The Madness and Genius of Vincent van Gogh

Introduction^[1]Vincent van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter who lived in the late 19^th century. Despite being a highly prolific artist, he suffered from mental health issues and depression throughout his life. He was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy and was also believed to have experienced psychotic episodes. These struggles with mental health problems likely contributed to the “madness” with which he has been associated, particularly his reputation for being eccentric and volatile. Yet, despite his personal struggles, van Gogh’s art remains highly acclaimed and is celebrated for its bold use of colour, its emotional intensity, and its iconic style.

Vincent van Gogh began his art career relatively late in life and worked primarily as an Impressionist painter. He was influenced by Japanese art, which he discovered in Paris, and incorporated this influence into his own unique work. He is known for using bright colours, thick brushstrokes, and bold, swirling patterns. Some of his most famous and notable works include:

The Starry Night
Sunflowers
The Potato Eaters
Café Terrace at Night
Wheatfield with Crows
Irises
Almond Blossom
The Yellow House
Bedroom in Arles
The Mulberry Tree
A Pair of Shoes
The Sower
The Harvest
The Blossoming Almond Branch
The Harvest (La moisson)
The Night Café
The Red Vineyard
The Bedroom
Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear
The Church at Auvers-sur-Oise

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Born into an Upper-Middle Class Family^[2]Vincent Willem van Gogh (30^th March 1853 to 29^th July 1890) was born into an upper-middle-class family in Groot-Zundert, in the predominantly Catholic province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.^[3] He was the oldest surviving child of Theodorus van Gogh, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, and his wife, Anna Cornelia Carbentus. Van Gogh was given the name of his grandfather and that of a brother who had been stillborn exactly a year before Vincent’s birth. It has been suggested that being given the same name as his dead elder brother might have had a deep psychological impact on the young artist and that elements of his art, such as the portrayal of pairs of male figures, can be traced back to this.^[4]

Vincent was a common given name in the van Gogh family. It was the name of his grandfather, a prominent art dealer (1789–1874) and a theology graduate at the University of Leiden in 1811. Grandfather Vincent had six sons, three of whom became art dealers.

In later life, Van Gogh remained in touch with only two siblings – Willemina and Theo.^[5] Van Gogh’s mother was a rigid and religious woman who emphasised the importance of the family unit.^[6]

Van Gogh was a serious and thoughtful child.^[7] At first, he was taught at home by his mother and a governess and was sent to the village school in 1860. In 1864, he was placed in a boarding school at Zevenbergen,^[8] where he felt abandoned, and he pressed hard to come home. But it was not to be, and in 1866, his parents sent him to the middle school in Tilburg, where he was also deeply unhappy.^[9]

The interest in art began at a young age. As a child, Vincent was encouraged to draw by his mother^[10], and his early drawings are expressive^[11] but do not approach the intensity of his later work.^[12] Constant Cornelis Huijsmans, formerly a successful artist in Paris, taught the students at Tilburg school. His philosophy was to reject technique in favour of capturing the impressions of things, particularly nature or common objects. Vincent’s profound unhappiness seems to have overshadowed the lessons, which had little effect or motivation.^[13] In March 1868, he abruptly returned home. Later, in a letter to his brother, Vincent wrote that his youth was “austere and cold, and sterile”.^[14]

Van Gogh as a Young Man
As a young man, van Gogh worked as an art dealer, often travelling, but became depressed after he was transferred to London. He turned to religion for a while and spent time as a Protestant missionary in predominantly Roman Catholic southern Belgium. He drifted between ill health and solitude before turning to paint in 1881 upon moving back home with his parents.

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Van Gogh’s younger brother Theo supported him financially; the two kept a long correspondence by letter. His early works, mostly still life and depictions of peasant labourers, contain few signs of the vivid colour that distinguished his later work. In 1886, he moved to Paris, where he met members of the avant-garde, including Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, who were reacting against the Impressionist sensibility^[15] by challenging the dominant artistic norms and conventions of the time. This environment greatly influenced van Gogh’s creative development and style and helped to shape his unique and individualistic approach to art – cementing his status as one of the most important artists of the Post-Impressionist movement. As his work developed, he created a new approach to still life and local landscapes. His paintings grew brighter as he developed a style that became fully realised during his stay in Arles in the South of France in 1888. During this period, he broadened his subject matter to include a series of olive trees, wheat fields and sunflowers.

The Sibling Letters
The most comprehensive primary source on Van Gogh is the correspondence between him and his younger brother, Theo. Their lifelong friendship, and most of what is known of Vincent’s thoughts and theories of art, are recorded for posterity in the hundreds of letters they exchanged from 1872 until 1890.^[16] Theo van Gogh was an art dealer and provided his brother with financial and emotional support, together with access to influential people on the contemporary art scene.^[17]

Theo kept all of Vincent’s letters to him,^[18] but Vincent retained but a few of those he received. After both brothers had died, Theo’s widow Jo Bonger-van Gogh arranged to publish some of their letters. A few appeared in 1906 and 1913; the majority were published in 1914.^[19] Vincent’s letters are eloquent and expressive and have been described as having a “diary-like intimacy“^[20] and read in parts like an autobiography.^[21] Translator Arnold Pomerans wrote that the publication of the letters added a “fresh dimension to the understanding of Van Gogh’s artistic achievement, an understanding granted to us by virtually no other painter“.^[22]

There are more than 600 letters from Vincent to Theo and around 40 from Theo to Vincent. There are 22 to his sister Wilhelmina, 58 to the painter Anthon van Rappard, 22 to Émile Bernard, and individual letters to Paul Signac, Paul Gauguin, and the critic Albert Aurier. Some are illustrated with sketches.^[23] Many are undated, but art historians have been able to place most in chronological order. Problems in transcription and dating remain, mainly with those posted from Arles. While there, Vincent wrote around 200 letters in Dutch, French, and English.^[24] There is a gap in the record for the time he lived in Paris, as the brothers lived together without needing to correspond with each other.^[25]

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The highly paid contemporary artist Jules Breton was frequently mentioned in van Gogh’s letters. In 1875, in letters to brother Theo, Vincent said he saw Breton, discussed the Breton paintings he saw at a Salon, and for some unknown reason that remains puzzling even today, discussed sending one of Breton’s books but only on the condition that it be returned.^[26] In a March 1884 letter to Rappard, he discussed one of Breton’s poems that inspired one of his paintings.^[27] In 1885 he described Breton’s famous work The Song of the Lark as being “fine”.^[28] In March 1880, roughly midway between these letters, Van Gogh inexplicably set out on an 80-kilometre trip on foot to meet with Breton in the village of Courrières; however, he was intimidated by Breton’s success and or possibly the high wall around his estate. He turned around and returned without making his presence known.^[29] It appears Breton was unaware of van Gogh or his attempted visit. There are no known letters between the two artists, and van Gogh is not one of the contemporary artists discussed by Breton in his 1891 autobiography Life of an Artist.

The Neuropsychiatric Ailments of Vincent van Gogh
Van Gogh suffered from depression and is believed to have had a form of bipolar disorder, which may have contributed to his volatile behaviour. He famously cut off part of his ear. He lived a turbulent life, struggling with poverty and mental health issues and was institutionalised several times throughout his life. Despite these difficulties, he remained dedicated to his art and produced an impressive body of work in a relatively short period. He lived in France for much of his life, particularly in the town of Arles, where he painted many of his most famous works.

The US National Library of Medicine provides an authoritative assessment of van Gogh’s disorders, the extract^[30] from which says:
‘Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most celebrated creative artists of all time. All his life, he was afflicted by some kind of neurological or psychiatric disorder, which remains a mystery even today. Many historians and his personal physicians believe that he suffered from epilepsy, while others felt that he was affected by Ménière’s disease. Features such as hypergraphia, atypical sexuality, and viscosity of thinking suggest the possibility of Gastaut-Geschwind phenomenon, a known complication of complex partial seizure. On the contrary, some historians feel that he was forced to sever his right ear in order to get relief from troublesome tinnitus, a complication of Ménière’s disease. He was addicted to the liquor absinthe, which is known to lead to xanthopsia, and many authorities argue that this was the reason for his penchant for the deep and bright yellow color in many of his paintings. Others have suggested the possibility of bipolar disorder, sunstroke, acute intermittent porphyria, and digitalis toxicity as well.’

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Death
Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions, and although he worried about his mental stability, he often neglected his physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily. He is known to have engaged in self-harm, including cutting off his ear, during his lifetime. The exact extent and nature of his self-mutilation is not well documented, but this and other instances have been reported and discussed by those who knew him and by later biographers and historians. It is believed that his self-harm was related to his struggles with mental illness, including depression and possibly bipolar disorder, as well as his excessive use of alcohol. However, the exact reasons for his self-harm remain the subject of speculation.

His friendship with Gauguin ended after a confrontation with a razor when, in a rage, van Gough severed part of his left ear. He spent time in psychiatric hospitals, including a period at Saint-Rémy. After he discharged himself and moved to the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris, he came under the care of the homoeopathic doctor Paul Gachet. His depression persisted, and on 27^th July 1890, Van Gogh is believed to have shot himself in the chest with a revolver, dying from his injuries two days later.

Suicide or Murder?
Although van Gogh had conflicts with some individuals in his personal and professional life, there is no credible evidence linking these conflicts to his death, even though, at the time, there were rumours that he had been murdered. The official cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

While his death certificate states that he died as a result of suicide, at least two biographers have challenged that, saying someone may have intentionally or accidentally shot him. In other words, either murder or manslaughter.^[31]

Controversy
American writers – Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith – wrote that Van Gogh was shot in the abdomen on 27^th July 1890 by 16-year-old René Secrétan, a summer visitor in Auvers-sur-Oise who, not for the first time, taunted the artist. They have hypothesised that, while provoking Van Gogh with his gun during one such prank, the revolver went off – perhaps accidentally. According to this theory, Van Gogh – who welcomed the prospect of death anyway – chose to take the “blame” himself to protect Secrétan from the police.^[32] In 2011, Naifeh and Smith published a biography, Van Gogh: The Life, in which they challenged the conventional account of the artist’s death. In the book, they argue that it was unlikely for van Gogh to have killed himself, noting the upbeat disposition of the paintings he created immediately preceding his death; furthermore, in private correspondence, van Gogh described suicide as sinful and immoral. The authors also question how van Gogh could have possibly obtained a gun despite his well-known mental health problems and why his painting gear was never found.^[33]

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Naifeh and Smith developed an alternative hypothesis in which van Gogh did not commit suicide but rather was a possible victim of accidental manslaughter or foul play.^[34] Naifeh and Smith point out that the bullet entered van Gogh’s abdomen at an oblique angle, not straight as might be expected from a suicide. They claim that van Gogh was acquainted with the boys who may have shot him, one of whom was in the habit of wearing a cowboy suit and had gone drinking with them. Naifeh concluded that “accidental homicide” was “far more likely”.^[35]

In 2014, at Smith and Naifeh’s request, handgun expert Vincent Di Maio reviewed the forensic evidence surrounding Van Gogh’s shooting. Di Maio noted that to shoot himself in the left abdomen Van Gogh would have had to have held the gun at a very awkward angle and that there would have been black powder burns on his hands and tattooing and other marks on the skin around the wound, none of which is noted in the contemporary report. Di Maio concluded, “It is my opinion that, in all medical probability, the wound incurred by Van Gogh was not self-inflicted. In other words, he did not shoot himself.”^[36]

The 2017 film Loving Vincent drew heavily on Naifeh’s and Smith’s theory; it is also the account presented in the 2018 film At Eternity’s Gate.^[37]

In December 2020, the authors of a paper published by The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology concluded: “It is, therefore our opinion, based on that limited information, that in all medical probability, the cause of death is not a self-inflicted wound by Vincent van Gogh, and, thus, in all medical probability, a homicide.”^[38]

Burial
Initially, van Gogh was buried in the cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Thirty-four years later, his remains were moved to the cemetery of St. Paul’s Church in Auvers. The new location was chosen because it was considered a more fitting and permanent resting place for such a famous artist. Vincent’s brother Theo van Gogh, who died in 1891, was buried next to him in the same cemetery.

In Life, he was called a Madman and a Failure, and after Death, he became a Misunderstood Genius.
In a decade, van Gogh created about 2,100 artworks, prodigiously including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits. Van Gogh was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime, being considered a madman and a failure. As he became famous only after his suicide, he came to be seen as a misunderstood genius in the public imagination.^[39] His reputation grew in the early 20^thcentury as elements of his style came to be incorporated by the Fauves and German Expressionists. He attained widespread critical and commercial success over the ensuing decades and is remembered as an important but tragic painter whose troubled personality typifies the romantic ideal of an artist with a tortured soul.

Today, Van Gogh’s works are among the world’s most expensive paintings to have ever sold, and his legacy is honoured by a museum in his name, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which holds the world’s largest collection of his paintings and drawings. Those sold for over US$100 million (today’s equivalent) include Portrait of Dr Gachet,^[40] Portrait of Joseph Roulin and Irises.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a copy of Wheat Field with Cypresses in 1993 for US$57 million using funds donated by publisher, diplomat and philanthropist Walter Annenberg.^[41] In 2015, L’Allée des Alyscamps sold for US$66.3 million at Sotheby’s, New York, exceeding its reserve of US$40 million.^[42] In recent years, van Gogh’s paintings have continued to set records at auction, with some works fetching tens of millions of dollars. The high prices paid for his paintings reflect the lasting impact of his work and the continued reverence in which he is held by the art world and the public at large.

Van Gogh’s nephew and namesake, Vincent Willem van Gogh (1890–1978),^[43] inherited the estate after his mother’s death in 1925. During the early 1950s, he arranged to publish a complete edition of the letters presented in four volumes and several languages. He then began negotiations with the Dutch government to subsidise a foundation to purchase and house the entire collection.^[44] Theo’s son participated in planning the project in the hope that the works would be exhibited under the best possible conditions. The project began in 1963; architect Gerrit Rietveld was commissioned to design it, and after he died in 1964, Kisho Kurokawa took charge.^[45] Work progressed throughout the 1960s, with 1972 as the target for its grand opening.^[46]

Vincent van Gogh: Starry Nght
“The Starry Night“
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The Van Gogh Museum opened in the Museumplein in Amsterdam in 1973.^[47] It became the second most popular museum in the Netherlands, after the Rijksmuseum, regularly receiving more than 1.5 million visitors a year.

“The Starry Night” is a painting by Vincent van Gogh, created in 1889 during his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. It is considered one of van Gogh’s masterpieces and is one of the most recognised and iconic works of all post-Impressionist art.

The painting depicts the view from van Gogh’s window at the asylum at night, with the moon and stars shining brightly over the hills and cypress trees below, with the stars and the moon depicted as vivid yellow, white and blue swirls against a deep blue sky. The cypress trees are rendered in deep greens and blacks, and the hills are painted in a range of purples, blues, and greens, creating a sense of depth and perspective.

Art historians praise “The Starry Night” for its innovative use of colour, thick brushstrokes, and dynamic composition. They also see it as a powerful expression of van Gogh’s emotional state, with the swirling patterns and vivid colours of the sky and stars representing the turmoil and instability he experienced throughout his life.

Despite being created in the final years of van Gogh’s life, when he struggled with mental illness, “The Starry Night” is seen as a celebration of the beauty and majesty of the natural world and a testament to the artist’s enduring passion for life and art. Today, it is one of the most popular and widely recognised works of art in the world.

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Van Gogh’s Technique
Van Gogh started his career copying prints and reading 19th century drawing manuals and books. He was largely self-taught and developed his characteristic technique from the simple idea that drawing in the right perspective had to be mastered before seeking to be a great painter.^[48]

“Post-Impressionism” is an art movement that emerged in France in the late 19^th century, following the Impressionist movement. It was characterised by a departure from the realism and naturalism of the Impressionists towards more subjective and expressive painting styles.

Post-Impressionist artists, including Vincent van Gogh, sought to capture their subjects’ emotional and psychological experiences rather than simply recording their physical appearance. They used bold colours, thick brushstrokes, and unconventional techniques to convey their emotions and ideas.

Post-Impressionism was also marked by a focus on symbolism and the use of colour to convey mood and atmosphere. Unlike the Impressionists, who sought to capture the changing light and colour of the natural world, Post-Impressionist artists used colour as a tool for self-expression, to evoke feelings and emotions.

In short, “post-Impressionist” refers to an artist who was influenced by the ideas and techniques of the post-Impressionist movement and who used these techniques to create highly individual and subjective paintings that reflect the emotional and psychological experiences of the artist.

The Best of the Best
Although it’s a subjective list, here are what are considered as the top eight Vincent van Gogh paintings, with their background information:

The Starry Night (1889): Painted in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Inspired by the view from the window of his asylum room, it is considered a masterpiece of modern art. Van Gogh was pleased with this painting. Today, it’s valued at over $100 million.
Sunflowers (1888): Painted in Arles, France. Van Gogh painted several versions of sunflowers, with this one being one of the most famous. It was part of a series of paintings meant to brighten up the room of his friend, Paul Gauguin.
Irises (1889): Painted in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. It was created during van Gogh’s stay in the mental asylum and is considered a symbol of hope and happiness. It was sold for $53.9 million in 1987.
The Potato Eaters (1885): Painted in Nuenen, Netherlands. It was one of van Gogh’s earliest works and was meant to reflect the lives of the rural poor. The painting was not well received by the contemporary art community.

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Café Terrace at Night (1888): Painted in Arles, France. It captures the bustling atmosphere of a café in the city. It is considered a classic example of van Gogh’s use of colour and light.
The Yellow House (1888): Painted in Arles, France. It’s a view of the house van Gogh was renting at the time, which he called The Yellow House. The painting captures the radiant colour and light of the South of France.
Almond Blossom (1890): Painted in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. It was painted to celebrate the birth of his nephew and is considered a symbol of new life and hope.
Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear (1889): Painted in Arles, France. It’s a self-portrait that van Gogh painted after he had cut off his ear. It’s a powerful and emotional painting that showcases the artist’s state of mind at the time.

It’s worth remembering that van Gogh’s paintings were not well received during his lifetime and only gained recognition after his death. Today, his paintings are considered some of the most valuable and influential works in art history.

I have shown below what the artist thought of these paintings:

The Starry Night: Van Gogh was pleased with this painting and wrote to his brother Theo, “It is as though a mechanism were set in motion between the stars and myself”.
Sunflowers: Van Gogh was also pleased with his sunflower paintings and wrote in a letter, “I am hard at it, painting with the enthusiasm of a Marseillais eating bouillabaisse, which won’t surprise you when you know that what I’m at is the painting of some big sunflowers”.
Irises: Van Gogh wrote to Theo, “I am hard at work on the irises, which will be a good thing to introduce the mysterious background of the garden”.
The Potato Eaters: Van Gogh had high hopes for this painting but was disappointed with the initial reaction from the art community.
Café Terrace at Night: Van Gogh was excited about this painting and wrote, “I seek to demonstrate by means of red and green the superhuman sensations of a starry night”.
The Yellow House: Van Gogh had high hopes for this painting and saw it as a new beginning for him.
Almond Blossom: Van Gogh was inspired to paint Almond Blossom as a celebration of new life and wrote to Theo, “I hope you will see that the Almond Trees are in bloom”.
Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear: It’s unclear what Van Gogh thought of this self-portrait, as it was created when he was in a vulnerable state of mind.

Overall, Van Gogh was passionate about his work and dedicated to capturing the emotions and sensations of the world around him through his paintings.

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Van Gogh’s Relationships with Women
Vincent van Gogh had very few romantic relationships with women during his lifetime. He was known to have difficulty connecting with people and was often seen as socially awkward. He had a brief relationship with a pregnant prostitute named Sien Hoornik, but it was turbulent and ultimately did not last. He was also briefly engaged to a woman named Kee Vos, but they eventually called off the engagement.

Van Gogh’s focus was primarily on his art, and he poured his emotions into his paintings rather than into romantic relationships. He wrote many letters to his brother Theo discussing his feelings and struggles but did not mention romantic dalliances with women.

It’s important to note that Vincent van Gogh lived in the 19^th century, and his personal life was not widely documented or discussed as it is today. There may have been other relationships or dalliances that were not documented or known.

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Nazi Theft of Paintings^[49]Many priceless artworks by Vincent van Gogh and other works of art were looted by Nazis during 1933–1945, mostly from Jewish collectors forced into exile or murdered. Some of these works have disappeared into private collections, and others have resurfaced in museums, at auction, or have been reclaimed, often in high-profile lawsuits taken by their former owners.^[50] However, the German Lost Art Foundation still lists dozens of missing van Goghs.^[51] As of 2021, the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal, published by the American Alliance of Museums, lists 73 van Gogh paintings acquired by American museums after 1933 with questionable provenance on the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal.^[52]

One of the most notable van Gogh paintings stolen was “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring.” This painting was part of the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands and was stolen by the Nazis in 1940. The picture was eventually recovered after the war and returned to the museum.

The Nazi theft of art and cultural heritage during the war was part of their larger plan to confiscate and control the cultural assets of Europe. This included the theft of millions of works of art and cultural artefacts and the destruction of many others. The loss of these cultural treasures is a tragic reminder of the toll that war can take on art and cultural heritage. Here is some additional information about the Nazi looting of art:

Extent: The Nazis stole thousands of works of art during the war, including many by Vincent van Gogh. In addition to “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring,” other well-known van Gogh paintings that were stolen include “Still Life with Carafes,” “The Harvest,” and “Blossoming Chestnut Branches.”
Art Looting Operations: The Nazis had a special unit dedicated to the theft of art and cultural assets, known as the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR). This unit was responsible for confiscating and transferring art and cultural assets from museums, private collections, and Jewish families across Europe.
Whereabouts of Stolen Art: Many of the works of art stolen by the Nazis, including some by Van Gogh, were found in the collections of prominent Nazi officials after the war. Some were returned to their rightful owners, while others remained missing. In recent years, there have been efforts to find and return stolen works of art to their rightful owners, but many remain unaccounted for.
Importance of Van Gogh’s Paintings: Van Gogh’s paintings are some of the most famous and beloved works of art in the world. The theft of these paintings was a great loss to their owners, the art community, and the world at large.
Return of Stolen Art: The return of stolen art, including works by Van Gogh, remains an ongoing effort. In many cases, it has required legal action and international cooperation to reclaim stolen works and return them to their rightful owners. The importance of this work cannot be overstated, as it helps to preserve the cultural heritage of Europe and to right the wrongs committed during the war.

Quotations by Vincent van Gogh

“Work distracts me infinitely better than anything else, and if I could once really throw myself into it with all my energy, that might possibly be the best remedy.”

“I dream of painting, and then I paint my dream.”

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”

“I put my heart and my soul into my work and have lost my mind in the process.”

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”

“One must work and dare if one really wants to live.”

“The only time I feel alive is when I am painting.”

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day.”

“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”

“I tell you, one must work hard and wait long, very long, to learn to understand the figures one is drawing.”

“The goal is to silence the mind.”

“One must work, if one wants to play.”

“The sunflowers are mine, in a way.”

“I cannot change the fact that my paintings do not sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.”

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.”

“I put my heart and my soul into my work and have lost my mind in the process.”

“The best way to know God is to love many things.”

“What would life be without art?”

“I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.”

“The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.”

“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”

“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

“It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to.”

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Conclusions
Art historians generally recognise Vincent van Gogh as a key figure in the post-impressionist movement and admire his innovative use of colour, thick brushstrokes, and bold patterns. They praise his work for its emotional intensity and the powerful expressions of mood that he was able to convey through his paintings.

Van Gogh’s influence on 20^th century art is also widely acknowledged, with many artists citing him as a major influence on their own work. His bold use of colour, for example, had a profound impact on the Fauvist movement and, later on, Expressionism.

After Vincent van Gogh’s death, many of his paintings remained with his family or in possession of his friends. However, over time, some of these works were sold, often for relatively modest sums. It wasn’t until the mid-20^th century that van Gogh’s paintings began to achieve significant prices at auction. This was largely due to a resurgence of interest in his work, fuelled in part by major exhibitions and the increasing recognition of his importance as an artist.

Despite his relatively short career and the fact that he only sold one painting during his lifetime, van Gogh is now widely regarded as one of the most important and influential artists of the 19^th century. Today, van Gogh’s paintings are some of the most highly sought-after works of art in the world, and they often sell for millions at auction. For example, “The Portrait of Dr Gachet“, sold privately in 1990, became the most expensive painting ever sold at the time, fetching $82.5 million. “Sunflowers” and “The Starry Night” are also considered some of van Gogh’s most valuable works and are regularly featured in major exhibitions and auctions.

Many artists have sought to imitate or pay homage to Vincent van Gogh’s distinctive style throughout the years. Some contemporary artists have tried to recreate his paintings in exact detail, while others have taken elements of his style and incorporated them into their own work. Some artists have even created entire bodies of work in the style of Van Gogh, such as portraits, landscapes, or still lifes. In addition, many amateur artists have tried to imitate Van Gogh’s style as part of their own artistic practice or for fun. There are also workshops and classes dedicated to teaching the techniques and style of Van Gogh, which allow students to learn about his approach to painting and create their own works in his style.

It is clear that Van Gogh’s influence on the art world continues to be felt and that his distinctive style, bold use of colour, thick impasto brushstrokes, and expressive application of paint have inspired generations of artists.

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Reference Sources

Books:

Vincent Van Gogh: A Life, by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, published by Random House (2011)
Van Gogh: The Life, by Gregory White Smith and Justin Paton, published by Random House (2011)
Vincent Van Gogh: The Painter of Sunflowers, by Jacqueline Guillaud, published by Parkstone International (2012)
Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night, by Stuart Morris, published by Parkstone International (2012)
Vincent Van Gogh: A Power Seer, by R.B. Birch, published by OPA (2010)
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh, edited by Mark Roskill, published by Penguin Classics (2010)
Vincent Van Gogh: A Biography, by Jan Hulsker, published by Mercury House (1996)
The Drawings of Vincent Van Gogh, by Jacob Baal-Teshuva, published by Taschen (2011)
Vincent Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings, edited by Ingo F. Walther, published by Taschen (2005)
Van Gogh: The Complete Works, by Jan Hulsker, published by Taschen (1996)
Vincent Van Gogh: A Guide to His Paintings, by Norbert Wolf, published by Taschen (2012)
Van Gogh: The Complete Poems, edited by Michael Raeburn, published by Viking (1991)
Vincent Van Gogh: The Works on Paper, edited by Dieter Zimmer, published by Taschen (2010)
Vincent Van Gogh: The Watercolours, edited by J.B. de la Faille, published by Taschen (2012)
Vincent Van Gogh: An Analysis of His Paintings, by J.B. de la Faille, published by Parkstone Press (2012)

Videos:

Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, at: https://youtu.be/wk9L1N9bRRE
Vincent Van Gogh: The Colour and Vitality of his Works – National Gallery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4YGUAHPJU
Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing (2014), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8
The Mysterious Life of Vincent van Gogh (2019), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zLLDpB9MdE
The Story of Vincent van Gogh (2007), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJLbKFpLJL0
Vincent van Gogh: The Immersive Experience (2021), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwE1Ufspck
Vincent van Gogh: Of Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies (2020), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcCgI1zKxmE
Vincent van Gogh and Japan (2017), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOzIT5D5Z0c
Vincent van Gogh: Brush with Genius (2010), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djA-LKjn5Ew
The Inspiring Life of Vincent van Gogh (2020), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoHjWN0v3m8
Van Gogh: A Giant Step (2019), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl8NcW9o9Xs
The Beauty of Vincent van Gogh’s Masterpieces (2021), at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz8mhb0rA10

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End Notes and Explanations

Source: Machine-generated artificial intelligence answers to questions (https://chat.openai.com/) and on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh ↑
Sources: Principally https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh and other sources as noted in the text. ↑
Source: Pomerans, Arnold (1997). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044674-6. ↑
Source: Lubin, Albert J. (1972). Stranger on the Earth: A Psychological Biography of Vincent van Gogh. pp. 82-84.Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN 978-0-03-091352-5. ↑
Source: Walther, Ingo; Metzger, Rainer (1994). Van Gogh: the Complete Paintings. p. 16. Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8228-0291-5. ↑
Source: Naifeh, Steven W.; Smith, Gregory White (2011). Van Gogh: The Life. pp. 23-25. Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50748-9. ↑
Source: Sweetman, David (1990). Van Gogh: His Life and His Art. p. 13. Touchstone. ISBN 978-0-671-74338-3. ↑
Source: Tralbaut, Marc Edo (1981) [1969]. Vincent van Gogh, le mal aimé (in French). pp 25–35. Alpine Fine Arts. ISBN 978-0-933516-31-1. ↑
Source: Naifeh, Steven W.; Smith, Gregory White (2011). Van Gogh: The Life. pp. 45-49. Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50748-9. ↑
Source: Naifeh, Steven W.; Smith, Gregory White (2011). Van Gogh: The Life. pp. 36-50. Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50748-9. ↑
Source: Tralbaut, Marc Edo (1981) [1969]. Vincent van Gogh, le mal aimé (in French). pp 25–35. Alpine Fine Arts. ISBN 978-0-933516-31-1. ↑
Source: Hulsker, Jan (1980). The Complete Van Gogh, paintings, drawings, and sketches. pp.8-9.Phaidon. ISBN 978-0-7148-2028-6. ↑
Source: Naifeh, Steven W.; Smith, Gregory White (2011). Van Gogh: The Life. p. 48. Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50748-9. ↑
Source: Van Gogh (2009), Letter 403. Vincent to Theo van Gogh, Nieuw-Amsterdam, on or about Monday, 5 November 1883. ↑
Explanation: “The Impressionist sensibility” refers to the aesthetic sensibility and style of painting associated with the Impressionist art movement of the late 19^th century. The term was used to describe the new and innovative approach to painting and capturing the effects of light and colour in the natural world. The phrase was popularised by art critics of the time who were discussing the work of the Impressionist artists, who sought to capture the fleeting and ephemeral moments of modern life. The term has since become a part of the art historical lexicon and is commonly used to describe a certain style and approach to painting. Source: Machine-generated artificial intelligence at: https://chat.openai.com/chat ↑
Source: Van Gogh, Vincent (2009). Leo Jansen; Hans Luijten; Nienke Bakker (eds.). Vincent van Gogh – The Letters. Van Gogh Museum & Huygens ING. ↑
Source: McQuillan, Melissa (1989). Van Gogh. p. 19 Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-20232-6. ↑
Source: Pomerans, Arnold (1997). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. p. xv Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044674-6. ↑
Sources: (1) Rewald, John (1986). Studies in Post-Impressionism. Abrams. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-8109-1632-6, and (2) Pomerans, Arnold (1997). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. p. ix, xv. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044674-6. ↑
Source: McQuillan, Melissa (1989). Van Gogh. p. 19. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-20232-6. ↑
Ibid. ↑
Source: Pomerans, Arnold (1997). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. p. ix. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044674-6. ↑
Source: McQuillan, Melissa (1989). Van Gogh. p. 19. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-20232-6. ↑
Source: Hughes, Robert (1990). Nothing If Not Critical. p. 143. The Harvill Press. ISBN 978-0-14-016524-1. ↑
Source: Pomerans, Arnold (1997). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. pp. i–xxvi. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044674-6. ↑
Sources: (1) “Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh : 9 December 1875″. www.webexhibits.org, and (2) “034 (034, 27): To Theo van Gogh. Paris, Monday, 31 May 1875. – “Vincent van Gogh Letters”. www.vangoghletters.org. ↑
Source: “The Poem That Inspired a Van Gogh Painting, Written in His Hand”. The Raab Collection. ↑
Source: “500 (503, 406): To Theo van Gogh. Nuenen, Monday, 4 and Tuesday, 5 May 1885. – Vincent van Gogh Letters”. www.vangoghletters.org. ↑
Sources: (1) Route, Van Gogh. “Vincent van Gogh in Borinage, Belgium”. Van Gogh Route, (2) Hoakley (6 April 2017). “Jules Breton’s Eternal Harvest: 4 1877–1889”. The Eclectic Light Company, and (3) “AN ARTIST IS BORN”. AwesomeStories.com. ↑
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350215/ ↑
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wil_van_Gogh ↑
Source: https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/article/was-van-gogh-murdered ↑
Source: Boehm, Mike (13 October 2011). New book, ’60 Minutes’ question if Van Gogh really killed himself. Los Angeles Times, 13 October 2011. Retrieved from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/10/vincent-van-gogh-60-minutes.html. Cited at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Vincent_van_Gogh ↑
Source: New revelations on Vincent van Gogh’s death, CBSNews.com, 13 October 2011. Cited at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Vincent_van_Gogh ↑
Source: Gompertz, Will (17 October 2011). “Van Gogh did not kill himself, authors claim”. BBC News. ↑
Source: Smith, Gregory White; Naifeh, Steven (7 November 2014). “NCIS: Provence: The Van Gogh Mystery”. Vanity Fair. Cited at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Vincent_van_Gogh ↑
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Vincent_van_Gogh ↑
Source: “A Reevaluation of the Death of Vincent van Gogh: Suicide or Murder? The Need for a Definitive Autopsy“, by Arenberg, I. Kaufman MD; Di Maio, Vincent J.M. MD; Baden, Michael M. MD, in The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 41(4):p 291-298, December 2020. DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000595 ↑
Source: McQuillan, Melissa (1989). Van Gogh. p. 9. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-20232-6. ↑
Source: Decker, Andrew (5 November 1998). “The Silent Boom”. Artnet. ↑
Source: Kimmelman, Michael (25 May 1993). “Annenberg Donates A van Gogh to the Met”. The New York Times. ↑
Source: Boucher, Brian (5 May 2015). “Mysterious Asian Buyer Causes Sensation at Sotheby’s $368 Million Impressionist Sale”. Artnet. ↑
Source: Rewald, John (1986). Studies in Post-Impressionism. p. 253. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-1632-6. ↑
Source: Rewald, John (1986). Studies in Post-Impressionism. p. 252. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-1632-6. ↑
Source: Van Gogh’s Van Goghs: The Van Gogh Museum, National Gallery of Art. ↑
Source: Rewald, John (1986). Studies in Post-Impressionism. p. 253. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-1632-6. ↑
Source: Pomerans, Arnold (1997). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. pp. xiii. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044674-6. ↑
Source: https://news.masterworksfineart.com/2017/10/19/the-genius-of-van-gogh ↑
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_looting_of_artworks_by_Vincent_van_Gogh ↑
Source: Stryker, Mark. “Dia defends its right to Van Gogh – Nazi-era collector’s heirs say it’s theirs”. www.lootedart.com. ↑
Source: “German Lost Art Foundation – Vincent Van Gogh”. ↑
Source: “Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal”. www.nepip.org. ↑

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The Madness and Genius of Vincent van Gogh

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The Madness and Genius of Vincent van Gogh

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