Who is van gogh short biography. The artist Vincent van Gogh and his severed ear

Vincent van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter of exceptional talent. Having taken the influence of the Impressionists of that period, he nevertheless developed his own, spontaneous style. He became one of the most celebrated artists of the twentieth century and played a key role in the development of modern art. Vincent was born in Groot-Zundert, a small Dutch village, on March 30, 1853. His father was a Protestant pastor. Vincent showed interest in drawing as a child: his early works are distinguished by realism and expressiveness. The artist's youth became a period of searching. For a short time he worked as an art dealer, then as a teacher at a boarding school, and then, deeply interested in Christianity, became a preacher in a mining town in southern Belgium. He preached in the poor areas of Brabant, empathizing with the poverty of the locals and the harshness of their living conditions. He began to sleep on the straw in a dilapidated hut, and his face was blackened from coal dust. The church authorities were dissatisfied with such shocking, and Van Gogh was relieved of his post. In 1880, at the age of 27, Van Gogh turned his interest towards art. He began painting in earnest, and while in Paris in 1886, he was deeply impressed by the work of the Impressionist painters. During this important period in his life, Van Gogh met many artists, including Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Gauguin. His style has changed significantly under the influence of the Impressionists, becoming lighter and brighter. During this time, the artist painted a large number of self-portraits. With the material help of his brother Theo, in 1888 he went to live in the picturesque Provence, a region in the south of France. There he created his famous Sunflowers series.
After some time, Van Gogh invited his friend Gauguin to stay, but soon the artists began to quarrel. According to one version, one day Van Gogh began to threaten his guest with a razor, after which he hastily left. Deeply remorseful for what he had done, Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear. This episode was the first serious symptom of an increase in the artist's mental imbalance. Subsequently, he repeatedly underwent treatment in psychiatric hospitals. His life alternated between periods of inertia, depression and amazingly concentrated creative activity. The last two years of Van Gogh's life were the most fruitful in terms of painting. The artist felt an irresistible need to paint. “Work is an absolute necessity for me. I can’t put it off, I don’t give a damn about anything but work,” Van Gogh said about himself. He developed a style that was fast and impetuous, leaving the artist no time for contemplation and reflection. He painted with rapid movements of the brush, more and more abstract figures appeared on his canvases - harbingers of modern art.
On July 27, 1890, under the influence of another depression, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest. However, there were no witnesses to this incident, as well as a gun, so the version of the murder is still not excluded. Anyway, two days later the artist died.

The future artist was born in a small Dutch village called Grot Zundert. This joyful event in the family of the Protestant priest Theodor van Gogh and his wife Anna Cornelius van Gogh happened on March 30, 1853. There were only six children in the pastor's family. Vincent is the oldest. Relatives considered him a difficult and strange child, while neighbors noted in him modesty, compassion and friendliness in relations with people. Subsequently, he repeatedly said that his childhood was cold and gloomy.

At the age of seven, Van Gogh was assigned to a local school. Exactly one year later, he returned home. Having received his primary education at home, in 1864 he went to Zevenbergen to a private boarding school. He studied there for a short time - only two years, and moved to another boarding school - in Tilburg. He was noted for his ability to learn languages ​​and draw. It is noteworthy that in 1868 he suddenly dropped out of school and went back to the village. This was the end of his education.

Youth

It has long been customary that the men in the Van Gogh family were engaged in only two types of activities: the sale of art canvases and parochial activities. Young Vincent could not help but try himself in both. He achieved some success both as a pastor and as an art dealer, but the passion for drawing took its toll.

At the age of 15, Vincent's family helped him get a job at the Hague branch of the art company Goupil & Co. His career growth was not long in coming: for his diligence and success in his work, he was transferred to the British branch. In London, he turned from a simple country boy, a lover of painting, into a successful businessman, a professional who understands the engravings of English masters. It has a metropolitan look. Not far off and moving to Paris, and work in the central office of the Goupil company. However, something unexpected and incomprehensible happened: he fell into a state of "painful loneliness" and refused to do anything. Soon he was fired.

Religion

In search of his destiny, he went to Amsterdam and intensively prepared to enter the theological faculty. But he soon realized that he did not belong here, dropped out and entered a missionary school. After graduating in 1879, he was offered to preach the Law of God in one of the cities in southern Belgium. He agreed. During this period, he paints a lot, mostly portraits of ordinary people.

Creation

After the disappointments that befell Van Gogh in Belgium, he again fell into depression. Brother Theo came to the rescue. He gave him moral support and helped him enter the Academy of Fine Arts. There he studied for a short time and returned to his parents, where he continued to independently study various techniques. In the same period, he experienced several unsuccessful novels.

The most fruitful time in the work of Van Gogh is the Parisian period (1886-1888). He met with prominent representatives of impressionism and post-impressionism: Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Renoir, Paul Gauguin. He constantly searched for his own style and at the same time studied various techniques of modern painting. Imperceptibly brightened and his palette. From light to a real riot of colors, characteristic of his paintings of recent years, there is very little left.

Other biography options

• After returning to the psychiatric clinic, Vincent, as usual, went to draw from nature in the morning. But he returned not with sketches, but with a bullet fired by himself from a pistol. It remains unclear how a serious wound allowed him to reach the shelter on his own and live for another two days. He died on July 29, 1890.
• In a brief biography of Vincent van Gogh, it is impossible not to mention one name - Theo van Gogh, the younger brother, who helped and supported his elder brother all his life. He could not forgive himself for the last quarrel and the subsequent suicide of the famous artist. He died exactly one year after Van Gogh's death from nervous exhaustion.
• Van Gogh cut off his ear after a violent quarrel with Gauguin. The latter thought that they were going to attack him, and fled in fear.

Vincent van Gogh is a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who had a huge impact on 20th century painting. Today, his work is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.

During his life, he never received recognition in society, and became known only after committing suicide at the age of 37.

Less than 2 years later, Vincent van Gogh decided to quit school and move back home. He himself called his childhood "gloomy, cold and empty", which, undoubtedly, was reflected in his subsequent biography.

Creative biography

At the age of 15, Vincent begins to work in a solid art and trading company "Goupil & Cie", owned by his uncle.

In modern terms, he did the work of a dealer, in which he was successful. He was well versed in painting and often visited different galleries.

However, work in the company does not bring joy to Van Gogh. Having fallen into a deep depression, he writes several letters to his brother Theodorus, in which he talks about his loneliness and helplessness.

Some biographers believe that Vincent suffered from unrequited love, but there is no reliable information on this subject.

In the end, Van Gogh was fired from Goupil & Cie.

Missionary activity

In 1877, an important event occurs in the biography of Van Gogh: he decides to enter the university at the faculty of theology. To do this, he moves to Amsterdam to his uncle Johannes.

After he successfully passes his exams and becomes a university student, Vincent becomes disillusioned with his studies. Realizing his mistake, he gives up everything and begins to engage in missionary work.

Van Gogh lights up with a new idea: he preaches the Gospel to the poor, teaches children, and also teaches the Law of God in the Borinage, which was mainly inhabited by miners with their families.

To provide himself with the essentials, Vincent draws maps of Palestine at night. In general, it must be said that in the biography of Van Gogh there are many examples of almost painful dedication.

Gradually, the missionary gained respect among the people, as a result of which he was assigned a salary of 50 francs.

During this period of his biography, Vincent led a very modest lifestyle and repeatedly defended the rights of workers.

Soon he began to irritate the officials, so he was removed from his post as a preacher. This turn of affairs was a real blow to Van Gogh.

Becoming an artist Van Gogh

Being depressed, Vincent van Gogh begins to paint. For some time he even attended the Academy of Fine Arts, however, not seeing any benefit for himself, he left it.

After that, he continued to paint, relying only on his own experience.

During this period of biography, Van Gogh falls in love with his cousin, but she does not reciprocate. As a result, he leaves with a broken heart for The Hague, where he continues to paint.

There, Van Gogh learns to draw from Anton Mauve, and in his free time he takes walks through the poor quarters of the city. In the future, the artist will be able to capture everything he sees in his masterpieces.

Watching the technique of different masters, Van Gogh begins to experiment with shades and styles of painting. However, he continues to be tormented by endless thoughts about starting a family.

Once he met a woman who had several children, and soon invited her to move into his house. Then he felt real happiness, which, however, did not last long.

The temper and heavy temper of the cohabitant made Van Gogh's life unbearable. As a result, he broke up with this woman and went north. His dwelling was a hut in which he lived and painted landscapes.

After some time, the artist returns home and continues to paint. On his canvases, he often depicts ordinary people and urban landscapes.

Parisian period

In 1886, there were big changes again in Van Gogh's biography: he decides to leave for. Then in this city there were many artists with a new vision of art. There he met his brother Theo, who was already the head of the gallery.

Van Gogh soon visited several exhibitions of the Impressionists, who sought to capture the world in its dynamics. During this period, Vincent is supported by his brother, who took care of him in every possible way and introduced him to various artists.

After receiving new sensations, there is a creative upsurge in the biography of Van Gogh. In Paris, he manages to paint about 230 paintings in which he experiments with technique and colors. As a result, his canvases become lighter and brighter.

While walking around Paris, Van Gogh meets the owner of a cafe, Agostina Segatori. Soon he paints a portrait of her.

Then Vincent begins to sell his work along with other little-known artists.

He often gets into arguments with colleagues, criticizing their work. Realizing that no one is interested in his work, he decides to leave Paris.

Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin

In February 1888, Vincent van Gogh moved to Provence, with whom he fell in love at first sight. He receives 250 francs a month from his brother, thanks to which he can rent a hotel room and eat well.

During this period of biography, Van Gogh often works on the street, depicting night landscapes on his canvases. It was in this way that his famous painting "Starry Night over the Rhone" was painted.

After some time, Van Gogh manages to meet Paul Gauguin, from whose work he was delighted. They even begin to live together, constantly talking about the great meaning.

However, misunderstandings soon appear in their relationship, which often end in quarrels.

Van Gogh cuts off his ear

On the evening of December 23, 1888, perhaps the most famous event takes place in the artist's biography: he cuts off his ear. Actions unfolded as follows.

After another quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh attacked a friend with a razor in his hands. Gauguin accidentally managed to stop Vincent.

The whole truth about this quarrel and the circumstances of the attack is still unknown, but on the same night, Van Gogh cut off his earlobe, wrapped it in paper and sent it to the prostitute Rachel.

According to the generally accepted version, this was done in a fit of remorse, but some researchers believe that this was not repentance, but a manifestation of insanity caused by the frequent use of absinthe (a drink containing 70% alcohol).

The next day, December 24, Van Gogh was taken to the Saint-Remy psychiatric hospital, where the attack recurred with such force that the doctors placed him in the ward for violent patients.

Gauguin hurriedly left the city, not visiting Van Gogh in the hospital, but informing his brother Theo about what had happened.

Personal life

A number of Van Gogh biographers believe that the causes of Van Gogh's mental illness could be difficult relationships with women. He repeatedly made proposals to different girls, but he constantly received refusals.

There was a case when he promised to hold his palm over the flame of a candle until the girl agreed to become his wife.

With his act, he shocked the chosen one, and also angered her father, who, without hesitation, threw the artist out of the house.

Van Gogh's sexual dissatisfaction seriously affected his psyche and led to the fact that he began to like ugly mature prostitutes. With one of them, he began to live in his house, taking her along with her five-year-old daughter.

Having lived like this for about a year, Vincent van Gogh painted several paintings with his beloved. An interesting fact is that because of her, the artist was forced to be treated for gonorrhea.

However, then more and more quarrels began to occur between them, which, ultimately, led to parting.

After that, Van Gogh was a frequent guest of brothels, as a result of which he was treated for various sexually transmitted diseases.

Death

While in the hospital, Van Gogh could continue to paint his paintings. This is how the famous canvases “Starry Night” and “Road with Cypresses and a Star” appeared.

It is worth noting that his state of health was very variable. Feeling good, he could suddenly become depressed. One day, during one of his seizures, Vincent ate his paints.

Theo still tried to support his brother. In 1890, he put up for sale his painting "Red Vineyards in Arles", which was subsequently bought for 400 francs.

When Vincent van Gogh found out about this, his joy knew no bounds. An interesting fact is that it was the only painting sold during the life of the artist.

In the next period of his biography, Van Gogh still continues to eat paint, so his brother arranges for his treatment at the clinic of Dr. Gachet. It is worth noting that good, and even friendly relations have developed between the patient and the doctor.

Literally a month later, the treatment gave its results, as a result of which Gachet allowed Vincent to go to visit his brother.

However, having met Theo, Van Gogh did not feel the attention due to his person, because at that time Theo had financial difficulties, and his daughter was seriously ill.

Offended and offended, the artist returns to the hospital.

July 27, 1890 Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver, and as if nothing had happened, went to bed, lighting his pipe. It seemed that the wound did not give him any pain.

Gachet immediately informed his brother about the crossbow, and Theo immediately arrived. Wanting to reassure Vincent, Theo said that he would definitely get better, to which Van Gogh uttered the phrase: "Sorrow will last forever."

Two days later, on July 29, 1890, Vincent van Gogh died at the age of 37. He was buried in the small town of Mary.

Interestingly, after six months, Van Gogh's brother, Theodorus, also passed away.

Photo by Van Gogh

At the end, you can see some photos of Van Gogh's portraits. All of them are made by him, that is, they are self-portraits.

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Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1953 in Grot-Zundert in the province of North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands, in the family of the Protestant pastor Theodor van Gogh. His mother Anna Cornelia was from The Hague, where her father ran a bookstore. In addition to Vincent, the family had six more children. Of all the children, the younger brother Theodorus (Theo) can be noted, he was four years younger than Vincent and the brothers were closely connected all their lives. At the age of seven, Vincent was sent to a village school, but a year later, his parents transferred their son to home education. Since October 1, 1864, Vincent has been studying at a boarding school in Zevenbergen, located 20 km from his parents' house. Two years later, on September 15, 1866, Van Gogh was transferred to the boarding college named after Willem II in Tilburg. Already in 1868, Vincent left this educational institution. Although, by all indications, learning was easy for him, Vincent easily mastered three languages ​​- German, French and English, he recalled this period of his life as something gloomy, empty and cold.
Since July 1869, Van Gogh began work in the Hague branch of Goupil & Cie, owned by his uncle Vincent, the company is engaged in the sale of works of art. For the first three years of work as an art dealer.

Vincent Van Gogh
1866

Vincent settled in well, constant work with paintings plus frequent visits to local museums / art galleries made Van Gogh a good expert with his opinion. The works of Jean-Francois Millet and Jules Breton were very significant for the artist, and he repeatedly wrote this in his letters. In 1873, Vincent was sent to work for the London branch of Goupil & Cie. In London, he is defeated on a personal front, a certain Carolina Haanebik, with whom Van Gogh was in love, rejects his proposal. Vincent is greatly shaken, he devotes less time to work and more to Bible study. In 1874, Vincent was sent for three months to the Paris branch of the company, upon his return to London, the artist became even more isolated. In the spring of 1875, Van Gogh again in the Paris branch, he begins to paint himself, very often visits the Louvre and the Salon. The work finally fades into the background and in 1876 Vincent was fired from Goupil & Cie.
Van Gogh returns to England, where he takes an unpaid position as a teacher at a school in Ramsgate. In the summer of 1876 he moved to a school in Isleworth, near London, as a teacher and assistant pastor. Perhaps at this moment it comes to the idea to continue following in the footsteps of his father and become a preacher for the poor, there are different opinions about the motives for such a choice. In early November 1876, Vincent read his first sermon to the parishioners, describing it in his letter to his brother. In December 1876, Van Gogh visits his parents for Christmas, they persuade him not to return to England. In the spring, Vincent gets a job in a bookstore in Dordrecht, Van Gogh has no interest in working in the shop, he is more often busy with his sketches and translating texts from the Bible into French, German and English. From May 1877 to June 1878 Vincent lived in Amsterdam with his uncle, Admiral Jan van Gogh. With the help of another relative of his, the famous theologian Johannes Stricker, Vincent has been preparing all this time to enter the theological faculty. In July 1878, Vincent entered the preaching course at the Protestant missionary school of pastor Bokma in Laeken near Brussels, there are versions that Van Gogh was expelled from this course before his graduation, due to his temper. From December 1878 to the summer of 1879 Van Gogh became a very active missionary in the village of Patuage in the Borinage, in a very poor mining area in southern Belgium. Different researchers of Van Gogh's life have different assessments of Vincent's involvement in the hard life of the local population, but the fact that he was very active and persistent is undeniable. In the evenings, Vincent drew maps of Palestine, and this is how he tried to earn his living. The stormy activity of the young missionary did not go unnoticed, and the local Evangelical Society offered him a salary of fifty francs. By the autumn of 1879, two circumstances had developed that knocked Vincent off balance and put an end to his desire to become a preacher. Firstly, tuition fees were introduced in the evangelical school, and according to some versions, it was the possibility of free education that became the reason why Van Gogh suffered six months of deprivation in Paturazh. Secondly, Vincent wrote a letter to the mine board on behalf of the miners about improving working conditions, the mine management was dissatisfied with the letter, and the local Committee of the Protestant Church removed Vincent from his post.

Vincent Van Gogh
1872

Being in a difficult emotional state, Vincent, with the support of his brother Theo, decides to take up painting seriously, for which he goes to Brussels in early 1880, where he attends classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After a year of classes, Vincent returns to his parents' house. There he falls in love with his cousin, the widow Kay Vos-Stricker, who was visiting his parents. But all those close to him are against his passion, and Vincent, having lost faith in arranging his personal life, goes to The Hague, where he is drawn into painting with renewed vigor. Van Gogh's mentor was his distant relative, the artist of the Hague school Anton Mauve. Vincent writes a lot, because he himself adhered to the idea that in painting the main thing is not talent, but constant practice and diligence. Another attempt to create a semblance of a family fails miserably. Since his chosen one is a pregnant street woman Christine, whom Vincent met on the street. For a while she became his model, her difficult nature and his impulsive nature could not exist side by side. Communication with Christine was the last straw, Van Gogh broke off relations with relatives, except for Theo. The artist goes to the province of Drenthe, in the south of the Netherlands. There, the artist rents a house, which he uses as a workshop. Doing a lot of work bias towards portraits and scenes of the life of peasants. The first significant work, The Potato Eaters, was created in Drenthe. Until the autumn of 1885, Vincent worked hard, but the artist had a conflict with the local pastor and Van Gogh soon left for Antwerp. In Antwerp, Vincent again goes to painting classes, this time at the Academy of Fine Arts.
In February 1886, Van Gogh moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo, who was already successfully working as an art dealer at Goupil & Cie. Vincent begins attending classes with the famous teacher Fernand Cormon, where he studies the techniques of impressionism and Japanese prints that were fashionable at that time. Through his brother, he meets Camille Pissarro, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Paul Gauguin and Edgar Degas. The most important thing for Van Gogh in Paris is that he falls into his environment and this gives a strong impetus to his development. In Paris, Vincent arranges his "exhibition" in the interior of the Tambourine cafe, owned by the Italian Agostina Sagatori - she was the model for several of Van Gogh's works. Vincent received a lot of negative feedback on his work and this prompted him to further study the theory of color (based on the work of Eugene Delacroix). The palette in Van Gogh's works changes to a lighter and richer one, bright and pure colors appear. Despite the fact that the level of Van Gogh's skill has grown his work is not in demand, this fact constantly frustrates the artist. In Paris, Vincent created more than two hundred and thirty works.
By February 1888, Vincent, driven by the idea of ​​​​creating a brotherhood of artists "Workshop of the South", went to the south of France to Arles. With the advent of spring, Van Gogh begins to work hard, not forgetting his idea from the "Workshop of the South". In Vincent's opinion, one of the key figures of the brotherhood of artists was to be Paul Gauguin, and therefore Van Gogh constantly writes to Gauguin with invitations to come to Arles. Gauguin refused to be persuaded to come, often referring to financial difficulties, but in the end, on October 25, 1888, he arrived in Arles to Van Gogh. The artist very often work together, but their speed and approach to work differ. Perhaps the fundamental point in the conflict between the two artists was the issue of the "Workshop of the South", but nevertheless, on December 23, 1888, an event took place that is known to everyone. After another quarrel with Gauguin, Vincent appeared at one of Arles' nightclubs and handed a handkerchief with part of his earlobe to a woman named Rachel, after which he left.

Perhaps this is a photograph of Vincent van Gogh
1886

In the morning, the police found Vincent in his room in a serious condition, in the opinion of the police, Van Gogh was a danger to himself and others. Vincent was rushed to the Arles hospital. Gauguin left Arles on the same day, informing his brother Theo about what had happened.
There are several versions of what happened - perhaps this behavior of Van Gogh was caused by the frequent use of absinthe, perhaps this is a consequence of a mental disorder, perhaps this was done by Vincent in a fit of repentance. There is a version that Gauguin (being rather sharp and having experience as a sailor) cut off part of Van Gogh's earlobe in a skirmish; recently discovered diaries of Rachel herself, who knew both artists well, speak in favor of this version. In the hospital, Vincent's condition worsened and he was placed in a ward with violent patients diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. After the incident with Van Gogh's ear, about a week had passed and Vincent had almost returned to normal. Van Gogh is recovering quickly and is ready to work. Meanwhile, in March, about thirty residents of Arles write a complaint to the mayor of the city with a request to save them from the company of Vincent van Gogh. The artist is urged to go for treatment. In early May 1889, Van Gogh goes to the asylum for the mentally ill of St. Paul of Mausoleum near Saint-Remy-de-Provence. There he has the opportunity to work under the supervision of staff, some paintings of that period were made within the walls of the clinic, one of the most famous "Starry Night" . In total, during his stay in Saint-Remy, the artist created more than one hundred and fifty works. Van Gogh's condition in the clinic changes with periods from recovery and intensive work, to apathy and a deep crisis, at the end of 1889 the artist attempts suicide by swallowing colors.
Vincent leaves the clinic in the first half of May 1890, visits Paris for three days, where he stays with Theo and meets his wife and son, and then moves to Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris. In Auvers, Vincent rents a hotel room, but after a while he decides to move to the four Ravou's cafe, where a small room in the attic was rented out. July 27, 1890 Vincent van Gogh goes to the fields to work in the open air. But a few hours later he returns with a wound to his room at Ravu. He tells the Ravs that he shot himself and they call Dr. Gachet. The doctor reports the incident to his brother Theo, who arrives immediately. For what reason no action was taken to save the wounded Van Gogh is unknown, but on the night of July 29, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh died from blood loss. Vincent's tomb is located in Auvers-sur-Oise. Brother Theo spent all this time with Vincent. Theo himself survived Vincent by only six months and died in the Netherlands. In 1914, Theo's ashes were reburied next to Vincent's grave, and Theo's wife planted ivy on the grave, as a sign of the inseparability of the two brothers. The colossal fame of Vincent has a strong foundation - his brother Theo, it was he who constantly supplied Vincent with funds and sometimes directed his brother. Without Theo's efforts, no one would ever have known about the brilliant Dutchman Vincent van Gogh.

Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
(1853-1890)

VAN GOGH Vincent - Dutch painter, draftsman, etcher and lithographer, one of the largest representatives of post-impressionism.

Vincent was born in a small northern Brabant village to a priestly family. At the age of 16, he becomes a seller of paintings in the salons of the Goupil company, but at 23, seized by the dream of helping the most disadvantaged, he, like his father, decides to become a preacher of the Bible and leaves for the south of Belgium in the mining village of Borinage. But, faced with hopeless poverty and the complete indifference of church authorities, he breaks forever with the official religion. It is in the Borinage that he first recognizes himself as an established artist and takes on a new mission of serving society through his art. It was fate that Van Gogh spent the last decade of his life feeling joy from his work, leading a half-starved existence on the money of his brother Theo, the only person who supported him to the very end.
For some time, W. Van Gogh took lessons from the Dutch artist Mauve, but further improvement of his work took place, in his own words, with the help of "continuous study of nature and battle with it." The main characters of the paintings of the Dutch period are peasants depicted in their daily activities ("Peasant Woman", 1885, Kröller-Müller State Museum, Otterlo). Indicative is the canvas "Potato Eaters" (1885, Collection of V. Van Gogh, Laren), in which V. Van Gogh pays tribute to his idol - the French painter J. F. Millet. The picture is painted in dark colors, reminiscent of the color of the land cultivated by the peasants. However, according to the author, it is not the color that occupies him in the first place, but the form. And yet, behind the muted grayish tones, one can already feel that rich color base that will break out in the mature period of the painter's work.
A vague desire for renewal, a creative search for an artistic method led him to Paris, where he met the Impressionists, studied the theory of color by E. Delacroix, was fond of planar Japanese engraving and textured painting by Monticelli. Here, in Paris, he paints impressionistic paintings full of light depicting bouquets of flowers, views of Montmartre, the surroundings of Paris, and performs several portrait works (The Hills of Montmartre, 1887, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam).
But the life of a big city tires W. Van Gogh, and in February 1888 he leaves for Arles to return to the land and to those who work on it. Staying in this southern city restored his lost strength, it is here that his talent as a painter is fully revealed and his unique individual style is finally formed. V. Van Gogh creates his numerous paintings in a fit of inspiration, controlling his enthusiastic sensual perception of nature with his mind. He no longer seeks to convey the "impression" of what he saw, but depicts its quintessence in combination with his own experiences. In this he is helped by the experience gained in Paris in developing his own language of color, which has an emotional and symbolic sound, as well as the use of volitional contours that simplify the form, dynamic strokes that set the image a certain rhythm, and a pasty texture that conveys the materiality of the world.
Van Gogh expressed his love and admiration for the nature of Provence in numerous landscapes, finding his own color scheme and plastic solution for each depicted season ("Harvest. La Crot Valley", 1888; "Fishing Boats in Sainte-Marie", 1888; "Crows over a field of wheat", 1890; "Almond branch", 1890 - all in the Van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam). Indicative in this regard is the painting "Red Vineyards" (1888, Pushkin Museum, Moscow), built on the contrast of additional colors, enriched with a range of warm and cold colors.

The main protagonist of Van Gogh's Arles landscapes is the sun, and the dominant color is yellow, the color of the sun, ripe bread and sunflowers, which have become for the artist a symbol of the sun (Sunflowers, 1888, Neue Pinakothek, Munich).

The images of peasants dear to his heart acquire a generalizing character, personifying the creative principle of the world and bright faith in the future.
In portrait images, the artist focuses on the inner life of the model, reproducing it with all the individual originality inherent only to her alone against a background devoid of any specific surroundings. Moreover, even the most dramatic images are inextricably linked with a sense of joy and beauty of life, conveyed by a combination of bright colors and bizarre ornamental forms. These are his self-portraits and images of ordinary people, close friends of the artist: "Arlesian. Mrs. Ginoux" (1888, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York); "Postman Roulen" (1888, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston); "Zouave"; "Lullaby", etc.

In humanizing the surrounding world, V. Van Gogh was not limited to the nature around him, many objects presented on his canvases are also endowed with the ability to feel and express the feelings of their owners: "Night Cafe in Arles" (1888, private collection, New York), causing deadly melancholy, "The Artist's Bedroom" (1888, W. Van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam), evoking thoughts of peace and relaxation.

In Arles, van Gogh tried to fulfill his long-held dream of an association of artists against the chaos of an individualistic civilization, but the attempt proved tragic. Physical and spiritual overstrain led to an exacerbation of mental illness, and in May 1889 the artist entered the Saint-Remy hospital, where, in between attacks, he continued to do his favorite thing. As a "model" he was served by reproductions of works by famous artists, which he reproduced in his own pictorial language. So, according to the drawing by G. Dore, he created his original painting "Walk of Prisoners" (1890, Pushkin Museum, Moscow), reflecting his current mood: humility and doom.
But, despite the oppressive state, it is here, in the hospital, that Van Gogh creates truly cosmic canvases filled with love for the earth and sky. space planet. The balls of stars - these semblances of the sun - seem to complete the motif of the light source, begun by W. Van Gogh in The Potato Eaters.

The artist spends the last two months of his life in a small village near Paris and creates paintings of different emotional mood: filled with purity and freshness "Landscape at Auvers after the rain" (1890, Pushkin Museum, Moscow), a tragic portrait of Dr. Gachet (1890, Louvre, Paris) and full of foreboding imminent death "I'm a flock of crows over a grain field." Having finished work on this picture, during the next bout of depression, he commits suicide.

1853 March 30. In Groo Zundert in Brabant (Holland), Vincent van Gogh was born into the family of a pastor.
1857 The 1 of May. The younger brother Theodore, nicknamed Theo, was born.
1864 For two years he has been attending a college in Zevenbergen.
1866 Attends the Technical School in Tilburg.
1869 Accepted as an apprentice at Goupil & Co., and moves to The Hague.
1873 Vincent is transferred to London. Unrequited love causes depression.
1875 Transferred to the Paris branch of Goupil & Co.
1876 Dismissed from the company and moved to Ramsgate (London), where he teaches at the college. In December, he returns to his parents.
1879 Engaged in preaching activities.
1880 Goes to Brussels, where he studies anatomy and drawing.
1881 First time painting in oils. Spat with parents: going to The Hague.
1886 Arrives in Paris.
1888 Moves to Arles, where he lives with Gauguin. Nervous crisis (as a result of which he cuts off his earlobe).
1889 Located in the clinic for the mentally ill in Saint-Remy.
1890 After a trip to Theo, Vincent goes to Auvers-on-Oise, where he is under the supervision of Dr. Gachet.
July 27th. Shoots himself in the chest. After 2 days he was gone. Theo dies after 6 months.

Van Gogh on our community

"Red Vineyards in Arles" is the only painting sold during his lifetime...