Vincent Van Gogh’s Works

Vincent van Gogh was a famous Dutch artist, but he was poor and unknown to others around him. He was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands. Vincent van Gogh's parents were Anna Carbentus van Gogh (1829-1907) and Theodorus van Gogh (1822-1885). He had five siblings-two brothers and three sisters. He was very close with his brother Theo. Though Gogh often went through light illnesses and depression, his paintings are now known world wide masterpieces.

When he was 11, Vincent van Gogh would wander around his neighborhood to observe nature during his free time. He would sketch all of his surroundings. He was taught and educated at a school called Brussels Academy. When van Gogh was age 15, his family was struggling and needed money, and van Gogh was forced to leave school. He was able to get a job at his uncle's art dealership in London.

The Potato Eaters

In 1881, van Gogh moved to Hague to study. Then in 1882, he started to paint in oils on canvases. In 1885, van Gogh made his first painting "The Potato Eaters". The painting showed a poor family sharing cooked potatoes. Van Gogh said this about his painting: "If a peasant picture smells of bacon, smoke, potato steam-all right, that's not unhealthy." Nobody liked his paintings despite his best effort.

Van Gogh went to Paris in 1886. He was amazed by the bright colors and the impressionism by Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and others. He started to paint with bright colors like yellow and green and used them to make other paintings. In Paris, France, van Gogh made a friend named Pere Tanguy. He painted with Pere several times and made Japanese paintings. Van Gogh made over 200 paintings within two years, but wasn't able to sell any of them. He moved to Arles, near the Mediterranean coast in 1888. The place reminded him of Japanese prints. During Spring time, he was inspired by by the bright colors of the landscape around him. There, he painted the "Langlois Bridge at Arles With Road Alongside the Canal", his favorite spot.

Langlois Bridge at Arles With Road Alongside the Canal

He lived in a building called the Yellow House which he wanted to make an artists' colony. Van Gogh invited painter named Paul Gauguin, someone he also met in Paris, to come stay in Arles. In preparation of Gauguin's arrival, van Gogh started a series of sunflower paintings using bright shades of yellow. One of them was "Vase With Fourteen Sunflowers", van Gogh's most famous painting in the world. This painting was sold for $39.5 million at auction.

Vase With Fourteen Sunflowers

Van Gogh worked very hard but neglected his health. He became ill and depressed. On December 23, 1888, he cut off his left ear after a violent quarrel with Gauguin. He was in the hospital for three days. After his return, he started painting self portraits including "Self Portrait With Bandaged Ear" in 1889. By looking at a mirror while painting himself, it appears to be that the right ear was hurt. Van Gogh's mental illness continued. He was sent to Saint-Remy asylum where he stayed for a year. Another one of Vincent van Gogh's most famous paintings today is the "Starry Night" which he made in the asylum.

Self Portrait With Bandaged Ear

Starry Night

On July 27, 1890, van Gogh shot himself in the chest. The innkeeper where van Gogh was staying while visiting Theo in Paris, found him bleeding on his bed. Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890 due to his injuries. He was just 37 years old when he died. Theo's wife Jo arranged an exhibition of van Gogh's paintings almost two years after his death. His work became better known over a period of time. They can now be seen in art galleries around the world.

Vincent van Gogh was a very talented artist. I can tell his paintings were hard to make because in my art class, we actually painted the Starry Night, and it was harder than it looks. Van Gogh's work is very unique. People can relate to his artwork. Vincent van Gogh will be appreciated and remembered for a long time.

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