1853–1890
Movements
Occupations
Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853-1890) stands as one of the most influential figures in Western art history, despite a career spanning merely a decade. Born in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands, to a Protestant pastor's family, van Gogh's path to artistic greatness was anything but conventional. His early adulthood saw him working as an art dealer for Goupil & Cie, a language teacher, and a fervent missionary among Belgian coal miners. Only after his dismissal from church work in 1880 did van Gogh discover his true calling in art, supported financially and emotionally by his devoted brother Theo. Van Gogh's artistic development unfolded in distinct phases that reflect his geographical and psychological journeys. His early works (1881-1885) employed somber earth tones to depict peasant laborers and rural life, culminating in The Potato Eaters (1885). The transformative Paris period (1886-1888) exposed him to Impressionism, Japanese ukiyo-e prints, and avant-garde movements. Under the influence of Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh adopted brighter palettes and began using color symbolically for emotional resonance. He experimented with Pointillist techniques, creating optical effects through complementary color contrasts. The artist's most celebrated and prolific period occurred in Arles, southern France (1888-1889), where he completed over 200 paintings. Works such as The Yellow House, Bedroom in Arles, and Starry Night Over the Rhone showcase his mature style: intense, energetic brushwork paired with saturated, complementary colors in bold yellows, ultramarines, and mauves. Despite their expressiveness, van Gogh's paintings remained rooted in nature, reflecting his belief that spiritual power inhabited natural forms. Van Gogh's artistic achievements occurred against a backdrop of severe mental illness, including psychotic episodes and delusions. His self-mutilation following a confrontation with Gauguin and subsequent hospitalizations at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence are well-documented. Tragically, only one painting—The Red Vineyard—sold during his lifetime. Yet van Gogh's legacy transformed art history fundamentally. His revolutionary approach prioritized emotional and spiritual expression over realistic representation, establishing foundational principles for Expressionism, Fauvism, and numerous modern movements. His visible brushwork, bold color choices, and contoured forms influenced generations of artists. Today, his paintings command record-breaking prices, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam houses the world's largest collection of his works, cementing his status as both artistic genius and cultural icon.
Van Gogh's formative years as a self-taught artist, characterized by dark, somber palettes depicting peasant life and rural laborers.
During this period, he worked primarily in drawings and watercolors before moving to oils, confined to earth tones influenced by Dutch masters like Rembrandt.
His focus was on mastering technical proficiency while portraying the harsh realities of working-class life.
A brief transitional period when van Gogh studied at the Antwerp Academy in Belgium to develop his figure painting skills.
This marked his first formal art education and his initial exposure to Japanese ukiyo-e prints, which he purchased in the docklands of Antwerp.
The transformative period when van Gogh lived with his brother Theo and encountered the artistic avant-garde.
Under the influence of Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists, he radically brightened his palette, adopted complementary color theory, and experimented with Pointillist techniques.
This exposure to Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Japanese art fundamentally changed his approach to color and composition.
Van Gogh's most productive and celebrated period in southern France, where he completed over 200 paintings in pursuit of establishing an artistic commune.
His mature style emerged with intense, energetic brushwork, saturated complementary colors, and bold yellows, ultramarines, and mauves.
This period includes his sunflower series, night scenes, and landscapes, though it ended tragically with his mental breakdown and self-mutilation following Gauguin's departure.
While voluntarily committed to the asylum at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, van Gogh created some of his most iconic works including The Starry Night and Wheat Field with Cypresses.
Despite recurring mental disturbances, he painted prolifically whenever his condition allowed, producing swirling, expressive landscapes and studies of the asylum gardens, olive groves, and cypress trees that he could observe from his window.
Van Gogh's final months under the care of Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet in the village north of Paris.
Initially enthusiastic, he depicted wheat fields, the river valley, peasants' cottages, churches, and town halls, reflecting brief spiritual relief.
This intensely productive period ended with his death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in July 1890, just over a decade after beginning his artistic career.
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