Vincent van Gogh - a brief biography and description of the paintings. The most famous paintings of Van Gogh Van Gogh portraits with titles

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 the birth, so the boy turned out to be 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 was hard to 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 school in Ramsgate on a gratuitous basis. 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 artist's individual manner. 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, so the characters of the paintings and sketches seem angular, ungraceful, as if they came out of 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 impressionist style 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 turned out to be 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 in different ways, 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.

“A 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 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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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). Father's name was Theodor Van Gogh, 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 a boundless love for painting, and he was also good at languages. In 1873, at the age of 20, he ended up in, where he spent 2 years, which 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, became 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 he was fired.

In 1877, Van Gogh began to live again in, and increasingly found solace in religion. After moving to 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, 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, and copied. 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. became a 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.

He wrote over 900 works. His biography is studied at school, and his name is always heard. Vincent Van Gogh. The works of this artist are countless and priceless, but we will talk about the most famous and most charismatic paintings with titles and descriptions.

Starry Night (1889)

Looking at the painting "Starry Night", you immediately recognize Van Gogh in it. The artist worked on it in San Remy (city hospital), using a regular canvas 920x730 mm.

To "understand" the picture, you need to look at it from afar, this is due to the specific style of writing. An unusual technique made it possible to depict the static moon and stars as if they were constantly moving.

The canvas is surprising in that all objects on it are transmitted either by color or by the nature of the stroke. Not lines - long or short strokes. And only for the image of the village were used contours. Apparently, to emphasize the contrast between the heavenly and the earthly.

Starry Night is the fruit of an artist's convalescent mind. Van Gogh's brother begged the doctors to let Vincent write for his recovery. And it helped.

It was this picture that Wag Gog painted from memory, which is not at all typical for him. He loved nature.

Of the plants, Van Gogh loved sunflowers most of all. Wrote them 11 times in several series. The most famous canvases with sunflowers were written in the second "sunflower" period, when the artist lived in Arles in France - a fruitful era for him.

In letters to his brother, Van Gogh said that he paints with great zeal, and, of course, writes large sunflowers. I had to work from the very dawn and finish the canvas quickly, because the flowers immediately withered.

Irises (1889)

Another passion of the master is irises. And another fruit of the fight against the disease in the hospital. The canvas was painted a year before Van Gogh's death and he called it "a lightning rod for my illness."

The first time the painting was sold to Octave Mirbeau (an art critic from France) for 300 francs. But in 1987, Irises became the most expensive painting in history, valued at $53.9 million.

Vincent's bedroom in Arles (1889)

It is surprising that it is the paintings "from the hospital" that are world famous. "Vincent's bedroom in Arles" is one of them, created in Saint-Remy. This is not the original painting. The first work was damaged and then Theo advised his brother Vincent to copy the canvas before trying to restore the original.

Two versions of the "Bedroom" were made, one of which was a gift for mother and sister.

Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe (1889)

Sometimes a self-portrait is called "with a severed ear and pipe." The canvas was painted in Arles.

How exactly Van Gogh lost his earlobe is unknown. The background lies in the quarrel between Van Gogh and Gauguin amid creative differences. Whether the ear was injured in a fight during a booze, or in a crazy fit, Van Gogh did it himself. He is 35.

Vincent's House in Arles (Yellow House) (1888)

Van Gogh could not afford comfortable accommodation. So he rented a room in a yellow house. The building was located on the central square of the city and was very dilapidated. Sunflowers were created here and the “southern workshop” was planned here - Van Gogh's idea to unite artists under one roof. In particular, Van Gogh dreamed of working here hand in hand with Gauguin.

Red Vineyards at Arles (1888)

Remember, we talked about "Irises" as the most expensive painting at the time? The painting "Red Vineyards in Arles" is known for being the only work that was sold during the artist's lifetime.

The Potato Eaters (1885)

Vincent van Gogh loved this painting, and he himself highly appreciated it, sincerely calling it his masterpiece.

Yes, this is not "Starry Night" and not "Irises", not even "Sunflowers", but "Eaters" was written 2 days after the death of the shepherd Theodore Van Gogh, the artist's father. Being in a quarrel with a parent, Van Gogh could not calmly survive the loss of his father. This was to be reflected in the paintings and zeal of the master.

The peasants themselves are somewhat like potatoes. Deliberately distorted to emphasize their provinciality and uncouthness. World art historians agree that while Van Gogh lacks experience and skill. And even during the life of the artist, the work was critically regarded by his friend Anton van Rappard, who called The Eaters a frivolous and careless canvas.

Although this is one of the works of the novice Van Gogh, you will not find so much young soul invested in any of his future works.

Van Gogh was surprised that Dr. Gachet, having so much knowledge in his field, himself suffered from melancholy and could not cope with what he saved others from.

Dr. Felix Rey assisted Van Gogh while he was in the Arles hospital. It is believed that the portrait was painted in gratitude for the treatment and support.

Contemporaries confirmed that the portrait turned out to be very similar, but Felix Rey himself did not have much love for either art or his portrait of Van Gogh - the canvas hung in his chicken coop for 20 years, covering a hole in the wall.

Like sunflowers with irises, Van Gogh's shoes are presented in a series. It is believed that the artist decided in this way to continue the idea of ​​reflecting the life of ordinary provincial peasants, those very potato eaters.

There is no information about the purpose for which this series of works was created. And there is no sacred meaning. These are just worn shoes through the prism of the vision of the recognized Van Gogh.

That's all we have. We hope you have learned a little more about the one we know as Vincent van Gogh. The works of the great artist are world-famous paintings. Do you have his favorite painting?

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.