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Basic data

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter who became known for his expressive brushstrokes and his emotional, often intensely colorful depictions. He is considered one of the most important artists of the Post-Impressionist movement.
 
Name: Vincent van Gogh
Date of birth: March 30, 1853
Place of birth: Zundert, Netherlands
Date of death: July 29, 1890
Place of death: Auvers-sur-Oise, France
Nationality: Dutch
Artistic style: Post-Impressionism
Known works: “Starry Night”, “The Sunflowers”, “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear”
Techniques: Painting, Drawing
Influences: Impressionism, Pointillism, Japanese woodcuts
Similar artists: Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse
Exhibitions: Posthumously in museums such as the Van Gogh Museum and the Musée d'Orsay
Special features: Famous for his expressive landscapes and portraits
 
Vincent van Gogh's work has had a lasting impact on modern art and remains recognized worldwide to this day.
 

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Biography

Childhood & youth
 
Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, a small village in the Netherlands, the son of a Protestant pastor. He grew up in a deeply religious and conservative family, which strongly influenced his life and thinking. Even at a young age, Van Gogh showed a deep sensitivity and a tendency towards loneliness. He often felt misunderstood and vacillated between various career goals before turning to art.
 
He initially worked as an art dealer in The Hague, London and Paris, where he came into contact with the art world. However, Van Gogh did not find fulfillment in this profession and felt increasingly drawn to religious work. He tried his hand as a lay preacher in Belgium, but his excessive devotion and unorthodox methods led to the failure of this vocation. It was not until his mid-20s that Van Gogh decided to become an artist, motivated by a deep need to express his inner struggles and his view of the world through art.
 
 
 
Early artistic development
 
Van Gogh began his artistic career relatively late, but he devoted himself to his new vocation with intense passion. In the early years, he concentrated on drawings and landscapes that were strongly inspired by the Dutch masters of the 17th century. His work shows an earthy, muted color palette and often themes of simple country life, as in his early masterpiece The Potato Eaters (1885).
 
His time at the art school in Antwerp in 1886 was brief and marked by little success. Nevertheless, Van Gogh was strongly influenced by the art scene there during this phase, in particular by his encounter with Japanese woodcuts, which were in vogue in the Parisian art world. These works shaped his increasing turn towards two-dimensional compositions and strong contour lines.
 
 
 
Paris: Encounter with Impressionism
 
In 1886, Van Gogh moved to Paris, where his brother Theo van Gogh, an art dealer, was living. This move marked a decisive turning point in his artistic career. In Paris, Van Gogh came into contact with the avant-garde of the French art scene. He became acquainted with artists such as Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Seurat. Impressionism and Pointillism in particular had a strong influence on his art.
 
Under the influence of these movements, Van Gogh changed his color palette and began to work with brighter, more vibrant colors. The Impressionist experiments with light and color inspired him to develop his own techniques, which are characterized by bold brushstrokes and intense colors. Works such as Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887) show how Van Gogh applied Impressionist color theory in his own expressive way.

 

Arles and the search for light

In February 1888, Van Gogh leaves Paris and moves to Arles in the south of France. In the bright, sunny landscape of the south, the artist searched for a new expression for his art. He was fascinated by the colors of the south and created some of his most famous works during this time. In Arles, Van Gogh developed his characteristic swirling brushstrokes and began to work with contrasting colors to express his emotional and spiritual relationship with nature.

One of his most iconic works, The Sunflowers (1888), was created during this phase. The bright yellow flowers are an expression of Van Gogh's passion for color and his search for symbolic meaning in nature. At the same time, he painted landscapes and scenes of everyday life, including the famous Bedroom in Arles (1888), which reflects his longing for peace and security.

Van Gogh dreamed of founding an artists' colony in Arles and invited his friend Paul Gauguin to join him. However, the collaboration between the two artists is characterized by tensions. After violent arguments, Van Gogh cut off part of his left ear in a fit of psychological despair. This event marked the beginning of his severe psychological crisis, which would accompany him until his death.

 

Saint-Rémy and the time in the asylum

After his breakdown in Arles, Van Gogh was admitted to the mental asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he remained from May 1889 to May 1890. Despite his health problems and recurring seizures, this period was extremely productive. In the secluded environment of the asylum, Van Gogh painted some of his most important works, in which his inner turmoil and his spiritual search became visible.

During this phase, he created works such as The Starry Night (1889), one of his most famous paintings, which depicts the night sky over Saint-Rémy, interspersed with swirling stars and a dramatic moon. The painting is an impressive representation of Van Gogh's emotional state and his vision of nature as a living, pulsating force.

The natural world around the asylum also inspired him to create a series of paintings of cypresses, olive trees and wheat fields, reflecting his deep connection with the landscape of southern France. His works from this period show an intense, emotional imagery that testifies to both his love of nature and his inner turmoil.

 

Auvers-sur-Oise and the tragic death

In May 1890, Van Gogh leaves Saint-Rémy and moves to Auvers-sur-Oise, a small village near Paris, where he is under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet. In these last weeks of his life, Van Gogh is extremely productive and paints more than 70 paintings. His works from this period, such as Wheatfield with Ravens (1890), are characterized by intense colours and powerful brushstrokes that express his desperate emotional state.

On July 27, 1890, Van Gogh shoots himself in the chest, presumably in an act of despair. He died two days later, on July 29, 1890, at the age of just 37, with his brother Theo by his side.

 

After his death and legacy

Vincent van Gogh experienced little success during his lifetime. Only a few of his works were sold and he remained largely unknown. It was only after his death that Van Gogh was recognized as one of the most important artists of modern art. His unique style, characterized by bold colors, expressive brushstrokes and a deep emotional and spiritual connection to nature, inspired later artists and art movements such as Expressionism and Fauvism.

His letters, especially those to his brother Theo, are a valuable source for understanding his world of thought and his creative process. They show an artist who was deeply connected to his art and his search for the expression of the invisible in the visible world.

Today, his paintings are among the best known and most valuable in the world, and his works are exhibited in the world's greatest museums, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which houses one of the most extensive collections of his works. Vincent van Gogh remains one of the most fascinating and tragic figures in art history, whose tireless creative drive and visionary style have left a lasting mark on the art world.