of art as a whole.

1853-1890 .

The biography below is by no means a complete and thorough study of the life of Vincent Van Gogh. Instead, this is just a brief overview of some of the important events chronicling the life of Vincent Van Gogh. early years

Vincent van Gogh was born in Groot Zundert, the Netherlands on March 30, 1853. A year before Vincent van Gogh was born, his mother gave birth to her first stillborn child, also named Vincent. Thus Vincent, being the second, became the eldest of the children. There has been much speculation that Vincent Van Gogh suffered psychological trauma as a result of this fact. This theory remains a theory because there is no real historical evidence to support it.

Van Gogh was the son of Theodore Van Gogh (1822-85), a Dutch Reformed Church pastor, and Anna Cornelia Carbenthus (1819-1907). Unfortunately, there is practically no information about the first ten years of Vincent van Gogh's life. Since 1864 Vincent spent a couple of years at a boarding school in Zevenbergen, and then continued his studies at the King William II School in Tilburg for about two years. In 1868, Van Gogh left his studies and returned home at the age of 15.

In 1869, Vincent van Gogh began working for Goupil&Cie, a firm of art dealers in The Hague. Van Gogh's family had long been associated with the art world - Vincent's uncles, Cornelis and Vincent, were art dealers. His younger brother Theo worked as an art dealer his entire adult life and, as a result, had a huge influence on the later stages of Vincent's career as an artist.

Vincent was relatively successful as an art dealer and worked for Goupil&Cie for seven years. In 1873 he was transferred to the company's London branch and quickly fell under the spell of England's cultural climate. At the end of August, Vincent rents a room in the home of Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugenie at 87 Hackford Road. Vincent is believed to have been romantically inclined toward Eugenie, but many early biographers erroneously call Eugenie by her mother's name, Ursula. To add to the years-long confusion of names, recent evidence suggests that Vincent was not in love with Eugenie, but was in love with a fellow countrywoman named Caroline Haanebeek. True, this information remains unconvincing.

Vincent Van Gogh spent two years in London. During this time he visited many art galleries and museums and became a great fan of British writers such as George Eliot and Charles Dickens. Van Gogh was also a great admirer of the work of British engravers. These illustrations inspired and influenced Van Gogh in his later life as an artist.

Relations between Vincent and Goupil&Cie became more tense, and in May 1875 he was transferred to the firm's Paris branch. In Paris, Vincent worked on paintings that were of little interest to him from the point of view of personal tastes. Vincent leaves Goupil & Cie at the end of March 1876 and returns to England, remembering where he spent two, for the most part, very happy and fruitful years.

In April, Vincent van Gogh began teaching at the Reverend William P. Stokes' school in Ramsgate. He was responsible for 24 boys aged 10 to 14. His letters show that Vincent enjoyed teaching. After this he began teaching at another boys' school, the parish of the Rev. T. Jones Slade in Isleworth. In his free time, Van Gogh continued to visit galleries and admire many great works of art. He also devoted himself to Bible study - spending many hours reading and re-reading the Gospel. The summer of 1876 marks a time of religious transformation for Vincent Van Gogh. Although he grew up in a religious family, he did not imagine that he would seriously think about dedicating his life to the Church.

As a means of making the transition from teacher to priest, Vincent asks Reverend Jones to give him more responsibilities typical of the clergy. Jones agrees and Vincent began speaking at prayer meetings in the Turnham Green parish. These speeches served as a means of preparing Vincent for a goal he had long been working towards: his first Sunday sermon. Although Vincent himself was delighted with this prospect as a preacher, his sermons were somewhat dull and lifeless. Like his father, Vincent had a passion for preaching, but something was missing.

After visiting his family in the Netherlands for Christmas, Vincent Van Gogh remains in his homeland. After briefly working in a bookshop in Dordrecht at the beginning of 1877, Vincent went to Amsterdam from 9 May to prepare for the entrance exams to the university, where he was to study theology. Vincent learns Greek, Latin, and mathematics, but ultimately drops out after fifteen months. Vincent later described this period as "the worst time of my life." In November, after a three-month probationary period, Vincent fails to enter the missionary school in Laeken. Vincent van Gogh eventually agreed with the church to begin preaching on probation in one of the roughest and poorest areas in Western Europe: the Borinage coal mining region, Belgium.

In January 1879, Vincent began his duties as a minister to miners and their families in the mountain village of Wasmes. Vincent felt a strong emotional attachment to the miners. He saw and sympathized with their terrible working conditions, and as their spiritual leader, he did everything he could to ease the burden of their lives. Unfortunately, this altruistic desire reached such fanatical proportions that Vincent began donating much of his food and clothing to the poor people under his tutelage. Despite Vincent's noble intentions, representatives of the Church strictly condemned Van Gogh's asceticism and removed him from his position in July. Refusing to leave the area, Van Gogh moved to a nearby village, Cuesmes, where he lived in extreme poverty. For the next year, Vincent struggled to live day to day and, although unable to help the human village in any official capacity as a cleric, he still decided to remain a member of their community. The next year was so difficult that the question of survival for Vincent van Gogh was faced every day. And although he could not help people as an official representative of the church, he remains in the village. On a noteworthy occasion for Van Gogh, Vincent decided to visit the home of Jules Breton, a French artist whom he admired. Vincent had only ten francs in his pocket and walked the entire 70 km to Courrières, France, to see Breton. However, Vincent was too timid to get through to Breton. So without a positive result and completely discouraged, Vincent returned back to Cuesmes.

It was then that Vincent began to draw miners, their families and life in harsh conditions. At this turning point in fate, Vincent Van Gogh chooses his next and final career direction: as an artist.

Vincent Van Gogh as artist

In the autumn of 1880, after more than a year of living in poverty in the Borinage, Vincent went to Brussels to begin his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. Vincent was inspired to begin his studies with financial support from his brother Theo. Vincent and Theo have always been close, maintaining a constant correspondence both as children and throughout most of their adult lives. Based on this correspondence, there are more than 800 letters, the idea of ​​Van Gogh’s life is based.

1881 would prove to be a turbulent year for Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent is successfully studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. Although biographers have different opinions on the details of this period. In any case, Vincent continues to study at his own discretion, taking examples from books. In the summer, Vincent again visits his parents, who already live in Etten. There he meets and develops romantic feelings for his widowed cousin Cornelia Adrian Vos Stricker (Key). But Key's unrequited love and break with his parents lead to his imminent departure to The Hague.

Despite the failures, Van Gogh works hard and improves under the guidance of Anton Mauve (a famous artist and his distant relative). Their relationship was good, but it deteriorated due to tension when Vincent began living with a prostitute.

Vincent Van Gogh met Christina Maria Hornik, nicknamed Sin (1850-1904) at the end of February 1882 in The Hague. At that time she was already pregnant with her second child. Vincent lived with Sin for the next year and a half. Their relationship was turbulent, partly due to the complexity of the characters of both individuals, but also due to the imprint of a life of complete poverty. From Vincent's letters to Theo, it becomes clear how well Van Gogh treated Sin's children, but drawing is his first and most important passion, the rest fades into the background. Sin and her children posed for dozens of Vincent's drawings, and his talent as an artist grew significantly during this period. His earlier, more primitive drawings of miners in the Borinage give way to a much more refined style and emotion in the work.

In 1883, Vincent began experimenting with oil paints; he had used oil paints before, but now this was his main direction. In the same year, he breaks up with Sin. Vincent leaves The Hague in mid-September to move to Drenthe. Over the next six weeks, Vincent leads a nomadic life, moving throughout the region working on landscapes and paintings of peasants.

The last time Vincent returns to his parents' house, now in Nuenen, is at the end of 1883. Over the next year, Vincent Van Gogh continued to improve his skills. He created dozens of paintings and drawings during this period: weavers, counters and other portraits. Local peasants turned out to be his favorite subjects - partly because Van Gogh felt a strong kinship with the poor working people. Another episode occurs in Vincent's romantic life. This time it's dramatic. Margot Begemann (1841-1907), whose family lived next door to Vincent's parents, was in love with Vincent and the emotional turmoil in the relationship led her to attempt suicide by poison. Vincent was greatly shocked by this incident. Margot eventually recovered, but the incident greatly upset Vincent. He himself returned to this episode several times in letters to Theo.

1885: First Great Works

In the early months of 1885, Van Gogh continued his series of portraits of peasants. Vincent viewed them as good practice where he could improve his skills. Vincent works productively during March and April. At the end of March, he takes a short break from work due to the death of his father, relations with whom in recent years have been very tense. Several years of hard work, improving skills and technology, and in 1885 Vincent approached his first serious work, “The Potato Eaters.”

Vincent worked on The Potato Eaters during April 1885. He prepared several sketches in advance and worked on this painting in the studio. Vincent was so inspired by the success that even criticism from his friend Anthony Van Rappard only led to a breakup. This is a new stage in Van Gogh's life and mastery.

Van Gogh continued to work in 1885, he did not calm down and at the beginning of 1886 he entered the Art Academy in Antwerp. He once again comes to the conclusion that formal training is too narrow for him. Vincent's choice is practical work, the only way he can hone his skills, as evidenced by his "Potato Eaters". After four weeks of training, Van Gogh left the Academy. He is interested in new methods, technology, self-improvement, all of which Vincent can no longer get in Holland, his path lies to Paris.

New Beginning: Paris

In 1886, Vincent Van Gogh came to Paris without warning to visit his brother Theo. Before this, in letters he wrote to his brother about the need to move to Paris for further development. Theo, in turn, knowing Vincent's complex character, resisted this move. But Theo had no choice and his brother had to be accepted.

The period of life in Paris for Van Gogh is important in terms of his role in transformation as an artist. Unfortunately, this period of Vincent's life (two years in Paris) is one of the least documented. Since the description of Van Gogh’s life is based on his correspondence with Theo, and this Vincent lived with Theo (Montmartre district, 54 Lepic Street) and naturally there was no correspondence.

However, the importance of Vincent's time in Paris is clear. Theo, as an art dealer, had many contacts among artists and Vincent soon entered this circle. During his two years in Paris, Van Gogh visited early Impressionist exhibitions (which included works by Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat and Sisley). There is no doubt that Van Gogh was influenced by the Impressionists, but he always remained true to his own unique style. Over the course of two years, Van Gogh adopted some of the techniques of the Impressionists.

Vincent enjoyed painting around Paris during 1886. His palette began to move away from the dark, traditional colors of his homeland and would include the brighter hues of the Impressionists. Vincent became interested in Japanese art, due to Japan's cultural isolation at that time. The Western world was fascinated by all things Japanese and Vincent acquired several Japanese prints. As a result, Japanese art had an influence on Van Gogh and throughout the future this can be read in his works.

Throughout 1887, Van Gogh honed his skills and practiced a lot. His active and stormy personality does not calm down; Vincent, without sparing his health, eats poorly, abuses alcohol and smoking. His hopes that living with his brother he would be able to control his expenses were not justified. Relations with Theo are tense. .

As has often happened throughout his life, poor weather conditions during the winter months make Vincent irritable and depressed. He is depressed, wants to see and feel the colors of nature. The winter months of 1887-1888 were not easy. Van Gogh decided to leave Paris to follow the sun; his road lies to Arles.

Arles.Studio. South.

Vincent Van Gogh moved to Arles in early 1888 for a number of reasons. Tired of the hectic energy of Paris and the long winter months, Van Gogh strives for the warm sun of Provence. Another motivation is Vincent's dream of creating a kind of artists' commune in Arles, where his comrades from Paris can find a refuge, where they can work together and support each other in achieving common goals. Van Gogh boarded a train from Paris to Arles on February 20, 1888, inspired by his dream for a prosperous future, and watched the landscape pass by.

Without a doubt, Van Gogh was not disappointed with Arles in his first few weeks there. While searching for the sun, Vincent saw Arles unusually cold and covered with snow. This must have been disheartening for Vincent, who left everyone he knew to find warmth and restoration in the south. However, the bad weather was short-lived and Vincent began painting some of the most beloved work of his career.

As soon as the weather warmed up, Vincent wasted no time in creating his work outdoors. In March, the trees woke up and the landscape looked somewhat gloomy after winter. However, within a month, buds are visible on the trees and Van Gogh paints blooming gardens. Vincent is pleased with his performance and, together with the gardens, feels renewed.

The following months were happy. Vincent rented a room at the Café de la Gare at 10 Place Lamartine at the beginning of May and rented his famous “Yellow House” (at 2 Place Lamartine) for the studio. Vincent won't actually move into the Yellow House until September.

Vincent works hard throughout the spring and summer and begins sending Theo his works. Van Gogh is often perceived today as an irritable and lonely person. But in reality, he enjoys the company of people and does his best during these months to make friends with many. Although deeply lonely at times. Vincent never gave up hope of creating a commune of artists and began a campaign to persuade Paul Gauguin to join him in the south. The prospect seemed unlikely because Gauguin's resettlement would require even more financial help from Theo, which had reached its limit.

At the end of July, Van Gogh's uncle died and left an inheritance to Theo. This financial influx allows Theo to sponsor Gauguin's move to Arles. Theo was interested in this move, both as a brother and as a business man. Theo knows that Vincent would be happier and more relaxed in Gauguin's company, and Theo also hopes that the paintings he will receive from Gauguin, in exchange for his support, will be profitable. Unlike Vincent, Paul Gauguin is not entirely confident in the success of his work.

Despite the improvement in Theo's financial affairs, Vincent remained true to himself and spent almost everything on art supplies and furnishings in the apartment. Gauguin arrived in Arles by train early in the morning of October 23.

Over the next two months, this move would be crucial, with disastrous consequences for both Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Initially, Van Gogh and Gauguin got along well, worked on the outskirts of Arles, and discussed their art. As the weeks passed, the weather worsened, Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin were forced to stay at home more and more often. The temperament of both artists, forced to work in the same room, gives rise to many conflicts.

Relations between Van Gogh and Gauguin deteriorated during December. Vincent wrote that their heated arguments became more and more frequent. December 23 Vincent Van Gogh, in a fit of madness, mutilated the lower part of his left ear. Van Gogh cut off part of his left earlobe, wrapped it in cloth and gave it to a prostitute. Vincent then returned to his apartment, where he lost consciousness. He was found by police and admitted to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Arles. After sending the telegram to Theo, Gauguin immediately left for Paris, without visiting Van Gogh in the hospital. They will never meet in person again, although relations will improve..

During his stay in the hospital, Vincent was under the care of Dr. Felix Ray (1867-1932). The first week after the injury was crucial for Van Gogh's life - both psychologically and physically. He suffered major blood loss and continued to suffer from severe seizures. Theo, who rushed from Paris to Arles, was sure that Vincent would die, but by the end of December and in the first days of January Vincent had almost fully recovered.

The first weeks of 1889 were not easy for Vincent Van Gogh. After recovering, Vincent returned to his Yellow House, but continued to visit Dr. Ray for observations and wear a headband. After his recovery, Vincent was on the rise, but problems with money and the departure of his close friend, Joseph Roulin (1841-1903), who accepted a better offer and moved with his entire family to Marseille. Roulin was Vincent's dear and loyal friend for most of his time in Arles.

During January and early February, Vincent worked a lot, during which time he created "Sunflowers" and "Lullaby". However, on February 7, Vincent had another attack. He was taken to Hotel-Dieu Hospital for observation. Van Gogh is in the hospital for ten days, but then returns to the Yellow House.

By this time, some of the citizens of Arles had become alarmed by Vincent's behavior and signed a petition detailing the problem. The petition was presented to the mayor of Arles, and ultimately the chief of police ordered Van Gogh to return to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital. Vincent remained in hospital for the next six weeks and was allowed to leave the hospital to paint. It was a productive but emotionally difficult moment for Van Gogh. As was the case the year before, Van Gogh returns to the blooming gardens around Arles. But even when he creates one of his best works, Vincent realizes that his condition is unstable. And after a discussion with Theo, he agrees to voluntary treatment at a specialized clinic in Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh leaves Arles on May 8th.

Deprivation of liberty

Upon arrival at the clinic, Van Gogh was placed under the care of Dr. Théophile Zacharie Peyron Auguste (1827-95). After examining Vincent, Dr. Peyron becomes convinced that his patient suffers from epilepsy - a diagnosis that remains one of the most likely to determine Van Gogh's condition, even today. Being in the clinic put pressure on Van Gogh, he was discouraged by the screams of other patients and the bad food. This atmosphere depresses him. Van Gogh's treatment included hydrotherapy, frequent immersion in a large bath of water. Although this “therapy” was not cruel, in any case, it was the least useful in terms of helping to restore Vincent’s mental health.

As the weeks passed, Vincent's mental state remained stable and he was allowed to resume work. The staff was encouraged by Van Gogh's progress, and in mid-June Van Gogh created Starry Night.

Van Gogh's relatively calm state does not last long, until mid-July. This time Vincent tried to swallow his paints, and as a result, access to materials was limited. After this exacerbation, he quickly recovers, Vincent is pulled out by his art. After another week, Doctor Peyron allows Van Gogh to resume his work. The resumption of work coincided with an improvement in mental state. Vincent writes to Theo, describing his poor physical condition.

For two months, Van Gogh was unable to leave his room and writes to Theo that when he goes outside, he is overcome by intense loneliness. In the coming weeks, Vincent again overcomes his worries and resumes work. During this time, Vincent plans to leave the Saint-Rémy clinic. He expresses these thoughts to Theo, who begins to make inquiries about possible alternatives for providing medical care for Vincent - this time much closer to Paris.

Van Gogh's mental and physical health remained fairly stable throughout the remainder of 1889. Theo's health improved and he helped organize the Octave Maus exhibition in Brussels, which featured six of Vincent's paintings. Vincent is delighted with the venture and remains very productive throughout this time.

On December 23, 1889, a year after the attack in which Vincent cut off his earlobe, Van Gogh was struck down by another week-long attack. The exacerbation was serious and lasted about a week, but Vincent recovered quickly enough and resumed painting. Unfortunately, Van Gogh suffered from a large number of seizures during the first months of 1890. These exacerbations become frequent. Ironically, during this time, when Van Gogh was probably at his most mentally depressed, his work finally begins to receive critical acclaim. The news of this pushes Vincent to hope to leave the clinic and return to the north.

After consultations, Theo realizes that the best solution for Vincent would be to return to Paris, under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet (1828-1909), a physician in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris. Vincent agrees to Theo's plans and completes his treatment in Saint-Rémy. On May 16, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh left the clinic and boarded an overnight train to Paris.

"Sadness will last forever...

Vincent's journey to Paris was uneventful and he was greeted by Theo upon his arrival. Vincent stayed with Theo, his wife Joanna and their newborn son, Vincent Willem (called Vincent) for three pleasant days. Having never liked the hustle and bustle of city life, Vincent felt some tension and decided to leave Paris for the quieter Auvers-sur-Oise.

Vincent met Dr. Gachet shortly after his arrival in Auvers. And although Van Gogh was initially impressed by Gachet, he later expressed serious doubts about his competence. Despite his misgivings, Vincent finds himself a room in a small hotel owned by Arthur Gustave Ravoux and immediately begins to paint the area around Auvers-sur-Oise.

Over the next two weeks, Van Gogh's opinion of Gache softens. Vincent was pleased with Auvers-sur-Oise, which gave him the freedom denied him at Saint-Rémy, while at the same time providing him with broad themes for his painting and drawing. The first weeks in Auvers were pleasant and uneventful for Vincent van Gogh. On June 8, Theo, Joe and the child came to Auvers to visit Vincent and Gachet. Vincent spends a very pleasant day with his family. Apparently, Vincent was completely restored - mentally and physically.

During June, Vincent remained in good spirits and was extremely productive, producing Portrait of Dr. Gachet and The Church at Auvers. The initial calm of the first month in Auvers was interrupted when Vincent received news that his nephew was seriously ill. Theo is going through the most difficult time: uncertainty about his own career and future, ongoing health problems and the illness of his son. After the child's recovery, Vincent decided to visit Theo and his family on July 6 and took an early train. Very little is known about the visit. Vincent soon tires and quickly returns to the quieter Auvers.

Over the next three weeks, Vincent resumed his work and, as can be seen from his letters, was quite happy. In his letters, Vincent writes that he is currently feeling well and is calm, comparing his condition with last year. Vincent was immersed in the fields and plains around Auvers and produced some brilliant landscapes during July. Vincent's life becomes more stable and he works a lot.

Nothing foreshadowed such a denouement. On July 27, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh goes to the fields with an easel and paints. There he took out a revolver and shot himself in the chest. Vincent managed to walk back to the Ravoux Inn, where he collapsed into bed. The decision was made not to attempt to remove the bullet in Vincent's chest and Gachet wrote an urgent letter to Theo. Unfortunately, Dr. Gachet did not have Theo's home address and had to write to him at the gallery where he worked. This did not cause any major delay and Theo arrived the next day.

Vincent and Theo remained together during the last hours of Vincent's life. Theo was devoted to his brother, holding him and speaking to him in Dutch. Vincent seemed resigned to his fate and Theo later wrote that Vincent himself wanted to die as Theo sat at his bedside. Vincent's last words were "Sadness will last forever."

Vincent Van Gogh died at 1:30 am. July 29, 1890. Auvers Church refused to allow Vincent to be buried in its cemetery because Vincent had committed suicide. In the nearby village of Meri, however, they agreed to allow the burial and the funeral took place on July 30.

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 manufacturing 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 2 paintings by Van Gogh – “View of the Sea at Schevingen” and “Church at Newnen”, which are estimated 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 “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 comparison of style, paint, technique, 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 (Dutch: Vincent Willem van Gogh; March 30, 1853, Grot-Zundert, near Breda, Netherlands - July 29, 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France) - Dutch post-impressionist artist.

Biography of Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh born in the Dutch town of Groot-Zundert on March 30, 1853. Van Gogh was the first child in the family (not counting his brother, who was stillborn). His father's name was Theodore Van Gogh, his mother's name was Carnelia. They had a large family: 2 sons and three daughters. In Van Gogh's family, all the men dealt with paintings in one way or another, or served the church. By 1869, without even finishing school, he began working in a company that sold paintings. To tell the truth, Van Gogh was not good at selling paintings, but he had a boundless love for painting, and he was also good at languages. In 1873, at the age of 20, he came to London, where he spent 2 years that changed his whole life.

Van Gogh lived happily in London. He had a very good salary, which was enough to visit various art galleries and museums. He even bought himself a top hat, which he simply could not live without in London. Everything was going to the point that Van Gogh could become a successful merchant, but ... as often happens, love, yes, exactly love, got in the way of his career. Van Gogh fell madly in love with the daughter of his landlady, but upon learning that she was already engaged, he became very withdrawn and became indifferent to his work. When he returned to Paris he was fired.

In 1877, Van Gogh began living in Holland again, and increasingly found solace in religion. After moving to Amsterdam, he began studying to become a priest, but soon dropped out of his studies, as the situation at the faculty did not suit him.

In 1886, at the beginning of March, Van Gogh moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo, and lived in his apartment. There he takes painting lessons from Fernand Cormon, and meets such personalities as Pissarro, Gauguin and many other artists. Very quickly he forgets all the darkness of Dutch life, and quickly gains respect as an artist. He draws clearly and brightly in the style of impressionism and post-impressionism.

Vincent Van Gogh After spending 3 months at an evangelical school located in Brussels, he became a preacher. He distributed money and clothes to the needy poor, although he himself was not well off. This aroused suspicion among the church authorities, and his activities were banned. He did not lose heart and found solace in drawing.

By the age of 27, Van Gogh understood what his calling was in this life, and decided that he must become an artist at all costs. Although Van Gogh took drawing lessons, he can confidently be considered self-taught, because he himself studied many books, tutorials, and copied paintings by famous artists. At first he thought of becoming an illustrator, but then, when he took lessons from his artist relative Anton Mouve, he painted his first works in oils.

It seemed that life began to get better, but Van Gogh again began to be haunted by failures, and love ones at that.

His cousin Keya Vos became a widow. He really liked her, but he received a refusal, which he experienced for a long time. In addition, because of Kei, he had a very serious quarrel with his father. This disagreement was the reason for Vincent's move to The Hague. It was there that he met Klazina Maria Hoornik, who was a girl of easy virtue. Van Gogh lived with her for almost a year, and more than once he had to be treated for sexually transmitted diseases. He wanted to save this poor woman, and even thought of marrying her. But then his family intervened, and thoughts of marriage were simply dispelled.

Returning to his homeland to his parents, who had already moved to Nyonen by that time, his skills began to improve.

He spent 2 years in his homeland. In 1885 Vincent settled in Antwerp, where he attended classes at the Academy of Arts. Then, in 1886, Van Gogh returned to Paris again, to his brother Theo, who throughout his life helped him, both morally and financially. France became Van Gogh's second home. It was in it that he lived the rest of his life. He didn't feel like a stranger here. Van Gogh drank a lot and had a very explosive temper. He could be described as a difficult person to deal with.

In 1888 he moved to Arles. Local residents were not happy to see him in their town, which was located in the south of France. They considered him an abnormal sleepwalker. Despite this, Vincent found friends here and felt quite good. Over time, he came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a settlement here for artists, which he shared with his friend Gauguin. Everything went well, but there was a disagreement between the artists. Van Gogh rushed at Gauguin, who had already become an enemy, with a razor. Gauguin barely escaped with his feet, miraculously surviving. Out of anger at failure, Van Gogh cut off part of his left ear. After spending 2 weeks in a psychiatric clinic, he returned there again in 1889, as he began to suffer from hallucinations.

In May 1890, he finally left the asylum and went to Paris to live with his brother Theo and his wife, who had just given birth to a boy, who was named Vincent in honor of his uncle. Life began to improve, and Van Gogh was even happy, but his illness returned again. On July 27, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a pistol. He died in the arms of his brother Theo, who loved him very much. Six months later, Theo also died. The brothers are buried in the Auvers cemetery nearby.

Van Gogh's work

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890) is considered a great Dutch artist who had a very strong influence on impressionism in art. His works, created over a ten-year period, are striking in their color, carelessness and roughness of strokes, and images of a mentally ill person, exhausted by suffering, who committed suicide.

Van Gogh became one of the greatest Post-Impressionist artists.

He can be considered self-taught, because... studied painting by copying paintings by old masters. During his life in the Netherlands, Van G. painted pictures about nature, labor and the life of peasants and workers, which he observed around him (“The Potato Eaters”).

In 1886, he moved to Paris and entered the studio of F. Cormon, where he met A. Toulouse-Lautrec and E. Bernard. Under the impression of impressionist painting and Japanese engravings, the artist’s style changed: an intense color scheme and a wide, energetic brush stroke characteristic of the late Van G. (“Boulevard of Clichy”, “Portrait of Father Tanguy”) appeared.

In 1888 he moved to the south of France, to the town of Arles. This was the most fruitful period of the artist’s work. During his life, Van G. created more than 800 paintings and 700 drawings in a variety of genres, but his talent was most clearly manifested in the landscape: it was in it that his choleric explosive temperament found an outlet. The moving, nervous pictorial texture of his paintings reflected the artist’s state of mind: he suffered from a mental illness, which ultimately led him to suicide.

Features of creativity

“Much remains unclear and controversial to this day in the pathography of this severe bionegative personality. It can be assumed that there is a syphilitic provocation of schizo-epileptic psychosis. His feverish creativity is quite comparable to the increased productivity of the brain before the onset of syphilitic brain disease, as was the case with Nietzsche, Maupassant, and Schumann. Van Gogh provides a good example of how a mediocre talent, thanks to psychosis, turned into an internationally recognized genius."

“The peculiar bipolarity, so clearly expressed in the life and psychosis of this remarkable patient, is simultaneously expressed in his artistic creativity. Essentially the style of his works remains the same all the time. Only the winding lines are repeated more and more often, giving his paintings a spirit of unbridledness, which reaches its culmination point in his last work, where the upward striving and the inevitability of destruction, fall, and annihilation are clearly emphasized. These two movements - the movement of ascent and the movement of fall - form the structural basis of epileptic manifestations, just as two poles form the basis of the epileptoid constitution."

“Van Gogh painted brilliant paintings in the intervals between attacks. And the main secret of his genius was the extraordinary purity of consciousness and the special creative enthusiasm that arose as a result of his illness between attacks. F.M. also wrote about this special state of consciousness. Dostoevsky, who at one time suffered from similar attacks of mysterious mental disorder.”

Bright colors of Van Gogh

Dreaming of a brotherhood of artists and collective creativity, he completely forgot that he himself was an incorrigible individualist, irreconcilable to the point of restraint in matters of life and art. But this was also his strength. You need to have a sufficiently trained eye to distinguish Monet's paintings from paintings by, for example, Sisley. But only once having seen “Red Vineyards”, you will never confuse Van Gogh’s works with anyone else. Every line and stroke is an expression of his personality.

The dominant feature of the impressionistic system is color. In Van Gogh’s painting system, everything is equal and crushed into one inimitable bright ensemble: rhythm, color, texture, line, form.

At first glance, this seems like a bit of a stretch. Are the “red vineyards” pushing around with a color unheard of in intensity, isn’t the ringing chord of cobalt blue active in “The Sea at Sainte-Marie”, aren’t the colors of “Landscape at Auvers after the Rain” dazzlingly pure and sonorous, next to which any impressionistic painting looks hopelessly faded?

Exaggeratedly bright, these colors have the ability to sound in any intonation throughout the entire emotional range - from burning pain to the most delicate shades of joy. Sounding colors alternately intertwine into a softly and subtly harmonized melody, and then rear up in ear-piercing dissonance. Just as in music there are minor and major scales, so the colors of Van Gogh’s palette are divided in two. For Van Gogh, cold and warm are like life and death. At the head of the opposing camps are yellow and blue, both colors are deeply symbolic. However, this “symbolism” has the same living flesh as Vangogh’s ideal of beauty.

Van Gogh saw some kind of bright beginning in the yellow paint from gently lemon to intense orange. The color of the sun and ripened bread in his understanding was the color of joy, solar warmth, human kindness, benevolence, love and happiness - all that in his understanding was included in the concept of “life”. The opposite in meaning is blue, from blue to almost black-lead - the color of sadness, infinity, melancholy, despair, mental anguish, fatal inevitability and, ultimately, death. Van Gogh's late paintings are an arena for the clash of these two colors. They are like the struggle between good and evil, daylight and darkness, hope and despair. The emotional and psychological possibilities of color are the subject of constant reflection by Van Gogh: “I hope to make a discovery in this area, for example, to express the feelings of two lovers by a combination of two complementary colors, their mixing and contrasting, the mysterious vibration of related tones. Or express the thought that has arisen in the brain with the radiance of a light tone on a dark background...”

Speaking about Van Gogh, Tugendhold noted: “...the notes of his experiences are the graphic rhythms of things and the response of the heartbeat.” The concept of peace is unknown to Van Gogh's art. His element is movement.

In Van Gogh’s eyes, it is the same life, which means the ability to think, feel, and empathize. Take a closer look at the painting of the “red vineyards”. The brushstrokes, thrown onto the canvas by a swift hand, run, rush, collide, scatter again. Similar to dashes, dots, blots, commas, they are a transcript of Vangogh’s vision. From their cascades and whirlpools, simplified and expressive forms are born. They are a line that is composed into a drawing. Their relief - sometimes barely outlined, sometimes piled up in massive clumps - like plowed earth, forms a delightful, picturesque texture. And from all this a huge image emerges: in the scorching heat of the sun, like sinners on fire, the grapevines are writhing, trying to tear themselves away from the rich purple earth, to escape from the hands of the winegrowers, and now the peaceful bustle of the harvest looks like a fight between man and nature.

So, does that mean color still dominates? But aren’t these colors at the same time rhythm, line, form, and texture? This is precisely the most important feature of Van Gogh’s pictorial language, in which he speaks to us through his paintings.

It is often believed that Van Gogh's painting is a kind of uncontrollable emotional element, whipped up by unbridled insight. This misconception is “helped” by the uniqueness of Van Gogh’s artistic style, which indeed seems spontaneous, but in fact is subtly calculated and thoughtful: “Work and sober calculation, the mind is extremely tense, like an actor when playing a difficult role, when you have to think about a thousand things within one half hour...”

Van Gogh's inheritance and innovation

Van Gogh's inheritance

• [Mother’s sister] “...Epileptic seizures, which indicates a severe nervous heredity, which also affects Anna Cornelia herself. Naturally gentle and loving, she is prone to unexpected outbursts of anger.”
• [Brother Theo] “... died six months after Vincent’s suicide in a mental hospital in Utrecht, having lived 33 years.”
• “None of Van Gogh’s siblings had epilepsy, while it is absolutely certain that the younger sister suffered from schizophrenia and spent 32 years in a mental hospital.”

The human soul... not cathedrals

Let's turn to Van Gogh:

“I prefer to paint people’s eyes rather than cathedrals... the human soul, even the soul of an unfortunate beggar or a street girl, in my opinion, is much more interesting.”

“Whoever writes peasant life will stand the test of time better than the makers of cardinal receptions and harems written in Paris.” “I will remain myself, and even in crude works I will say strict, rude, but truthful things.” “The worker against the bourgeoisie is as ill-founded as a hundred years ago the third estate was against the other two.”

Could a person who, in these and a thousand similar statements, thus explain the meaning of life and art, count on success with the “powers of this world?” " The bourgeois environment rejected Van Gogh.

Van Gogh had the only weapon against rejection - confidence in the correctness of his chosen path and work.

“Art is a struggle... it’s better to do nothing than to express yourself weakly.” “You have to work like several blacks.” He turns even a half-starved existence into a stimulus for creativity: “In the harsh trials of poverty, you learn to look at things with completely different eyes.”

The bourgeois public does not forgive innovation, and Van Gogh was an innovator in the most direct and genuine sense of the word. His reading of the sublime and beautiful came through an understanding of the inner essence of objects and phenomena: from insignificant ones like torn shoes to crushing cosmic hurricanes. The ability to present these seemingly disparate values ​​on an equally enormous artistic scale put Van Gogh not only outside the official aesthetic concept of academic artists, but also forced him to go beyond the boundaries of impressionistic painting.

Quotes by Vincent Van Gogh

(from letters to brother Theo)

• There is nothing more artistic than loving people.
• When something in you says: “You are not an artist,” immediately begin to write, my boy, - only in this way will you silence this inner voice. The one who, having heard it, runs to his friends and complains about his misfortune, loses part of his courage, part of the best that is in him.
• And you shouldn’t take your shortcomings too seriously, for those who don’t have them still suffer from one thing - the absence of shortcomings; the one who believes that he has achieved perfect wisdom will do well if he grows stupid again.
• A man carries a bright flame in his soul, but no one wants to bask near him; passersby notice only the smoke escaping through the chimney and go on their way.
• When reading books, as well as looking at paintings, one must neither doubt nor hesitate: one must be confident in oneself and find beautiful what is beautiful.
• What is drawing? How is it mastered? This is the ability to break through the iron wall that stands between what you feel and what you can do. How can one penetrate such a wall? In my opinion, banging your head against it is useless; you need to slowly and patiently dig it up and drill it out.
• Blessed is he who has found his business.
• I prefer not to say anything at all than to express myself indistinctly.
• I admit, I also need beauty and sublimity, but even more something else, for example: kindness, responsiveness, tenderness.
• You are a realist yourself, so bear with my realism.
• A person only needs to consistently love what is worthy of love, and not waste his feelings on insignificant, unworthy and insignificant objects.
• We cannot allow melancholy to stagnate in our souls, like water in a swamp.
• When I see the weak trampled underfoot, I begin to doubt the value of what is called progress and civilization.

Bibliography

• Van Gogh.Letters. Per. from Dutch - L.-M., 1966.
• Rewald J. Post-Impressionism. Per. from English T. 1. - L.-M, 1962.
• Perryucho A. The Life of Van Gogh. Per. from French - M., 1973.
• Murina Elena. Van Gogh. - M.: Art, 1978. - 440 p. - 30,000 copies.
• Dmitrieva N. A. Vincent Van Gogh. Man and artist. - M., 1980.
• Stone I. Thirst for Life (book). The Tale of Vincent Van Gogh. Per. from English - M., Pravda, 1988.
• Constantino PorcuVan Gogh. Zijn leven en de kunst. (from the Kunstklassiekers series) Netherlands, 2004.
• Wolf StadlerVincent van Gogh. (from the De Grote Meesters series) Amsterdam Boek, 1974.
• Frank KoolsVincent van Gogh en zijn geboorteplaats: als een boer van Zundert. De Walburg Pers, 1990.
• G. Kozlov, “The Legend of Van Gogh”, “Around the World”, No. 7, 2007.
• Van Gogh V. Letters to friends / Trans. from fr. P. Melkova. - St. Petersburg: Azbuka, Azbuka-Atticus, 2012. - 224 p. - “ABC Classic” series - 5,000 copies, ISBN 978-5-389-03122-7
• Gordeeva M., Perova D. Vincent Van Gogh / In the book: Great Artists - T.18 - Kyiv, JSC "Komsomolskaya Pravda - Ukraine", 2010. - 48 p.