Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was born into a minister’s family in Zundert in the province of Brabant. After a brief stint in the art trade he initially wanted to become a ‘painter of peasants.’ In the mere ten years that his painting career spanned, his quest for colour, light and the representation of his personal interpretation of nature were key. Given Van Gogh’s influence on later artists, he was a star player in the early development of modern art.
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Expression
Van Gogh experienced his surroundings and daily life intensely. In his art he conveyed his emotions and experiences through colour, which in his opinion was highly expressive. The way he painted, with quick brushstrokes, also reflected his state of mind.
The Sower, Vincent van Gogh, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)
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From a dark to a bright palette
In February 1886 Van Gogh moved from Belgium to Paris. Influenced by the Impressionist and Pointillist art he saw there, he renounced his dark palette and developed his distinctive style with loose brushstrokes and bright, fresh colours.
Le Blute-Fin Mill, Vincent van Gogh, 1886. Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle and Heino/Wijhe


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Self-portraits
While only one portrait photo of Van Gogh has survived, no less than 35 painted self-portraits by him are known. Except for his characteristic red hair and light eyes, he always depicted his face differently. Each likeness depended on his mood at the time, as did the specific style of painting he was using: traditional and dark, or more modern with brighter colours.
Self-portrait Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), oil on cardboard, 1887
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Japan
Vincent was fascinated by Japanese prints. He collected hundreds of them together with his brother Theo. Not only did he paint copies of the woodcuts, he also used their style to modernize his art. He adopted the prints’ high elevated horizon, hard contour lines and abrupt cropping in his own paintings.
Courtesan (after Eisen), Vincent van Gogh, 1887. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)
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Artist friends
In Paris, Vincent became friends with a number of artists who were striving for artistic innovation, including Paul Gauguin, Émile Bernard, Charles Laval and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. During his stay in the south of France, Vincent wanted to create a community of artists, the ‘Studio of the South.’ Of the friends he invited to join him, Gauguin was the only one who responded to his call. They lived together for several months in the ‘Yellow House’ in Arles.
Vincent van Gogh Painting Sunflowers, Paul Gauguin, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)


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Mental illness
Gauguin and Van Gogh had fierce discussions about art, which sometimes got out of hand. After an explosive quarrel Vincent cut off his ear in a fit of madness and ended up in hospital. This first collapse was followed by other crises, as a result of which he voluntarily admitted himself to a psychiatric institution for a year. Van Gogh continued to paint feverishly and ceaselessly until his tragic suicide in 1890.
Portrait of Doctor Gachet, Vincent van Gogh, 1890
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Love of yellow
For Vincent the colour yellow symbolized hope and gratitude. In 1888 he left for Arles, in search of the warm light and bright colours of the Mediterranean coast. There he made a series of five sunflower still lifes. In this painting he showed that he could create a powerful composition using different shades of a single colour: the yellow he so loved.
Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh, 1889. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)


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Fanatical draughtsman
In addition to being a painter, Van Gogh was an avid draughtsman. In Arles he rediscovered the technique of drawing with a reed pen and ink, materials he associated with the Japanese art he so admired. He even cut his own pens from local reeds. The diversity of lines, curls and dots of ink with which he depicted the rocks, vegetation and fields displays how he developed his own ‘handwriting’ in this medium.
Landscape near Montmajour Abbey, Arles, Vincent van Gogh, 1888


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Mythification
In the course of the last century Vincent became the exemplar of the ingenious but misunderstood artist. Anecdotes, books and films cultivated the mythical image of an artist struggling in poverty, who went unrecognized during his own life. From his extensive correspondence, however, it appears that he was less impoverished and mad than is often thought. Moreover, in his own time he did have some, though not many, admirers.
Road behind the Parsonage Garden in Nuenen


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A real Dutchman?
About ten years after Vincent’s death a discussion already arose in the press about his position in the history of Dutch art. Some critics claimed that he pushed Dutch realism to its limits, while others saw him as an exponent of French Impressionism. Today Vincent is one of the most famous artists in the world and his name transcends his nationality.
Farming Village at Twilight