Nowadays, few people do not know about the great artist Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh's biography was destined to be not too long, but eventful and full of hardships, short ups and desperate falls. Few know that in his entire life Vincent managed to sell only one of his paintings for a substantial amount, and only after his death did his contemporaries recognize the enormous influence of the Dutch post-impressionist on painting of the 20th century. The biography of Van Gogh can be summarized in the great master's dying words:

The sadness will never end.

Unfortunately, the life of an amazing and original creator was full of pain and disappointment. But who knows, maybe if not for all the losses in life, the world would never have seen his amazing works, which people still admire?

Childhood

A short biography and work of Vincent Van Gogh were restored through the efforts of his brother Theo. Vincent had almost no friends, so everything that we now know about the great artist is told by a man who loved him immensely.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in North Brabant in the village of Groth-Zundert. The firstborn of Theodore and Anna Cornelia, Van Gogh died in infancy - Vincent became the oldest child in the family. Four years after the birth of Vincent, his brother Theodorus was born, with whom Vincent was close until the end of his life. In addition, they also had a brother Cornelius and three sisters (Anna, Elizabeth and Willemina).

An interesting fact in the biography of Van Gogh is that he grew up as a difficult and stubborn child with extravagant manners. At the same time, outside the family, Vincent was serious, gentle, thoughtful and calm. He did not like to communicate with other children, but fellow villagers considered him a modest and friendly child.

In 1864 he was sent to a boarding school in Zevenbergen. The artist Van Gogh recalled this segment of his biography with pain: the departure caused him a lot of suffering. This place doomed him to loneliness, so Vincent took up his studies, but in 1868 he left his studies and returned home. In fact, this is all the formal education that the artist managed to get.

A brief biography and work of Van Gogh is still carefully preserved in museums and a few testimonies: no one could have thought that an obnoxious child would become a truly great creator - even if his significance was recognized only after his death.

Work and missionary work

A year after returning home, Vincent goes to work at the Hague branch of his uncle's art and trading company. In 1873, Vincent was transferred to London. Over time, Vincent learned to appreciate and understand painting. He later moved to 87 Hackford Road, where he rents a room from Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugenie. Some biographers add that Van Gogh was in love with Eugene, although the facts suggest that he loved the German woman Karlina Haanebik.

In 1874, Vincent already worked in the Paris branch, but soon he returned to London again. Things are getting worse for him: a year later he is again transferred to Paris, visits art museums and exhibitions, and finally, he finds the courage to try his hand at painting. Vincent cools off to work, fired up by a new business. All this leads to the fact that in 1876 he was fired from the company for poor performance.

Then in the biography of Vincent Van Gogh there comes a moment when he again returns to London and teaches at a boarding school in Ramsgate. During the same life period, Vincent devoted a lot of time to religion, he has a desire to become a pastor, following in the footsteps of his father. A little later, Van Gogh moved to another school in Isleworth, where he began to work as a teacher and assistant pastor. In the same place, Vincent read his first sermon. Interest in scripture grew and he was inspired by the idea of ​​preaching to the poor.

At Christmas, Vincent went home, where he was begged not to travel back to England. So he stayed in the Netherlands to help in a bookstore in Dordrecht. But this work did not inspire him: he mainly occupied himself with sketches and translations of the Bible.

His parents supported Van Gogh's desire to become a priest, sending him to Amsterdam in 1877. There he settled with his uncle Jan Van Gogh. Vincent studied hard under the supervision of Johannes Stricker, the renowned theologian, preparing for the exams for admission to the theology department. But very soon he quits his studies and leaves Amsterdam.

The desire to find his place in the world led him to the Protestant Missionary School of Pastor Bokma in Laeken near Brussels, where he took a preaching course. There is also an opinion that Vincent did not complete the full course, because he was kicked out because of his unkempt appearance, hot temper and fits of anger.

In 1878, Vincent became a missionary for six months in the village of Patyurazh in Borinage. Here he visited the sick, read the Scriptures for those who could not read, taught children, and at night he was engaged in drawing maps of Palestine, earning a living. Van Gogh planned to enter the Evangelical school, but he considered the payment of tuition discrimination and abandoned this idea. Soon he was removed from the rank of preacher - this was a painful blow for the future artist, but also an important fact in the biography of Van Gogh. Who knows, perhaps, if not for this high-profile event, Vincent would have become a priest, and the world would never have known the talented artist.

Becoming as an artist

Studying the short biography of Vincent Van Gogh, we can conclude: fate seemed to push him all his life in the right direction and led him to drawing. Seeking salvation from despondency, Vincent again turns to painting. He turned to his brother Theo for support and in 1880 went to Brussels, where he attended classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. A year later, Vincent is forced to leave school again and return to his family. It was then that he decided that the artist did not need any talent, the main thing was to work hard. Therefore, he continues painting and drawing on his own.

During this period, Vincent experiences a new love, this time turned to his cousin, the widow Kei Vos-Stricker, who was visiting the Van Gogh house. But she did not reciprocate, but Vincent continued to look after her, which caused the indignation of his relatives. In the end, he was told to leave. Van Gogh is experiencing another shock and abandons attempts to establish a further personal life.

Vincent leaves for The Hague, where he takes lessons from Anton Mauve. Over time, the biography and work of Vincent Van Gogh was filled with new colors, including in painting: he experimented with mixing different techniques. Then his works were born, such as Backyards, which he created with chalk, pen and brush, as well as the painting Roofs. View from Van Gogh's Studio ”, painted with watercolors and chalk. A great influence on the formation of his work was influenced by Charles Bargh's book "A Course in Drawing", from which he diligently copied lithographs.

Vincent was a man of fine mental organization, and, one way or another, he was drawn to people and emotional return. Despite his decision to forget about his personal life, in The Hague, he nevertheless made another attempt to create a family. He met Christine right on the street and was imbued with her difficult situation so much that he invited her to live in his house with the children. This act finally broke off Vincent's relationship with all his loved ones, but they maintained a warm relationship with Theo. So Vincent had a girlfriend and a model. But Christine turned out to be a nightmare: Van Gogh's life turned into a nightmare.

When they parted, the artist traveled north to the province of Drenthe. He equipped the dwelling for a workshop, and spent whole days outdoors, creating landscapes. But the artist himself did not call himself a landscape painter, devoting his paintings to the peasants and their daily life.

Van Gogh's early works are classified as realism, but his technique does not quite fit into this direction. One of the problems that Van Gogh faced in his work is the inability to correctly portray a human figure. But this only played into the hands of the great artist: it became a characteristic feature of his style: the interpretation of a person as an integral part of the world around him. This can be clearly seen, for example, in the work "Peasant and Peasant Woman Planting Potatoes". Human figures are like mountains in the distance, and the elevated horizon seems to press on them from above, preventing them from straightening their backs. A similar technique can be seen in his later work Red Vineyards.

In this segment of his biography, Van Gogh writes a series of works, including:

• "Leaving the Protestant Church in Nuenen";
• Potato Eaters;
• "Peasant";
• "The old church tower in Nuenen".

The paintings are created in dark shades, which symbolize the painful perception by the author of human suffering and a feeling of general depression. Van Gogh portrayed the heavy atmosphere of hopelessness of the peasants and the sad mood of the village. At the same time, Vincent developed his own understanding of landscapes: in his opinion, through the landscape the state of mind of a person is expressed through the connection between human psychology and nature.

Paris period

The artistic life of the French capital is flourishing: it was there that the great artists of the time flocked. The exhibition of the Impressionists on the rue Lafite became a landmark event: for the first time, the works of Signac and Seurat are shown, who herald the beginning of the post-impressionism movement. It was impressionism that revolutionized art, changing the approach to painting. This trend presented confrontation with academism and outdated plots: pure colors and the very impression of what they saw are at the head of creativity, which are subsequently transferred to the canvas. Post-Impressionism was the final stage of Impressionism.

The Parisian period, which lasted from 1986 to 1988, became the most fruitful in the artist's life; more than 230 drawings and canvases were added to his collection of paintings. Vincent Van Gogh forms his own view of art: the realistic approach is becoming a thing of the past, being replaced by the desire for post-impressionism.

With the acquaintance with Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet, the colors in his paintings begin to brighten and become brighter and brighter, eventually becoming a real riot of colors characteristic of his last works.

Papa Tanguy's shop, where art materials were sold, became an iconic place. Here many artists met and exhibited their works. But Van Gogh's temper was still irreconcilable: the spirit of rivalry and tension in society often pissed off the impulsive artist, so Vincent soon quarreled with friends and decided to leave the French capital.

Among the famous works of the Parisian period are the following paintings:

• Agostina Segatori at the Tambourine Cafe;
• "Daddy Tanguy";
• Still Life with Absinthe;
• "Bridge over the Seine";
• "View of Paris from Theo's apartment on rue Lepic."

Provence

Vincent goes to Provence and is imbued with this atmosphere for the rest of his life. Theo supports his brother's decision to become a real artist and sends him money for a living, and he sends him his paintings in gratitude in the hope that his brother will be able to sell them profitably. Van Gogh settles in a hotel, where he lives and works, periodically inviting casual visitors or acquaintances to pose.

With the onset of spring, Vincent gets out into the street and draws flowering trees and nature that comes to life. The ideas of impressionism are gradually leaving his work, but remain in the form of a light palette and pure colors. During this period of his work, Vincent wrote "The Peach Tree in Bloom", "Anglois Bridge at Arles".

Van Gogh worked even at night, once imbued with the idea of ​​capturing the special night shades and glow of the stars. He works by candlelight: this is how the famous "Starry Night over the Rhone" and "Night Cafe" were created.

Severed ear

Vincent is fired up with the idea of ​​creating a common home for the artist, where creators could create their masterpieces, living and working together. An important event was the arrival of Paul Gauguin, with whom Vincent had a long correspondence. Together with Gauguin, Vincent writes passion-filled works:

• "Yellow House";
• "Harvest. Valley of La Cro ";
• "Armchair of Gauguin".

Vincent was overjoyed, but this union ends in a loud quarrel. Passions all ran high, and in one of his desperate turbidity, Van Gogh, according to some testimonies, attacks a friend with a razor in his hands. Gauguin manages to stop Vincent, and as a result, he cuts off his earlobe. Gauguin leaves his house, while he wrapped the bloody flesh in a napkin and handed it to a familiar prostitute named Rachelle. Rulen's friend found him in a pool of his own blood. Although the wound soon healed, the deep mark on his heart shattered Vincent's mental health for life. Soon Vincent ends up in a psychiatric hospital.

The flowering of creativity

During periods of remission, he asked to return to the workshop, but the residents of Arles signed a statement to the mayor asking him to isolate the mentally ill artist from civilians. But in the hospital he was not forbidden to create: until 1889, Vincent worked on new paintings right there. During this time, he created over 100 pencil and watercolor drawings. The canvases of this period are distinguished by tension, bright dynamics and contrasting contrasting colors:

• "Landscape with Olives";
• "Wheat field with cypresses".

At the end of the same year, Vincent was invited to participate in the G20 exhibition in Brussels. His works aroused intense interest among connoisseurs of painting, but this could no longer please the artist, and even a laudatory article about "Red Vineyards in Arles" did not make the exhausted Van Gogh happy.

In 1890 he moved to Opère-sur-Urz, near Paris, where he saw his family for the first time in a long time. He continued to write, but his style became more and more gloomy and oppressive. A distinctive feature of that period was a curved and tearful contour, which can be traced in the following works:

• Street and Staircase at Auvers;
• "Rural road with cypresses";
• "Landscape at Auvers after the rain".

Last years

The last bright memory in the life of the great artist was his acquaintance with Dr. Paul Gachet, who also loved to write. Friendship with him supported Vincent in the most difficult periods of his life - apart from his brother, the postman Roulin and Dr. Gachet, by the end of his life he had no close friends.

In 1890, Vincent paints the canvas "Wheat Field with Crows", and a week later, tragedy occurs.

The circumstances of the artist's death look mysterious. Vincent was shot in the heart with his own revolver, which he carried with him to scare away birds. While dying, the artist admitted that he shot himself in the chest, but missed, hitting a little lower. He himself got to the hotel where he lived, a doctor was called for him. The doctor doubted the version with a suicide attempt - the angle of entry of the bullet was suspiciously low, and the bullet did not pass right through, which suggests that they were shooting from a distance - or, at least, from a distance of a couple of meters. The doctor immediately called Theo - he arrived the next day and was with his brother until his death.

There is a version that on the eve of Van Gogh's death, the artist had a serious argument with Dr. Gachet. He accused him of insolvency, while his brother Theo literally dies of a disease that eats him, but still sends him money for life. These words could greatly hurt Vincent - after all, he himself felt great guilt before his brother. In addition, in recent years, Vincent had feelings for the lady, which again did not lead to reciprocity. Being as depressed as possible, upset by a quarrel with a friend, recently leaving the hospital, Vincent could well decide to commit suicide.

Vincent died on July 30, 1890. Theo loved his brother endlessly and with great difficulty took this loss. He began organizing an exhibition of Vincent's posthumous works, but less than a year later, he died of a severe nervous shock on January 25, 1891. Years later, Theo's widow reburied his remains next to Vincent: she believed that inseparable brothers should be next to each other at least after death.

Confession

It is a common misconception that during his lifetime Van Gogh was able to sell only one of his paintings - "Red Vineyards in Arles". This work was only the first to be sold for a large sum - about 400 francs. Nevertheless, there are documents proving the sale of 14 more paintings.

Vincent Van Gogh received really wide recognition only after his death. His memorable exhibitions were organized in Paris, The Hague, Antwerp, Brussels. Interest in the artist began to grow, and at the beginning of the 20th century, retrospectives began in Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Cologne and Berlin. People became interested in his work, and his work began to influence the younger generation of artists.

Gradually, the prices for the painter's paintings began to increase until they became one of the most expensive paintings ever sold in the world, along with the works of Pablo Picasso. Among the most expensive of his works:

• "Portrait of Dr. Gachet";
• "Irises";
• "Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin";
• "Wheat field with cypresses";
• "A plowed field and a plowman."

Influence

In his last letter to Theo, Vincent wrote that, having no children of his own, the artist perceived the paintings as his continuation. To some extent, this was true: he did have children, and the first of them was Expressionism, which later began to have many heirs.

Many artists later adapted the features of Van Gogh's style for their work: Howart Hodgkin, Willem de Koening, Jackson Pollock. Fauvism soon came, which expanded the scope of color, expressionism became widespread.

The biography of Van Gogh and his work gave the expressionists a new language that helped the creators delve deeper into the essence of things and the world around them. Vincent became, in a sense, a pioneer in the art of modernity, having trod a new path in visual art.

It is almost impossible to tell a brief biography of Van Gogh: for his, unfortunately, short life, his work was influenced by so many different events that it would be a terrible injustice to omit at least one of them. A difficult life path led Vincent to the pinnacle of fame, but posthumous fame. During his lifetime, the great painter knew neither about his own genius, nor about the huge legacy that he left to the world of art, nor about how his family and friends yearned for him in the future. Vincent lived a lonely and sad life, rejected by everyone. He found salvation in art, but he could not be saved. But, one way or another, he presented the world with many amazing works that warm the hearts of people to this day, so many years later.

When Vincent Van Gogh, 37, died on July 29, 1890, his work was almost unknown. Today, his paintings are staggering amounts and adorn the best museums in the world.

125 years after the death of the great Dutch painter, the time has come to learn more about him and dispel some of the myths with which, like the whole history of art, his biography is full.

He changed several jobs before becoming an artist.

The son of a minister, Van Gogh began working at the age of 16. His uncle took him as an intern for an art dealer position in The Hague. He traveled to London and Paris, where the firm's offices were located. In 1876 he was fired. After that, he worked for some time as a school teacher in England, then as a bookstore seller. From 1878 he served as a preacher in Belgium. Van Gogh was in need, he had to sleep on the floor, but less than a year later he was fired from this post. Only after that did he finally become an artist and did not change his occupation anymore. In this field, he became famous, however, posthumously.

Van Gogh's career as an artist was short

In 1881, the Dutch self-taught artist returned to the Netherlands, where he devoted himself to painting. He was financially and financially supported by his younger brother Theodore, a successful art dealer. In 1886, the brothers settled in Paris, and these two years in the French capital turned out to be fateful. Van Gogh took part in exhibitions of the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists, he began to use a light and bright palette, experimenting with methods of applying brush strokes. The artist spent the last two years of his life in the south of France, where he created a number of his most famous paintings.

Over the course of his ten-year career, he has sold only a few of over 850 paintings. His drawings (there are about 1300 of them left) were then unclaimed.

Most likely, he did not cut off his ear.

In February 1888, after living in Paris for two years, Van Gogh moved to the south of France, to the city of Arles, where he hoped to found a community of artists. He was accompanied by Paul Gauguin, with whom they became friends in Paris. The officially accepted version of events is as follows:

On the night of December 23, 1888, they quarreled, and Gauguin left. Van Gogh, armed with a razor, pursued his friend, but without catching up, he returned home and in frustration partially cut off his left ear, then wrapped it in a newspaper and gave it to some prostitute.

In 2009, two German scientists published a book in which it was suggested that Gauguin, being a good swordsman, cut off part of Van Gogh's ear with a saber during a duel. According to this theory, Van Gogh agreed to hide the truth in the name of friendship, otherwise Gauguin would have been threatened with prison.

The most famous paintings were written by him in a psychiatric clinic.

In May 1889, Van Gogh sought help at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole psychiatric hospital, located in a former convent in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in southern France. Initially, the artist was diagnosed with epilepsy, but the examination also revealed bipolar disorder, alcoholism and metabolic disorders. Treatment consisted mainly of taking baths. He stayed in the hospital for a year and painted a number of landscapes there. More than a hundred paintings from this period include some of his most famous works, such as Starry Night (acquired by the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1941) and Irises (purchased by an Australian industrialist in 1987 for a record $ 53.9 million)

Vincent Van Gogh is a famous painter and scandalous figure in the art world of the 19th century. Today, his work continues to be controversial. The ambiguity of the paintings and their fullness of meanings make us take a deeper look at them and at the life of their creator.

Childhood and family

He was born in 1853 in the Netherlands, in the small village of Grot-Zündert. His father was a Protestant pastor, and his mother came from a bookbinder's family. Vincent Van Gogh had 2 younger brothers and 3 sisters. It is known that at home he was often punished for his wayward character and quick temper.

Men in the artist's family worked in the church or were involved in the sale of paintings and books. Since childhood, he was immersed in 2 contradictory worlds - the world of faith and the world of art.

Education

At the age of 7, the elder Van Gogh began attending the village school. Just a year later, he switched to home schooling, and after 3 more he left for a boarding school. In 1866, Vincent became a student at Willem II College. Although departure and separation from loved ones were not easy for him, he achieved some success in training. Here he received drawing lessons. After 2 years, Vincent Van Gogh interrupted his basic education and returned home.

In the future, he repeatedly attempted to get an art education, but none of them were crowned with success.

Find yourself

From 1869 to 1876, working as a seller of paintings for a large firm, he lived in The Hague, Paris and London. During these years, he got to know painting very closely, visited galleries, daily contact with works of art and their authors, for the first time tried himself as an artist.

After his dismissal, he worked in 2 English schools as a teacher and assistant pastor. Then he returned to the Netherlands and sold books. But most of his time was spent on drawings and translating Bible fragments into foreign languages.

Six months later, having settled in Amsterdam with his uncle Jan Van Gogh, he was preparing to enter the university to study theology. However, he quickly changed his mind and went first to the Protestant missionary school near Brussels, and then to the mining village of Paturage in Belgium.

Since the mid-80s of the XIX century. and until the end of his life, Vincent Van Gogh actively wrote and even sold some paintings.

He spent some time in a psychiatric hospital in 1888 with a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. There is a well-known incident with the cutting off of an earlobe, because of which he ended up in the hospital - after a quarrel with Gauguin, Van Gogh separated it from his left ear and took it to a familiar prostitute.

The artist died in 1890 from a bullet wound. According to some versions, the shot was fired by him.

Van Gogh short biography.

1853-1890 .

The biography below is by no means a complete and thorough study of the life of Vincent Van Gogh. On the contrary, this is only a brief overview of some of the important events in the chronicle of Vincent Van Gogh's life. early years

Vincent Van Gogh was born in Groth-Zundert, Netherlands on March 30, 1853. A year before the birth of Vincent Van Gogh, his mother gave birth to her first stillborn child, also named Vincent. Thus, Vincent, being the second, became the eldest of the children. There have been many speculations that Vincent Van Gogh suffered psychological trauma as a result of this fact. This theory remains a theory as there is no real historical evidence to support it.

Van Gogh was the son of Theodore Van Gogh (1822-85), pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus (1819-1907). Unfortunately, there is practically no information about the first ten years of Vincent Van Gogh's life. Since 1864 Vincent spent a couple of years at a boarding school in Zevenbergen, and then continued his studies at the school of King Wilhelm II in Tilburg for about two years. In 1868, Van Gogh left his studies and returned home at the age of 15.

In 1869, Vincent Van Gogh joined Goupil & Cie, an art dealer firm in The Hague. The Van Gogh family has long been associated with the art world - Vincent's uncles, Cornelis and Vincent, were art dealers. His younger brother Theo worked as an art dealer all his adult life and, as a result, had a huge impact on the subsequent stages of Vincent's career as an artist.

Vincent was relatively successful as an art dealer and worked at Goupil & Cie for seven years. In 1873 he was transferred to the London branch of the company and quickly fell under the spell of England's cultural climate. In late August, Vincent rents a room at the home of Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugenie at 87 Hackford Road. It is believed that Vincent was romantically inclined towards Eugenie, but many early biographers mistakenly refer to Eugenia after her mother, Ursula. It can be added to the long-standing confusion of names that recent evidence suggests that Vincent was not in love with Eugene, but was in love with his compatriot named Caroline Haanebeek. True, and this information remains unconvincing.

Vincent van Gogh spent two years in London. During this time, he visited many art galleries and museums and became a big fan of British writers such as George Eliot and Charles Dickens. Van Gogh was also a big fan of the work of British engravers. These illustrations inspired and influenced Van Gogh in his later life as an artist.

The relationship between Vincent and Goupil & Cie grew more tense, and in May 1875 he was transferred to the firm's Paris office. In Paris, Vincent worked with paintings that were of little interest to him from the point of view of personal tastes. Vincent leaves Goupil & Cie at the end of March 1876 and returns to England, remembering where his two, for the most part, very happy and fruitful years have passed.

In April, Vincent Van Gogh began teaching at the Reverend William P. Stokes School at Ramsgate. He was responsible for 24 boys between the ages of 10 and 14. His letters show that Vincent enjoyed teaching. After that he began teaching at another school for boys, the parish of the Rev. T. Jones Slade in Isleworth. In his spare time, Van Gogh continued to visit galleries and admire many great works of art. He also devoted himself to Bible study - spending many hours reading and rereading the Gospel. The summer of 1876 is the time of a religious transformation for Vincent Van Gogh. Although he grew up in a religious family, he did not expect to seriously consider dedicating his life to the Church.

As a means of making the transition from teacher to priest, Vincent asks Reverend Jones to give him more priestly responsibilities. Jones agreed and Vincent began speaking at prayer meetings at Turnham Green. These speeches served as a means of preparing Vincent for the goal he had long pursued: his first Sunday sermon. Although Vincent himself was delighted with such a prospect as a preacher, his sermons were somewhat lackluster and lifeless. Like his father, Vincent had a passion for preaching but lacked something.

After visiting his family in the Netherlands for Christmas, Vincent Van Gogh remains at home. After working for a short time in a bookstore in Dordrecht in early 1877, Vincent left for Amsterdam on May 9 to prepare for the entrance exams to the university, where he was to study theology. Vincent learns Greek, Latin, studies math, but ultimately drops out after fifteen months. Vincent later described this period as "the worst time of my life." In November, after a three-month probationary period, Vincent does not go to the missionary school in Laeken. Vincent Van Gogh eventually arranged with the church to begin preaching on probation in one of the harshest and poorest areas in Western Europe: the Borinage coal mining area, Belgium.

In January 1879, Vincent took up his duties as a preacher for the miners and their families in the mountain village of Wasmes. Vincent felt a strong emotional attachment to the miners. He saw and sympathized with their dire working conditions and, as their spiritual leader, did his best to lighten the burden of their lives. Unfortunately, this altruistic desire reached such fanatical proportions that Vincent began to donate most of his food and clothing to poor people under his care. Despite Vincent's noble intentions, Church officials strongly condemned Van Gogh's asceticism and removed him from office in July. Refusing to leave the area, Van Gogh moved to a neighboring village, Cuesmes, where he lived in extreme poverty. The following year, Vincent struggled to live from day to day and, although unable to help the village of people in any official capacity as a clergyman, he nevertheless decided to remain a member of their community. The next year was so difficult that the question of survival for Vincent Van Gogh faced every day. And although he could not help the people as an official representative of the church, he remains the village. A notable occasion for Van Gogh, Vincent decided to visit the home of Jules Breton, a French artist whom he admired. Vincent had only ten francs in his pocket and walked the entire 70 km to Courrières, France, to see Breton. However, Vincent was too timid to make his way to Breton. So without a positive result and absolutely discouraged, Vincent returned back to Cuesmes.

It was then that Vincent began to paint miners, their families and life in harsh conditions. At this turning point of fate, Vincent Van Gogh will choose his next and final career path: as an artist.

Vincent van Gogh as artist

In the fall of 1880, after more than a year living in poverty in Borinage, Vincent went to Brussels to begin his studies at the Academy of Arts. Vincent was inspired to start training with financial support from his brother Theo. Vincent and Theo have always been close, both as children and throughout most of their adult lives, they kept a constant correspondence. On the basis of this correspondence, and there are more than 800 letters, the idea of ​​Van Gogh's life is based.

1881 will prove to be a tumultuous year for Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent successfully studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. Although biographers have different opinions on the details of this period. In any case, Vincent continues learning at his own discretion, adopting examples from books. In the summer, Vincent again visits his parents who already live in Etten. There he meets and experiences romantic feelings for his widowed cousin Cornelia Adrian Vos Stricker (Key). But Ki's unrequited love and breakup with his parents lead to his imminent departure to The Hague.

Despite the setbacks, Van Gogh works and improves a lot under the guidance of Anton Mauve (a famous artist and his distant relative). Their relationship was good, but it deteriorated due to tensions when Vincent began living with a prostitute.

Vincent Van Gogh met Christina Maria Hornik, nicknamed Sin (1850-1904) at the end of February 1882 in The Hague. At that time she was already pregnant with her second child. Vincent lived with Sin for the next year and a half. Their relationship was turbulent, partly due to the complexity of the personalities of both personalities, and also because of the imprint of a life of utter poverty. From Vincent's letters to Theo, it becomes clear how well Van Gogh treated the children of Sin, but drawing is his first and most important passion, the rest fades into the background. Sin and her children posed for dozens of Vincent's drawings, and his talent as an artist grew significantly during this period. His earlier, more primitive drawings of the miners at Borinage give way to a much more refined manner and emotion at work.

In 1883, Vincent began to experiment with oil paints, he used oil paints earlier, but now this direction is the main one for him. In the same year, he parted ways with Sin. Vincent leaves The Hague in mid-September to move to Drenthe. For the next six weeks, Vincent leads a nomadic lifestyle, traveling throughout the region to work on landscapes and depictions of peasants.

The last time Vincent returns to his parents' house, now in Nuenen, is at the end of 1883. Over the next year, Vincent Van Gogh continued to improve his craft. He created dozens of paintings and drawings during this period: weavers, counters and other portraits. The local peasants turned out to be his favorite topics - in part because Van Gogh felt a strong kinship with the poor working people. There is another episode in Vincent's romantic life. Dramatic this time. Margot Begemann (1841-1907), whose family lived next door to Vincent's parents, was in love with Vincent and the emotional turmoil in her relationship leads her to a poisonous suicide attempt. Vincent was greatly shocked by this incident. Margot eventually recovered, but the incident upset Vincent greatly. He himself, in letters to Theo, repeatedly returned to this episode.

1885: First Great Works

In the early months of 1885, Van Gogh continued his series of portraits of peasants. Vincent saw them as good practice where you can improve your skills. Vincent is productive during March and April. At the end of March, he slightly breaks away from work in connection with the death of his father, with whom relations have been very tense in recent years. Several years of hard work, improvement of skills, technology and Vincent in 1885 comes to his first serious work "The Potato Eaters".

Vincent worked on The Potato Eaters during April 1885. He prepared several sketches in advance and worked on this painting in the studio. Vincent Ball is so enthusiastic about the success that even criticism from his friend Anthony Van Rappard has only led to a breakup. This is a new stage in the life and skill of Van Gogh.

Van Gogh continues to work in 1885, he does not calm down and at the beginning of 1886 entered the Art Academy in Antwerp. Once again, he comes to the conclusion that formal training is too narrow for him. Vincent's choice is practical work, only in this way can he hone his skills, as evidenced by his "Potato Eaters". After four weeks of training, Van Gogh leaves the Academy. He is interested in new methods, technology, self-improvement, all this Vincent can no longer get in Holland, his path lies in Paris.

A new beginning: Paris

In 1886, Vincent Van Gogh, without warning, arrives in Paris to his brother Theo. Prior to that, in letters he wrote to his brother about the need to move to Paris for further development. Theo, in turn, knowing Vincent's complex nature, resisted this move. But Theo had no choice and had to accept his brother.

The period of his life in Paris for Van Gogh is important in terms of his role in transformation as an artist. Unfortunately, this period of Vincent's life (two years in Paris) is one of the least documented. Since the description of Van Gogh's life is based on his correspondence with Theo, and this Vincent lived with Theo (Montmartre district, rue Lepic, house 54), and naturally there was no correspondence.

However, the importance of Vincent's time in Paris is clear. Theo, as an art dealer, had many contacts among artists and Vincent soon entered this circle. For two years in Paris, Van Gogh visited early Impressionist exhibitions (which included works by Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat and Sisley). There is no doubt that Van Gogh was influenced by the Impressionists, but he always remained true to his own unique style. Over the course of two years, Van Gogh adopted some of the techniques of the Impressionists.

Vincent enjoy painting in the vicinity of Paris during 1886. His palette began to move away from the dark, traditional colors of his homeland and will include brighter impressionist hues. Vincent became interested in Japanese art, Japan during this period of its cultural isolation. The Western world was fascinated by everything Japanese and Vincent acquired several Japanese prints. As a result, Japanese art influenced Van Gogh and throughout the rest of the time it is read in his works.

Throughout 1887, Van Gogh hones his skills, practices a lot. His lively and stormy personality does not calm down, Vincent, sparing his health, eats poorly, abuses alcohol and smoking. His hopes that by living with his brother he would be able to control his expenses did not materialize. The relationship with Theo is tense. ...

As has often happened throughout his life, poor weather conditions during the winter months make Vincent irritable and depressed. He is depressed, wants to see and feel the colors of nature. The winter months of 1887-1888 are not easy. Van Gogh decided to leave Paris following the sun, his road lies to Arles.

Vincent van Gogh moved to Arles in early 1888 for a variety of reasons. Tired of the hectic energy of Paris and the long winter months, Van Gogh strives for the warm sun of Provence. Another motivation is Vincent's dream of creating a kind of artists' commune in Arles, where his comrades from Paris can find refuge, where they will work together, support each other in achieving a common goal. Van Gogh boarded the train from Paris to Arles on February 20, 1888, inspired by his dream for a prosperous future, and watched the landscape pass by.

No doubt Van Gogh was not disappointed with Arles in the first few weeks there. Looking for the sun, Vincent saw Arles unusually cold and covered with snow. This must have been discouraging for Vincent, who left everyone he knew in order to find warmth and recovery in the south. However, the bad weather was short-lived and Vincent began painting some of his most beloved works of his career.

As soon as it got warmer, Vincent wasted no time creating his works in the open air. In March, the trees were awakening and the landscape looked somewhat gloomy after winter. However, a month later, buds are visible on the trees and Van Gogh paints flowering gardens. Vincent is pleased with his performance and feels renewal along with the gardens.

The months that followed were happy. Vincent rented a room at the Café de la Gare in Place Lamartine 10 in early May and rented his famous "Yellow House" for the studio (at Place Lamartine 2). Vincent won't actually move to the Yellow House until September.

Vincent works hard throughout the spring and summer, starting to send his pieces to Theo. Van Gogh is often perceived today as an irritable and lonely person. But in reality, he enjoys the company of people and does his best during these months to make friends with many. Though deeply lonely at times. Vincent never gave up hope of creating an artists' commune and began a campaign to persuade Paul Gauguin to join him in the south. The prospect seems unlikely, because Gauguin's relocation will require even more financial assistance from Theo, who have reached their limit.

At the end of July, Van Gogh's uncle died and left a legacy to Theo. This financial inflow allows Theo to sponsor Gauguin's move to Arles. Theo was interested in this move as a brother and as a business man. Theo knows that Vincent would be happier and more relaxed in the company of Gauguin, and Theo also hoped that the paintings he would receive from Gauguin in exchange for his support would be profitable. Unlike Vincent, Paul Gauguin is not entirely sure of the success of his work.

Despite the improvement in Theo's financial affairs, Vincent remained true to himself and spent almost everything on art supplies and furnishings in the apartment. Gauguin arrived in Arles by train early in the morning of 23 October.

In the next two months, this move will be critical and disastrous for both Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Initially, Van Gogh and Gauguin got along well, worked on the outskirts of Arles, discussed their art. As the weeks passed, the weather worsened, Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin were forced to stay at home more and more often. The temperaments of both artists, forced to work in the same room, give rise to many conflicts.

Relations between Van Gogh and Gauguin deteriorated during December; Vincent wrote that their heated debates became more and more frequent. December 23 Vincent Van Gogh, in a fit of insanity, mutilated the lower left ear. Van Gogh cut off part of his left earlobe, wrapped it in cloth and presented it to a prostitute. Then Vincent returned to his apartment, where he lost consciousness. He was discovered by the police and hospitalized at the Hotel-Dieu hospital in Arles. After sending the telegram to Theo, Gauguin immediately left for Paris without visiting Van Gogh in the hospital. They will never meet in person again, although the relationship will improve ..

During his hospital stay, Vincent was under the supervision of Dr. Felix Ray (1867-1932). The first week after the injury was critical to Van Gogh's life - both psychologically and physically. He suffered great blood loss and continued to suffer from severe seizures. Theo, who rushed from Paris to Arles, was confident that Vincent would die, but by the end of December and in the early days of January, Vincent was almost completely recovered.

The first weeks of 1889 were not easy for Vincent Van Gogh. After recovering, Vincent returned to his Yellow Home, but continued to visit Dr. Ray for observation and wear a bandage on his head. After his recovery, Vincent was on the rise, but money problems and the departure of his close friend, Joseph Roulin (1841-1903), who accepted a better offer and moved with the whole family to Marseille. Roulin was a dear and loyal friend of Vincent most of his time in Arles.

During January and early February, Vincent worked hard, during this time he created "Sunflowers" and "Lullaby". However, on February 7, another attack of Vincent. He was taken to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital for observation. Van Gogh is in the hospital for ten days, but after that he returns to the Yellow House again.

By this time, some of the citizens of Arles had become alarmed by Vincent's behavior and signed a petition detailing the problem. The petition was presented to the mayor of the city of Arles, eventually the chief of police, ordered Van Gogh to go back to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital. Vincent stayed in the hospital for the next six weeks and was allowed to leave in order to paint. It was a productive but emotionally difficult moment for Van Gogh. As was the case a year before, Van Gogh returns to the blossoming gardens around Arles. But even when he creates one of his best works, Vincent realizes that his condition is unstable. And after discussion with Theo, he agrees to voluntary treatment at the specialized clinic Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Remy-de-Provence. Van Gogh leaves Arles on 8 May.

Upon arrival at the clinic, Van Gogh was placed under the supervision of Dr. Théophile Zacharie Peyron Auguste (1827-95). After examining Vincent, Dr. Peyron is convinced that his patient is suffering from epilepsy - a diagnosis that remains one of the most likely predictors of Van Gogh's condition, even today. Being in the clinic puts pressure on Van Gogh, he was discouraged by the screams of other patients and bad food. He is depressed by this atmosphere. Van Gogh's treatment includes hydrotherapy, frequent immersion in a large bath of water. While this "therapy" was not brutal, it was least helpful in helping to restore Vincent's mental health.

As the weeks passed, Vincent's mental state remained stable and he was allowed to resume work. The staff were inspired by Van Gogh's progress, and in mid-June, Van Gogh creates Starry Night.

Van Gogh's relatively calm state does not last long, until mid-July. This time Vincent tried to swallow his paints, as a result, he has limited access to materials. After this aggravation, he quickly recovers, Vincent is pulled out by his art. After another week, Dr. Peyron allows Van Gogh to resume his work. The resumption of work coincided with an improvement in mental health. Vincent writes to Theo describing his poor physical condition.

For two months, Van Gogh could not leave his ward and writes to Theo that when he goes out into the street, he is seized by a strong loneliness. In the coming weeks, Vincent again overcomes his worries and resumes work. During this time, Vincent plans to leave the Saint-Remy Clinic. He expresses these thoughts to Theo, who begins to inquire about possible alternatives for medical care for Vincent - this time much closer to Paris.

Van Gogh's mental and physical health was fairly stable throughout the remainder of 1889. Theo's health is improving, he is helping to organize the Octave Maus exhibition, in Brussels, in which six paintings by Vincent were displayed. Vincent is delighted with the venture and remains highly prolific throughout this time.

On December 23, 1889, a year after the seizure, when Vincent cut off his earlobe, another weekly seizure slays Van Gogh. The aggravation was serious and lasted about a week, but Vincent recovered quickly enough and resumed painting. Unfortunately, Van Gogh suffered from a large number of seizures during the first months of 1890. These exacerbations become frequent. Ironically, during this time, when Van Gogh was probably at his most mentally depressed state, his work is finally beginning to gain critical acclaim. News of this pushes Vincent to the hope of leaving the clinic and heading north.

After consultations, Theo realizes that the best solution for Vincent would be to return to Paris, under the supervision of Dr. Paul Gachet (1828-1909), a therapist in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris. Vincent agrees with Theo's plans and completes treatment in Saint-Remy. On May 16, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh left the clinic and took the night train to Paris.

“The sadness will last forever ....

Vincent's trip to Paris was uneventful and he was met by Theo upon arrival. Vincent stayed with Theo, his wife Joanna, and their newborn son, Vincent Willem (named Vincent) for three pleasant days. Having never liked the hustle and bustle of city life, Vincent felt some tension and decided to leave Paris, to the quieter Auvers-sur-Oise.

Vincent met with Dr. Gachet shortly after his arrival in Auvers. Although initially impressed by Gachet, Van Gogh later expressed serious doubts about his competence. Despite his misgivings, Vincent finds himself a small hotel room owned by Arthur Gustave Ravoux and immediately begins to paint the neighborhood of Auvers-sur-Oise.

Over the next two weeks, Van Gogh's opinion of Gache softens. Vincent was pleased with Auvers-sur-Oise, here he was given freedom, which was denied in Saint-Remy, and at the same time provided him with broad themes for his painting and graphics. The first weeks in Auvers passed pleasantly and without incident for Vincent Van Gogh. On June 8, Theo, Joe and the child came to Auvers to visit Vincent and Gachet. Vincent is having a very pleasant day with his family. Apparently, Vincent was completely recovered - mentally and physically.

Throughout June, Vincent remained in good spirits and was extremely productive with The Portrait of Dr. Gachet and The Church at Auvers. The initial calm of the first month at Auvers was cut short when Vincent received news that his nephew was seriously ill. Theo is going through the hardest time: uncertainty about his own career and future, current health problems and his son's illness. After the child recovered, Vincent decided to visit Theo and his family on 6 July and set off on an early train. Very little is known about the visit. Vincent soon gets tired and quickly returns to the quieter Over.

Over the next three weeks, Vincent resumed his work and, as can be seen from his letters, was quite happy. In his letters, Vincent writes that at the present time he is feeling well and he is calm, comparing his condition with the previous year. Vincent was immersed in the fields and plains around Auvers and produced several brilliant landscapes during July. Vincent's life is gaining stability, he works hard.

Nothing foreshadowed such a denouement. July 27, 1890 Vincent Van Gogh sets out with an easel and paints to the fields. There he took out a revolver and shot himself in the chest. Vincent managed to walk back to the Ravoux Inn, where he collapsed into bed. The decision was made not to try to remove the bullet in Vincent's chest and Gachet wrote an urgent letter to Theo. Unfortunately, Dr. Gachet did not have Theo's home address and had to write to him at the gallery where he worked. This caused no major delay and Theo arrived the next day.

Vincent and Theo stayed together during the last hours of Vincent's life. Theo was devoted to his brother, holding him and speaking to him in Dutch. Vincent seemed to come to terms with his fate and Theo later wrote that Vincent himself wanted to die when Theo was sitting by his bed. Vincent's last words were "The sadness will last forever."

Vincent van Gogh died at 1:30 am. July 29, 1890. Church Over refused to allow Vincent to be buried on the grounds of his cemetery, because Vincent committed suicide. The nearby village of Mary, however, agreed to allow burial and the funeral took place on 30 July.

Vincent Van Gogh is a great artist that every person on Earth knows about today. But once absolutely no one knew about him: his path to the top of fame b ...

From Masterweb

Nowadays, few people do not know about the great artist Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh's biography was destined to be not too long, but eventful and full of hardships, short ups and desperate falls. Few know that in his entire life Vincent managed to sell only one of his paintings for a substantial amount, and only after his death did his contemporaries recognize the enormous influence of the Dutch post-impressionist on painting of the 20th century. The biography of Van Gogh can be summarized in the great master's dying words:

The sadness will never end.

Unfortunately, the life of an amazing and original creator was full of pain and disappointment. But who knows, maybe if not for all the losses in life, the world would never have seen his amazing works, which people still admire?

Childhood

A short biography and work of Vincent Van Gogh were restored through the efforts of his brother Theo. Vincent had almost no friends, so everything that we now know about the great artist is told by a man who loved him immensely.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in North Brabant in the village of Groth-Zundert. The firstborn of Theodore and Anna Cornelia, Van Gogh died in infancy - Vincent became the oldest child in the family. Four years after the birth of Vincent, his brother Theodorus was born, with whom Vincent was close until the end of his life. In addition, they also had a brother Cornelius and three sisters (Anna, Elizabeth and Willemina).

An interesting fact in the biography of Van Gogh is that he grew up as a difficult and stubborn child with extravagant manners. At the same time, outside the family, Vincent was serious, gentle, thoughtful and calm. He did not like to communicate with other children, but fellow villagers considered him a modest and friendly child.

In 1864 he was sent to a boarding school in Zevenbergen. The artist Van Gogh recalled this segment of his biography with pain: the departure caused him a lot of suffering. This place doomed him to loneliness, so Vincent took up his studies, but in 1868 he left his studies and returned home. In fact, this is all the formal education that the artist managed to get.

A short biography and work of Van Gogh is still carefully preserved in museums and a few testimonies: no one could have thought that an obnoxious child would become a truly great creator - even if his significance was recognized only after his death.

Work and missionary work

A year after returning home, Vincent goes to work at the Hague branch of his uncle's art and trading company. In 1873, Vincent was transferred to London. Over time, Vincent learned to appreciate and understand painting. He later moved to 87 Hackford Road, where he rents a room from Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugenie. Some biographers add that Van Gogh was in love with Eugene, although the facts suggest that he loved the German woman Karlina Haanebik.

In 1874, Vincent already worked in the Paris branch, but soon he returned to London again. Things are getting worse for him: a year later he is again transferred to Paris, visits art museums and exhibitions, and finally, he finds the courage to try his hand at painting. Vincent cools off to work, fired up by a new business. All this leads to the fact that in 1876 he was fired from the company for poor performance.

Then in the biography of Vincent Van Gogh there comes a moment when he again returns to London and teaches at a boarding school in Ramsgate. During the same life period, Vincent devoted a lot of time to religion, he has a desire to become a pastor, following in the footsteps of his father. A little later, Van Gogh moved to another school in Isleworth, where he began to work as a teacher and assistant pastor. In the same place, Vincent read his first sermon. Interest in scripture grew and he was inspired by the idea of ​​preaching to the poor.

At Christmas, Vincent went home, where he was begged not to travel back to England. So he stayed in the Netherlands to help in a bookstore in Dordrecht. But this work did not inspire him: he mainly occupied himself with sketches and translations of the Bible.

His parents supported Van Gogh's desire to become a priest, sending him to Amsterdam in 1877. There he settled with his uncle Jan Van Gogh. Vincent studied hard under the supervision of Johannes Stricker, the renowned theologian, preparing for the exams for admission to the theology department. But very soon he quits his studies and leaves Amsterdam.

The desire to find his place in the world led him to the Protestant Missionary School of Pastor Bokma in Laeken near Brussels, where he took a preaching course. There is also an opinion that Vincent did not complete the full course, because he was kicked out because of his unkempt appearance, hot temper and fits of anger.

In 1878, Vincent became a missionary for six months in the village of Patyurazh in Borinage. Here he visited the sick, read the Scriptures for those who could not read, taught children, and at night he was engaged in drawing maps of Palestine, earning a living. Van Gogh planned to enter the Evangelical school, but he considered the payment of tuition discrimination and abandoned this idea. Soon he was removed from the rank of preacher - this was a painful blow for the future artist, but also an important fact in the biography of Van Gogh. Who knows, perhaps, if not for this high-profile event, Vincent would have become a priest, and the world would never have known the talented artist.

Becoming as an artist

Studying the short biography of Vincent Van Gogh, we can conclude: fate seemed to push him all his life in the right direction and led him to drawing. Seeking salvation from despondency, Vincent again turns to painting. He turned to his brother Theo for support and in 1880 went to Brussels, where he attended classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. A year later, Vincent is forced to leave school again and return to his family. It was then that he decided that the artist did not need any talent, the main thing was to work hard. Therefore, he continues painting and drawing on his own.

During this period, Vincent experiences a new love, this time turned to his cousin, the widow Kei Vos-Stricker, who was visiting the Van Gogh house. But she did not reciprocate, but Vincent continued to look after her, which caused the indignation of his relatives. In the end, he was told to leave. Van Gogh is experiencing another shock and abandons attempts to establish a further personal life.

Vincent leaves for The Hague, where he takes lessons from Anton Mauve. Over time, the biography and work of Vincent Van Gogh was filled with new colors, including in painting: he experimented with mixing different techniques. Then his works were born, such as Backyards, which he created with chalk, pen and brush, as well as the painting Roofs. View from Van Gogh's Studio ”, painted with watercolors and chalk. A great influence on the formation of his work was influenced by Charles Bargh's book "A Course in Drawing", from which he diligently copied lithographs.

Vincent was a man of fine mental organization, and, one way or another, he was drawn to people and emotional return. Despite his decision to forget about his personal life, in The Hague, he nevertheless made another attempt to create a family. He met Christine right on the street and was imbued with her difficult situation so much that he invited her to live in his house with the children. This act finally broke off Vincent's relationship with all his loved ones, but they maintained a warm relationship with Theo. So Vincent had a girlfriend and a model. But Christine turned out to be a nightmare: Van Gogh's life turned into a nightmare.

When they parted, the artist traveled north to the province of Drenthe. He equipped the dwelling for a workshop, and spent whole days outdoors, creating landscapes. But the artist himself did not call himself a landscape painter, devoting his paintings to the peasants and their daily life.

Van Gogh's early works are classified as realism, but his technique does not quite fit into this direction. One of the problems that Van Gogh faced in his work is the inability to correctly portray a human figure. But this only played into the hands of the great artist: it became a characteristic feature of his style: the interpretation of a person as an integral part of the world around him. This can be clearly seen, for example, in the work "Peasant and Peasant Woman Planting Potatoes". Human figures are like mountains in the distance, and the elevated horizon seems to press on them from above, preventing them from straightening their backs. A similar technique can be seen in his later work Red Vineyards.

In this segment of his biography, Van Gogh writes a series of works, including:

• "Leaving the Protestant Church in Nuenen";
• Potato Eaters;
• "Peasant";
• "The old church tower in Nuenen".

The paintings are created in dark shades, which symbolize the painful perception by the author of human suffering and a feeling of general depression. Van Gogh portrayed the heavy atmosphere of hopelessness of the peasants and the sad mood of the village. At the same time, Vincent developed his own understanding of landscapes: in his opinion, through the landscape the state of mind of a person is expressed through the connection between human psychology and nature.

Paris period

The artistic life of the French capital is flourishing: it was there that the great artists of the time flocked. The exhibition of the Impressionists on the rue Lafite became a landmark event: for the first time, the works of Signac and Seurat are shown, who herald the beginning of the post-impressionism movement. It was impressionism that revolutionized art, changing the approach to painting. This trend presented confrontation with academism and outdated plots: pure colors and the very impression of what they saw are at the head of creativity, which are subsequently transferred to the canvas. Post-Impressionism was the final stage of Impressionism.

The Parisian period, which lasted from 1986 to 1988, became the most fruitful in the artist's life; more than 230 drawings and canvases were added to his collection of paintings. Vincent Van Gogh forms his own view of art: the realistic approach is becoming a thing of the past, being replaced by the desire for post-impressionism.

With the acquaintance with Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet, the colors in his paintings begin to brighten and become brighter and brighter, eventually becoming a real riot of colors characteristic of his last works.

Papa Tanguy's shop, where art materials were sold, became an iconic place. Here many artists met and exhibited their works. But Van Gogh's temper was still irreconcilable: the spirit of rivalry and tension in society often pissed off the impulsive artist, so Vincent soon quarreled with friends and decided to leave the French capital.

Among the famous works of the Parisian period are the following paintings:

• Agostina Segatori at the Tambourine Cafe;
• "Daddy Tanguy";
• Still Life with Absinthe;
• "Bridge over the Seine";
• "View of Paris from Theo's apartment on rue Lepic."

Provence

Vincent goes to Provence and is imbued with this atmosphere for the rest of his life. Theo supports his brother's decision to become a real artist and sends him money for a living, and he sends him his paintings in gratitude in the hope that his brother will be able to sell them profitably. Van Gogh settles in a hotel, where he lives and works, periodically inviting casual visitors or acquaintances to pose.

With the onset of spring, Vincent gets out into the street and draws flowering trees and nature that comes to life. The ideas of impressionism are gradually leaving his work, but remain in the form of a light palette and pure colors. During this period of his work, Vincent wrote "The Peach Tree in Bloom", "Anglois Bridge at Arles".

Van Gogh worked even at night, once imbued with the idea of ​​capturing the special night shades and glow of the stars. He works by candlelight: this is how the famous "Starry Night over the Rhone" and "Night Cafe" were created.

Severed ear

Vincent is fired up with the idea of ​​creating a common home for the artist, where creators could create their masterpieces, living and working together. An important event was the arrival of Paul Gauguin, with whom Vincent had a long correspondence. Together with Gauguin, Vincent writes passion-filled works:

• "Yellow House";
• "Harvest. Valley of La Cro ";
• "Armchair of Gauguin".

Vincent was overjoyed, but this union ends in a loud quarrel. Passions all ran high, and in one of his desperate turbidity, Van Gogh, according to some testimonies, attacks a friend with a razor in his hands. Gauguin manages to stop Vincent, and as a result, he cuts off his earlobe. Gauguin leaves his house, while he wrapped the bloody flesh in a napkin and handed it to a familiar prostitute named Rachelle. Rulen's friend found him in a pool of his own blood. Although the wound soon healed, the deep mark on his heart shattered Vincent's mental health for life. Soon Vincent ends up in a psychiatric hospital.

The flowering of creativity

During periods of remission, he asked to return to the workshop, but the residents of Arles signed a statement to the mayor asking him to isolate the mentally ill artist from civilians. But in the hospital he was not forbidden to create: until 1889, Vincent worked on new paintings right there. During this time, he created over 100 pencil and watercolor drawings. The canvases of this period are distinguished by tension, bright dynamics and contrasting contrasting colors:

• "Starlight Night";
• "Landscape with Olives";
• "Wheat field with cypresses".

At the end of the same year, Vincent was invited to participate in the G20 exhibition in Brussels. His works aroused intense interest among connoisseurs of painting, but this could no longer please the artist, and even a laudatory article about "Red Vineyards in Arles" did not make the exhausted Van Gogh happy.

In 1890 he moved to Opère-sur-Urz, near Paris, where he saw his family for the first time in a long time. He continued to write, but his style became more and more gloomy and oppressive. A distinctive feature of that period was a curved and tearful contour, which can be traced in the following works:

• Street and Staircase at Auvers;
• "Rural road with cypresses";
• "Landscape at Auvers after the rain".

Last years

The last bright memory in the life of the great artist was his acquaintance with Dr. Paul Gachet, who also loved to write. Friendship with him supported Vincent in the most difficult periods of his life - apart from his brother, the postman Roulin and Dr. Gachet, by the end of his life he had no close friends.

In 1890, Vincent paints the canvas "Wheat Field with Crows", and a week later, tragedy occurs.

The circumstances of the artist's death look mysterious. Vincent was shot in the heart with his own revolver, which he carried with him to scare away birds. While dying, the artist admitted that he shot himself in the chest, but missed, hitting a little lower. He himself got to the hotel where he lived, a doctor was called for him. The doctor doubted the version with a suicide attempt - the angle of entry of the bullet was suspiciously low, and the bullet did not go right through, which suggests that they were shooting from a distance - or, at least, from a distance of a couple of meters. The doctor immediately called Theo - he arrived the next day and was with his brother until his death.

There is a version that on the eve of Van Gogh's death, the artist had a serious argument with Dr. Gachet. He accused him of insolvency, while his brother Theo literally dies of a disease that eats him, but still sends him money for life. These words could greatly hurt Vincent - after all, he himself felt great guilt before his brother. In addition, in recent years, Vincent had feelings for the lady, which again did not lead to reciprocity. Being as depressed as possible, upset by a quarrel with a friend, recently leaving the hospital, Vincent could well decide to commit suicide.

Vincent died on July 30, 1890. Theo loved his brother endlessly and with great difficulty took this loss. He began organizing an exhibition of Vincent's posthumous works, but less than a year later, he died of a severe nervous shock on January 25, 1891. Years later, Theo's widow reburied his remains next to Vincent: she believed that inseparable brothers should be next to each other at least after death.

Confession

It is a common misconception that during his lifetime Van Gogh was able to sell only one of his paintings - "Red Vineyards in Arles". This work was only the first to be sold for a large sum - about 400 francs. Nevertheless, there are documents proving the sale of 14 more paintings.

Vincent Van Gogh received really wide recognition only after his death. His memorable exhibitions were organized in Paris, The Hague, Antwerp, Brussels. Interest in the artist began to grow, and at the beginning of the 20th century, retrospectives began in Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Cologne and Berlin. People became interested in his work, and his work began to influence the younger generation of artists.

Gradually, the prices for the painter's paintings began to increase until they became one of the most expensive paintings ever sold in the world, along with the works of Pablo Picasso. Among the most expensive of his works:

• "Portrait of Dr. Gachet";
• "Irises";
• "Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin";
• "Wheat field with cypresses";
• "Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe";
• "A plowed field and a plowman."

Influence

In his last letter to Theo, Vincent wrote that, having no children of his own, the artist perceived the paintings as his continuation. To some extent, this was true: he did have children, and the first of them was Expressionism, which later began to have many heirs.

Many artists later adapted the features of Van Gogh's style for their work: Howart Hodgkin, Willem de Koening, Jackson Pollock. Fauvism soon came, which expanded the scope of color, expressionism became widespread.

The biography of Van Gogh and his work gave the expressionists a new language that helped the creators delve deeper into the essence of things and the world around them. Vincent became, in a sense, a pioneer in the art of modernity, having trod a new path in visual art.

It is almost impossible to tell a brief biography of Van Gogh: for his, unfortunately, short life, his work was influenced by so many different events that it would be a terrible injustice to omit at least one of them. A difficult life path led Vincent to the pinnacle of fame, but posthumous fame. During his lifetime, the great painter knew neither about his own genius, nor about the huge legacy that he left to the world of art, nor about how his family and friends yearned for him in the future. Vincent lived a lonely and sad life, rejected by everyone. He found salvation in art, but he could not be saved. But, one way or another, he presented the world with many amazing works that warm the hearts of people to this day, so many years later.

Kievyan street, 16 0016 Armenia, Yerevan +374 11 233 255