Biography of Van Gogh. Van Gogh's Most Famous Paintings Van Gogh Gallery

Van Gogh's portraits occupy a prominent place in the history of world painting. A significant part of them was written in the 1880s-1890s, that is, just at the time when the famous artist was going through a very controversial period of creativity: on the one hand, these were decades of rapid growth, and on the other hand, he was going through a difficult depression, which affected his style of writing.

Creativity traits

Van Gogh's portraits should be considered in the context of the main features of his formation as an artist. His style is highly ambiguous and is still the subject of considerable controversy. But the originality of his letter is undeniable. Many art historians agree that the course of impressionism had a great influence on him. And in fact, the author himself, when writing canvases, adhered to the principle of the need to depict, first of all, the inner world and complex psychological experiences. This determined the manner and style of his writing: some uneven lines, blurring of colors, play with colors, lack of proportionality in the composition. This clearly shows the influence of the Impressionists.

Differences from the Impressionists

However, if the latter primarily paid attention to the emotional component, then Van Gogh's portraits are distinguished by depth and even some drama. In this respect, he is not at all like the Impressionists, who sought to capture only their fleeting impressions of what they saw, while Van Gogh sought to explore the personality and its inner world. The artist himself considered one of his main creative principles the need to depict and reproduce the soul of a person, his essence and main character traits. Thus, the portraits of Van Gogh not only convey the impression of what they saw, but rather reveal the deep essence of the people depicted.

Portrait Features

The artist considered portrait painting to be one of the most important in his work. A feature of his works in this genre is that he mainly chose very simple people as models and sought to convey their complex inner world. He also paid special attention to the image of human suffering, experiences. Therefore, his images of people are extremely serious and even somewhat dramatic.

Some works

Portraits of Van Gogh with descriptions are very important for understanding the attitude of this famous artist. For example, the painting "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" is written in a rather melancholy spirit. The author conveyed the difficult state of his hero, who is in heavy thoughts, which is especially noticeable against the background of the contrast of a bright blue background with his dejected expression on his face. The works of Van Gogh with the title convey the idea of ​​their author especially expressively. The painting “Grieving Old Man” is a prime example of his work dedicated to human suffering. This theme, as mentioned above, occupied one of the main places in his work. In addition, the author attached special importance to the image of ordinary people. So, his painting "Peasant with a Pipe" especially truthfully conveys his psychology of a simple worker.

Women's images also occupy an important place in his portraiture. For example, the painting "Arlesian" depicts a bright image of a woman on a beige background, which emphasizes her calm and peaceful state of mind. Particularly interesting is the painting "Portrait of a young girl against the backdrop of a grain field." Among the above-mentioned works, this painting draws attention to itself by the fact that the figure of the girl is drawn against the backdrop of a landscape that sets off her beautiful appearance, and most importantly, emphasizes the spiritual features of her face.

self-portraits

In conclusion, it should be briefly said about the artist's depiction of himself. He has a whole series of self-portraits that allow you to better trace the path of his development as a master. In addition to paintings without titles, it is necessary to mention such canvases as "Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear" and "Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat". In these paintings, the artist appears as a complex personality with a difficult fate. This is especially evident in his face and expression. Finally, the composition itself and the background were chosen by Van Gogh in such a way as to further emphasize his own psychology and inner world. The artist himself wrote that he sought to understand the depth of his experiences and therefore achieved a special poignancy in the depiction of facial features. The portraits of Van Gogh, the photos with the names of which are presented in this article, prove this.

Criticism and recognition

Indicative is the fact that recognition came to the artist after his death. During his lifetime, he was not immediately recognized and appreciated. However, some of his contemporaries recognized his talent and helped him in every possible way. However, most critics were negative about the fact that they did not follow the rules of proportions, depicted their figures in an unusual way, and worked too boldly with paints. But already in the 20th century, his canvases became recognized masterpieces and sold under the hammers for huge sums.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch. Vincent Willem van Gogh; March 30, 1853, Grotto-Zundert, near Breda, the Netherlands - July 29, 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France) was a Dutch post-impressionist painter.

Biography of Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Dutch town of Groot-Sundert on March 30, 1853. Van Gogh was the first child in the family (not counting the brother who was born dead). His father's name was Theodore Wang Gogh, and his mother's name was Karnelia. They had a large family: 2 sons and three daughters. In the Van Gogh family, all men, one way or another, dealt with paintings, or served the church. Already by 1869, without even finishing school, he began working in a company that sold paintings. In truth, Van Gogh was not good at selling paintings, but he had an unbounded 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.

In London, Van Gogh lived happily ever after. He had a very good salary, which was enough to visit various art galleries and museums. He even bought himself a top hat, which was simply indispensable in London. Everything went to the fact that Van Gogh could become a successful merchant, but ... as often happens, love, yes, love, got in the way of his career. Van Gogh fell unconsciously in love with the daughter of his landlady, but after learning that she was already engaged, he became very withdrawn into himself, became indifferent to his work. When he returned to Paris he was fired.

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

In 1886, at the beginning of March, Van Gogh moved to Paris to 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, brightly in the style of impressionism and post-impressionism.

Vincent Van Gogh, after spending 3 months in an evangelical school, which was 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 the suspicion of the authorities of the church, 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 in this life was, and decided that he must become an artist at all costs. Although Van Gogh took drawing lessons, he can be safely considered self-taught, because he himself studied many books, self-study books, 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 seems that life began to improve, but again Van Gogh began to be haunted by failures, and love ones at that.

His cousin Kay Vos became a widow. He liked her very much, but he received a refusal, which he experienced for a long time. In addition, because of Kei, he quarreled very seriously with his father. This quarrel was the reason for Vincent's move to The Hague. It was there that he met Clazina 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 considered marrying her. But then his family intervened, and thoughts of marriage were simply dispelled.

Returning to his homeland to his parents, who by that time had already moved to Nyonen, 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 the second home for Van Gogh. This is where he lived for the rest of his life. He didn't feel like a stranger. Van Gogh drank a lot and had a very explosive temper. He could be called a person who is difficult to deal with.

In 1888 he moved to Arles. The locals were not happy to see him in their town, which was located in the south of France. They considered him an abnormal lunatic. Despite this, Vincent found friends here, and felt quite good. Over time, he got the idea to create a settlement for artists here, which he shared with his friend Gauguin. Everything was going well, but there was a quarrel between the artists. Van Gogh rushed at Gauguin, who had already become an enemy, with a razor. Gauguin barely blew his legs, miraculously surviving. From the anger of 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 for the mentally ill and went to Paris to 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.

Creativity Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890) is considered a great Dutch painter who had a very strong influence on impressionism in art. His works, created in a ten-year period, amaze with their color, negligence and roughness of the brushstroke, images of a mentally ill man, exhausted by suffering, who committed suicide.

Van Gogh became one of the greatest post-impressionist painters.

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

In 1886 he moved to Paris, entered the studio of F. Cormon, where he met A. Toulouse-Lautrec and E. Bernard. Under the influence of Impressionist painting and Japanese engraving, the artist's style changed: an intense color scheme and a wide, energetic brushstroke, characteristic of the late Van G. ("Clichy Boulevard", "Portrait of Papa Tanguy"), appeared.

In 1888 he moved to the south of France, to the town of Arles. It was the most fruitful period of the artist's work. During his life, Van G. created more than 800 paintings and 700 drawings in various genres, but his talent manifested itself most clearly 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 state of mind of the artist: he suffered from a mental illness, which eventually led him to suicide.

Features of creativity

“Much remains unclear and controversial to date in the pathography of this severe bionegative personality. We can assume syphilitic provocation of schizo-epileptic psychosis. His feverish creativity is quite comparable to the increased productivity of the brain before the onset of a syphilitic disease of the brain, as was the case with Nietzsche, Maupassant, Schumann. Van Gogh is 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 expressed in parallel in his artistic work. In essence, the style of his works remains the same all the time. Only winding lines are repeated more and more often, giving his paintings a spirit of unbridledness, which reaches its climax in his last work, where the upward aspiration and the inevitability of destruction, fall, annihilation are clearly emphasized. These two movements, the rising movement and the falling movement, form the structural basis of epileptic manifestations, just as the two poles form the basis of the epileptoid constitution.

“Van Gogh painted brilliant paintings in between attacks. And the main secret of his genius was the extraordinary purity of consciousness and a special creative upsurge 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 a 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 therein lay his strength. You need to have a sufficiently trained eye to distinguish Monet's paintings from those of Sisley, for example. But only once having seen the “Red Vineyards”, you will never confuse the works of Van Gogh with anyone else. Each line and stroke is the expression of his personality.

The dominant impressionist system is color. In the pictorial system, Van Gogh's manner, everything is equal and crumpled into one inimitable bright ensemble: rhythm, color, texture, line, form.

At first glance, this is somewhat of a stretch. Do the “red vineyards” push around with the unheard-of intensity color, is not the ringing chord of blue cobalt in the “Sea in Saint-Marie” active, is it not the dazzlingly pure and sonorous colors of the “Landscape in Auvers after the rain”, next to which, any impressionistic picture 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 are either intertwined into a softly and subtly harmonized melody, or reared up in a dissonance that cuts the ear. Just as in music there is a minor and major system, so the colors of the Vangogh palette are divided in two. For Van Gogh, cold and warm are like life and death. At the head of the opposing camps - 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 a certain bright beginning in the yellow paint, from soft 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". Opposite in meaning, blue, from blue to almost black-lead, is the color of sadness, infinity, longing, despair, mental anguish, fatal inevitability and, ultimately, death. Van Gogh's late paintings are the arena of the clash of these two colors. They are like a struggle between good and evil, daylight and night twilight, hope and despair. The emotional and psychological possibilities of color are the subject of Van Gogh's constant reflections: “I hope to make a discovery in this area, for example, to express the feelings of two lovers by combining two additional colors, mixing and opposing them, by the mysterious vibration of related tones. Or to express the idea that has arisen in the brain with the radiance of a light tone against a dark background…”.

Speaking of Van Gogh, Tugendhold remarked: "... the notes of his experiences are the graphic rhythms of things and the reciprocal heartbeats." The concept of rest is unknown to Vangogh art. His element is movement.

In the eyes of Van Gogh, it is the same life, which means the ability to think, feel, empathize. Take a look at the painting of the "red vineyards". The strokes, 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 forms 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 arises: in the hot heat of the sun, like sinners on fire, vines wriggle, trying to break away from the fat purple earth, to escape from the hands of the winegrowers, and now the peaceful bustle of harvesting looks like a fight between man and nature.

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

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

Van Gogh's heritage and innovation

Van Gogh heritage

• [Mother's sister] “... Seizures of epilepsy, which indicates a severe nervous heredity, which also affects Anna Cornelia herself. Naturally gentle and loving, she is prone to sudden outbursts of anger.
• [Brother Theo] "...died six months after Vincent's suicide in the insane asylum in Utrecht, having lived for 33 years."
• "None of Van Gogh's brothers and sisters had epilepsy, while it is absolutely certain that the younger sister suffered from schizophrenia and spent 32 years in a psychiatric hospital."

The human soul ... not cathedrals

Let's turn to Van Gogh:

“I prefer to paint the eyes of people, not cathedrals… the human soul, even the soul of an unfortunate beggar or a street girl, in my opinion, is much more interesting.”

“Those who write peasant life will stand the test of time better than the makers of cardinal devices and harems written in Paris.” “I will remain myself, and even in raw works I will say strict, rude, but truthful things.” “The worker against the bourgeois is not as well founded as the third estate against the other two a hundred years ago.”

Could a person who in these and a thousand similar statements so explained the meaning of life and art count on success with “the powers that be? ". The bourgeois milieu uprooted Van Gogh.

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

“Art is a struggle… it is better to do nothing than to express yourself weakly.” "You have to work like a few blacks." Even a half-starved existence is turned into a stimulus for creativity: “In the severe 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 true sense of the word. His reading of the sublime and beautiful went through an understanding of the inner essence of objects and phenomena: from as insignificant as torn shoes to crushing cosmic hurricanes. The ability to present these seemingly disparate values ​​on an equally huge artistic scale put Van Gogh not only outside the official aesthetic concept of academic artists, but also forced him to go beyond the scope 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 one should not take one's shortcomings too close to one's heart, for the one who does not have them still suffers from one thing - the absence of shortcomings; but he who thinks he has attained perfect wisdom will do well to become stupid again.
• A man carries a bright flame in his soul, but no one wants to bask near it; passers-by notice only the smoke leaving through the chimney, and pass on their way.
• Reading books, as well as looking at pictures, one should neither doubt nor hesitate: one must be self-confident and find beautiful that which is beautiful.
• What is drawing? How are they mastered? This is the ability to break through the iron wall that stands between what you feel and what you can do. How is it possible to get through such a wall? In my opinion, it is useless to beat your head against it, you need to slowly and patiently dig in and gouge it.
• Blessed is he who has found his work.
• I prefer not to say anything at all than to express myself indistinctly.
• I confess that 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 unfailingly love what is worthy of love, and not squander his feeling on insignificant, unworthy and insignificant things.
• It is impossible for melancholy to stagnate in our souls, like water in a swamp.
• When I see the weak being trampled on, I begin to question the value of what is called progress and civilization.

Bibliography

• Van Gogh.Letters. Per. with a goal - L.-M., 1966.
• Rewald J. Post-Impressionism. Per. from English. T. 1. - L.-M, 1962.
• Perryusho A. 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. Lust for Life (book). The Tale of Vincent Van Gogh. Per. from English. - M., Pravda, 1988.
• Constantino Porcu Van Gogh. Zijn leven en de kunst. (from the Kunstklassiekers series) Netherlands, 2004.
• Wolf Stadler Vincent van Gogh. (from the De Grote Meesters series) Amsterdam Boek, 1974.
• Frank Kools Vincent 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 / Per. from fr. P.Melkova. - St. Petersburg: ABC, ABC-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 - V.18 - Kyiv, CJSC "Komsomolskaya Pravda - Ukraine", 2010. - 48 p.

Vincent Willem van Gogh is a Dutch artist who laid the foundations of the Post-Impressionist movement and largely determined the principles of the work of modern masters.

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

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

Vincent was the 2nd 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 (Anna Cornelia);
• Elizabeth (Liz) (Elizabeth, Liz);
• Willemina (Vil) (Willamina, Vil).

They named the baby in honor of his grandfather, a minister of Protestantism. This name was supposed to be given to the first child, but due to his early death, Vincent got it.

Memories of relatives paint Vincent's character as very strange, capricious and wayward, naughty and capable of unexpected antics. Outside the home and family, he was brought up, quiet, polite, modest, kind, distinguished by a striking intelligent look and a heart full of sympathy. However, he avoided peers and did not join 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 took care of the children.

At the age of 11, in 1864, Vincent was assigned to a school in Zevenbergen. Although it was only 20 km from his native place, the child could hardly bear the separation, and these experiences were remembered forever.

In 1866, Vincent was determined as a student at the educational institution of Willem II in Tilburg (College Willem II in Tilburg). The teenager made great strides in mastering foreign languages, spoke and read French, English, and German perfectly. Teachers also noted Vincent's ability to draw. However, in 1868 he abruptly dropped out of school and returned home. He was no longer sent to educational institutions, he continued to receive 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 hired by his uncle, who bore the same name, whom the future artist called "Uncle Saint". Uncle was the owner of a branch of the Goupil & Cie company, which was engaged in the examination, evaluation and sale of art objects. Vincent acquires the profession of a dealer and makes 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, 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 not clear and confusing: he lived in a rented apartment with Ursula Loyer (Ursula Loyer) and her daughter Eugene (Eugene); biographers argue about who was the subject of love: one of them or Carolina Haanebik (Carolina Haanebeek). But whoever the beloved was, Vincent was refused and lost interest in life, work, 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 frequenter of museums and is fond of creating drawings. Hating the activity of the dealer, he ceases to bring income to the company, and he is fired in 1876.

Teaching and religion

In March 1876, Vincent moved to Great Britain, and entered a free-of-charge 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 a school in Isleworth, where he additionally assisted the priest. In November 1876, Vincent reads a sermon and is convinced of the mission to carry the truth of religious teaching.

In 1876, Vincent arrives at 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 does not like the trade, all the time he devotes to translating biblical texts and drawing.

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

After enrolling, Van Gogh was a theology student until July 1878, after which, disappointed, he refuses further studies and flees from Amsterdam.

The next stage of the search was associated with the Protestant missionary school in the city of Laken (Laken) near Brussels (Brussel). The school was led by Pastor Bokma. Vincent gains experience in composing and delivering sermons for three months, but leaves this place as well. Information from biographers is contradictory: either he quit his job himself, or he was fired because of carelessness in clothes and unbalanced behavior.

In December 1878, Vincent continues 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, cared for the sick. To feed himself, he drew maps of the Holy Land and sold them. Van Gogh showed himself as an ascetic, sincere and tireless, as a result, he was given a small salary from the Evangelical Society. He planned to enter the Gospel 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 management of the mines to improve the working conditions of the miners. He was refused, deprived of the right to preach, which shocked him and led to another disappointment.

First steps

Van Gogh finds calm at the easel, in 1880 he decides to try his hand at the Brussels Royal Academy of Arts. He is supported by his brother Theo, but a year later, training is abandoned again, and the eldest son returns to the parental roof. He is absorbed in self-education, he works tirelessly.

He feels love for his widowed cousin, Kee Vos-Stricker, who raised her son and came to visit the family. Van Gogh is rejected, but persists, and he 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, 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, lanes:

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

An interesting technique 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, became a model for the artist, but she had a terrible character, and they had to leave. This episode leads to a final break with parents and loved ones.

After breaking up with Christine, Vincent leaves for Drenth, in the countryside. During this period, the artist's landscape works appear, as well as paintings depicting the life of the peasantry.

Early work

The period of creativity, representing the first works made in Drenthe, is distinguished by realism, but they express the key characteristics of the individual style of the artist. Many critics believe that these features are due to the lack of an elementary art education: Van Gogh did not know the laws of the image of a person, therefore, the characters of the paintings and sketches seem angular, ungraceful, as if emerging from the bosom of nature, like rocks, which are pressed by the vault of heaven:

• "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) and others.

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 drawing debauchery and forbade the locals to pose for pictures.

Parisian period

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

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

In Paris in 1887/88, Van Gogh takes lessons at a private school, learns the basics of Japanese art, the basics of the impressionistic manner of writing, the work of Paul Gauguin (Pol Gogen). This stage in the creative biography of Wag Gogh is called light, in the works the leitmotif is soft blue, bright yellow, fiery shades, the writing style is light, betraying movement, the “stream” of life:

• “Agostina Segatori in het Café Tamboerijn”;
• "Bridge over the Seine" (Brug over de Seine);
• "Daddy Tanguy" (Papa Tanguy), etc.

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

• Edgar Degas;
• Camille Pissarro;
• Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (Anri Touluz-Lautrec);
• Paul Gauguin;
• Emile Bernard and others.

Van Gogh was among good friends and like-minded people, he was involved in the process of preparing expositions, which were organized in restaurants, bars, theater halls. The audience did not appreciate Van Gogh, they recognized them as terrible, but he plunges into teaching and self-improvement, comprehends the theoretical basis of color technique.

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

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

Blossoming and finding your own style

In 1888, Van Gogh, worried about the misunderstanding of the audience, leaves for the southern French city of Arles (Arles). Arles became the city in which Vincent realized the purpose of his work: do not strive to reflect the real visible world, but with the help of color and simple techniques to express your inner "I".

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

The attractiveness of the style of Van Gogh's heyday is in the contradiction between the desire for a harmonious worldview and the awareness of one's own helplessness in front of a disharmonious world. Full of light and festive nature, the works of 1888 coexist with gloomy phantasmagoric images:

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

The dynamism, the movement of color, the energy of the master's brush is a reflection of the artist's soul, his tragic searches, impulses to understand the surrounding world of living and non-living things:

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

The artist plans to establish a society that unites young geniuses who will reflect the future of mankind. To open the society, Vincent is helped by Theo's means. Van Gogh assigned the leading role to Paul Gauguin. When Gauguin arrived, they quarreled to the point that Van Gogh almost cut his throat on December 23, 1888. Gauguin managed to escape, and Van Gogh, repentant, cut off part of the lobe of his own ear.

Biographers evaluate this episode differently, many believe that this act was a sign of insanity, provoked by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Van Gogh is sent to a mental hospital, where he is kept under strict conditions in the ward for violent lunatics. Gauguin leaves, Theo takes care of Vincent. After the course of treatment, Vincent dreams of returning to Arles. But the inhabitants of the city protested, and the artist was offered to settle next to the Saint-Paul hospital (Saint-Paul) in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence), near Arles.

Since May 1889, Van Gogh has been living in Saint-Remy, during the year he writes more than 150 large things and about 100 drawings and watercolors, demonstrating mastery of halftones and contrast techniques. Among them, the landscape genre prevails, still lifes that convey mood, 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 work were exhibited in Brussels, 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 lives with his family. There he constantly creates, but the oppressed mood and nervous excitement of the author are transmitted to the canvases of 1890, they are distinguished by broken lines, distorted silhouettes of objects and persons:

• "Country road with cypress trees" (Landelijke weg met cipressen);
• "Landschap 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 mortally wounded by a pistol. It is not known 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 also died of nervous exhaustion, whose grave is located next to Vincent.

For 10 years of creativity, more than 2100 works have appeared, among which about 860 are made in oil. Van Gogh became the founder of expressionism, post-impressionism, his principles formed the basis of fauvism and modernism.

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

Paintings

It is not exactly known how many paintings Van Gogh painted, but art historians and researchers of his work tend to figure about 800. In the last 70 days of his life alone, he painted 70 paintings - one a 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 letter to Theo: he sought to show people of hard work who received little remuneration for their work. The hands that cultivate the field receive its gifts.

Red vineyards in Arles

The famous painting dates from 1888. The plot of the picture is not fictional, Vincent tells about it in one of the messages to Theo. On the canvas, the artist conveys the rich colors that struck him: thick red grape leaves, a piercing green sky, a bright purple road washed with rain with golden highlights from the rays of the setting sun. The colors seem to flow one into another, convey the author's anxious mood, his tension, the depth of philosophical reflections about the world. Such a plot will be repeated in the work of Van Gogh, symbolizing life eternally renewed in labor.

night cafe

"Night Café" appeared in Arles and presented the author's thoughts about a man who destroys his own life on his own. The idea of ​​self-destruction and a steady movement towards madness is expressed by the contrast of blood-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, painfulness of life.

Van Gogh's legacy includes two series of works depicting sunflowers. In the first cycle - flowers laid out on the table, they were painted in the Parisian period in 1887 and 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 fidelity, 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.

"Starry Night" was created in 1889 in Saint-Remy, it depicts the stars and the moon in dynamics framed by the boundless sky, eternally existing and rushing in the infinity of the Universe. The cypress trees in the foreground strive to reach the stars, while the village in the valley is static, motionless and devoid of aspirations for the new and the 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 which there is an immersion into the abyss of a distorted human consciousness. Attention attracts the face and eyes, as if looking deep into the personality. Self-portraits are the artist's conversation with himself and with the universe.

Almond Blossoms (Amandelbloesem) are created in Saint-Rémy in 1890. The spring flowering of almond trees is a symbol of renewal, of a born and growing life. The uniqueness of the canvas lies in the fact that the branches hover without a foundation, they are self-sufficient and beautiful.

This portrait was painted in 1890. Bright colors convey the significance of every moment, brush work 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 at 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 life. 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 the work of the Impressionists. This is the first most popular exhibition center in the Netherlands.

Quotes

1. Among the clergy, as among the masters of the brush, despotic academicism reigns, dull and full of prejudice;
2. Thinking about future hardships and hardships, I could not create;
3. Painting is my joy and comfort, giving me the opportunity to escape from life's troubles;

The short life of this artist was like a bright flash of lightning. Vincent van Gogh lived in the world for only 37 years, but left behind a fantastically huge creative heritage: more than 1,700 works, including about 900 drawings and 800 paintings. at modern auctions, all records are broken in value, and in fact during his lifetime he managed to sell only one of his works, which, in terms of today's money, brought him an income of only 80 dollars. The conflicting emotional personality of the artist and his unusual work were incomprehensible to most of his contemporaries.

Now, many books have been written about the biography of the famous Dutchman, and his paintings and drawings take pride of place in the most prestigious art museums and galleries in the world. Let's remember the creative path of the great expressionist and the magnificent paintings of Van Gogh, unlike any other.

Three creative periods in the artist's life

Vincent van Gogh's creative path is conditionally divided by art historians into three periods: Dutch (1881-1886), Parisian (1886-1888) and late, which lasted from about 1888 until the death of the artist in 1890. Such a short creative life, only 9 years long, was destined for this man. The canvases painted in these time periods differ greatly among themselves and in subjects and in the manner of painting. I would like to clarify that the paintings of Van Gogh, whose names are indicated in this article, of course, are only a small part of his vast artistic heritage.

Vincent van Gogh began to engage in creativity much earlier than 1881, but then he was mainly attracted to graphic drawing. He did not receive a professional art education, although he tried several times to study as an artist. But he could not overcome the rebellious spirit in himself, his talent could not fit into any academic framework, which forced the young Vincent to drop out of school and paint on his own.

Paintings by Wag Gogh from the Dutch period

Having discovered the artist for himself, he began to write first of all people, their harsh way of life, hard life. The canvases of this period are not at all like the bright beautiful creations of Van Gogh, which later brought him deafening posthumous fame. Here are the characteristic works of those years: "Weaver", "Peasant Woman". The color palette of these paintings is dark and gloomy, like the very life of poor people.

It can be seen how the artist passionately empathizes with his characters. Van Gogh had a very responsive, kind and compassionate soul. In addition, he was very religious, for some time he even served as a Christian preacher. He understood all the commandments of the New Testament literally. He walked in the simplest clothes, ate poorly and lived in the poorest shacks. At the same time, he came from a very wealthy family and, if he wanted, he could continue the family business (trade in paintings and art objects). But Vincent van Gogh was not like that, he was good at painting, but not selling.

Parisian period

In 1886, Van Gogh left his native Holland forever and came to Paris, where he tried to study painting, visited exhibitions of fashionable painters, got acquainted with the work of the Impressionists. Monet, Pizarro, Signac, Renoir made a huge impression on Van Gogh and had a considerable influence on the further formation of his creative style of writing. Van Gogh begins to pay great attention to color, now he is attracted not only by people, but also by landscapes and still lifes. The artist's palette becomes brighter and lighter; in the works of the Parisian period, Van Gogh's talent as an excellent colorist begins to appear.

B works like a man possessed, however, as always. Here are some typical paintings by Wag Gogh painted at this time: "Sea in Sainte-Marie", "Bouquet of flowers in a blue vase", "Seine embankment with boats", "Still life with roses and sunflowers", "Blossoming almond branch", " Gardens in Montmartre", "Roofs of Paris", "Portrait of a Woman in Blue", etc. Van Gogh's Parisian period was very fruitful, during these years the artist painted about 250 paintings. Then Van Gogh meets Gauguin, their friendship and creative union becomes very valuable to him. But the characters of the two creators are too dissimilar. And it all ends in a quarrel that leads Vincent to a nervous breakdown. It is to this difficult period of life that Van Gogh's painting "Self-portrait with a severed ear and pipe" belongs.

Van Gogh's work in Arly

Gradually noisy Paris began to weigh Van Gogh, and in the winter of 1888 he went to Provence, to the town of Arles. Here he was to write his most brilliant creations. The beautiful nature of these places fascinates the artist. One after another, he creates such canvases as "Landscape with a road, a cypress and a star", "Hacks in Provence", "Red vineyards", "Olive trees against the backdrop of Alpille", "Harvest", "Field of poppies", "Mountains in Saint-Remy", "Cypresses" and many other incomparable landscapes - masterpieces of post-impressionist painting.

He also paints an endless series of flower still lifes. No one has ever painted flowers like Vincent van Gogh. Pictures - the famous "Sunflowers" and "Irises" - were painted by him in Provence. The artist transfers to the canvas the endless fields of Provence, filled with pure transparent air, blooming gardens, cypresses, luxurious olive groves. At the same time, he is also an excellent portrait painter. In Arles, he painted many portraits and self-portraits.

The famous "Sunflowers"

Still life "Sunflowers" is one of Van Gogh's most popular paintings. Most of us know this painting from numerous reproductions. Meanwhile, the impressionist painted not this one still life, but a whole cycle of seven paintings, which depicted sunny flowers. But one of the works died in Japan during the atomic bombing, the other was lost in one of the private collections. Thus, only 5 paintings from this series have survived to this day.

These are Van Gogh paintings. The description and photograph of the reproduction, of course, cannot convey all the charm of the original. And yet I would like to dedicate a couple of lines to "Sunflowers". This still life just splatters with sunlight! Van Gogh outdid himself by finding many shades in yellow. Some researchers believe that the artist’s mental illness manifested itself in this work, as evidenced by this unusual brightness and richness of the still life.

Painting "Starry night"

Van Gogh's painting "Night", or rather, "Starry Night", was written by him in Saint-Remy, in 1889. This is a large canvas measuring 73x92 cm. The color scheme of this fantastic creation of the artist is very unusual - a combination of blue, sky, dark blue and green with various shades of yellow.

The compositional basis is dark cypresses in the foreground, a small inconspicuous town lies in the valley, and above it stretches an endless restless sky with exaggeratedly huge stars and a luminous moon, as if swirling in a whirlwind. This picture, like most of Van Gogh's works, must be viewed from a distance at a decent distance, near it is impossible to holistically perceive scattered large strokes.

Canvas "Church at Auvers"

Van Gogh's painting "Church at Auvers" is also one of his most famous and popular works. This work was written in the last year of the painter's life, when he was already very ill. Van Gogh suffered from a severe mental disorder, which could not but affect his painting.

The drawing of the church, which is the center of the composition, is made with wavy, trembling lines. The sky - heavy, dark blue - seems to hang over the church and presses on it with its lead weight. It is associated in the viewer with some impending threat, it awakens disturbing feelings in the soul. The lower part of the picture is bright, it depicts a bifurcating path and grass illuminated by the sun.

The cost of the paintings

As mentioned earlier, the cost of the work of the Dutch post-impressionist is very high. But even with a huge amount of money, it will be difficult to buy a canvas, the author of which is the great Van Gogh himself. Paintings with the names "Sunflowers" can currently be valued at any mega-large amount. In 1987, one of the paintings in this series was sold at Christie's for $40.5 million. A lot of time has passed since then, and therefore the cost of this work could have grown many times over.

The painting "Arlesian" left the auction "Christie" in 2006 for 40.3 million, and "Peasant Woman in a Straw Hat" was bought in 1997 for 47 million dollars. If the artist could live to this day, he would be one of the richest people on earth, but he died in poverty, not even suspecting how dearly future generations would appreciate his work.

Paintings of the artist in Russia

In Russia, Van Gogh's paintings can be seen in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage, as well as in Moscow, in the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin. In total, there are 14 works by Van Gogh in our country: "Arles Arena", "Huts", "Morning", "Landscape with a house and a plowman", "Portrait of Mrs. Trabuque", "Boats to the house at night", "Ladies of Arles "," Bush "," Walk of prisoners "," Portrait of Dr. Felix Rey "," Red vineyards in Arles "," Landscape in Auvers after the rain ".

- the great Dutch artist, post-impressionist. Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Grote-Zundert. He died July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. During his creative life he created a large number of paintings, which today are considered masterpieces of world art. The work of Vincent van Gogh cannot be overestimated, as his art had a huge impact on the development of painting in the 20th century.

Van Gogh created more than 2100 works during his lifetime! During the life of the artist, his work was not as widely known as it is today. He lived in need and poverty. At 37, he attempted suicide by shooting himself with a pistol, after which he died. After the death of Vincent van Gogh, connoisseurs and critics of painting paid close attention to his art; exhibitions of the artist's paintings began to open in different cities of the world, and soon he was recognized as one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time. Vincent van Gogh is one of the most recognizable artists in the world today. Some of his paintings are considered among the most expensive works of art in the world. The painting "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" was sold for 82.5 million dollars. The cost of the painting "Self-portrait with cut off ear and pipe" in 1990 was from 80 to 90 million dollars. The Irises painting was sold in 1987 for $53.9 million.

Vincent van Gogh's collection of paintings contains a large number of paintings that are considered incredibly expensive, very famous, and culturally priceless. However, among all the paintings of Van Gogh there are the most famous ones, which are not only fabulously expensive, but also the real “calling cards” of this artist. Next, you can see paintings by Vincent van Gogh with titles that are considered to be the most famous.

The most famous paintings of Vincent van Gogh

Self portrait with severed ear and pipe

self-portrait

Memories of a garden in Etten

potato eaters

Starry night over the Rhone

Starlight Night

Red vineyards in Arles

bulb fields

Night terrace in a cafe

night cafe

sunflowers

Portrait of Dr. Gachet

Prisoner's Walk

Wheat field with cypresses

Bedroom in Arles

Four fading sunflowers

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