Van Gogh's portraits as an important genre in the artist's work. Artist Vincent van Gogh and his severed ear Beautiful paintings by Vincent van Gogh

“No one can do anything about the fact that no one buys my paintings. But the time will come when people will understand that their cost exceeds the cost of paints,” wrote Van Gogh. And he turned out to be right.

It so happened that in his entire life Vincent Van Gogh did not finish a single educational institution. Not a boarding school, not a missionary school, not an Academy fine arts They did not give him a full education. However, life, which was sometimes unkind to the artist, sometimes gave him incredible gifts. One of them was unconditional Talent, which did not obey the rules, but allowed Van Gogh to sometimes feel happy.

“I say that I try to find my happiness in painting, without thinking about anything else.”

Eternally searching

Vincent Van Gogh lived a very short life - only 37 years. Not enough even for those times: he was born in the south of Holland in 1853, and his life was cut short in France in 1890. He was the eldest of six children in the pastor's family, although he had an older brother, also Vincent, who died immediately after birth. And it so happened that for many years Vincent passed by his brother’s grave, on which his given name, as if predicting a short life for him too.

Of all his relatives, Vincent was close only to his brother Theo until the end of his life. Their extensive correspondence has been preserved - more than 800 letters, which became the basis for our knowledge about the artist’s life.

Since childhood, Vincent had a peculiar character; it was difficult for him to study at school far from home, so at the age of 15 he apparently ran away from another boarding school (although he studied well and made progress in foreign languages) and returned home. With this his education ended, it was time to look for a job.

"Still life with cabbage and wooden shoes", 1881

An uncle who owned a company selling works of art helped with the device. Vincent read a lot, studied while working. He spent two years in London on company business, fell in love, failed at love front, was transferred to Paris... Life was in full swing, but then the owners of the company where he worked future artist, changed, and Vincent was left without a place. I had to work as a teacher, a salesman, Vincent tried to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a preacher... Gradually life path led him to painting. And although he did not study for a long time at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts, he did not give up drawing.

Van Gogh created his first paintings - “Still Life with Cabbage and Wooden Shoes” and “Still Life with Beer Glass and Fruit” in 1881, when he was already 28 years old! And this did not stop him from becoming one of those artists who influenced not just his contemporaries, but art in general.

Path of testing

He was strange, not like the others. While Van Gogh was a preacher, he carried out his duties so earnestly that he aroused the suspicions of his superiors. When he fell in love, these stories gave rise to a storm of indignation among his relatives. He fell in love with his cousin, who lost her husband early, but this only caused his father’s displeasure. Then he proposed... to a woman of easy virtue who was pregnant again, he invited her to start a family, he was ready to take care of her children, but they lasted only a year together. Life was too difficult, and the aspiring artist had no income. Afterwards, Van Gogh proposed to Margot Begeman, a girl from a family who lived next door to his parents. But the relatives did not consent to the marriage.

Having suffered a complete fiasco in his personal life, Vag Gog finds the strength to develop as an artist and eventually leaves for Paris, where his brother Theo worked at that time. This is how he finds his city and his place in the art world.

Homeless

It is probably not an exaggeration to call France Van Gogh’s second home - he came to Theo in 1886, and since then his life has been connected with this country. In Paris, Van Gogh met many artists who created the future of art. Toulouse Lautrec, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir were among his people, and he took part in impressionist exhibitions. However, gradually Paris, with its eternal rivalry, begins to put pressure on Van Gogh, and in 1888 he leaves for Provence.

“I find that what I learned in Paris disappears, and I return to those thoughts that came to me in nature, before meeting the Impressionists.”

There he felt at home, devoted himself to painting landscapes with pleasure, but then a tragic incident happened to him, from which the myth later grew that the artist cut off his ear. Van Gogh comes to Provence at the invitation to work together. However, the artists differed too much in temperament, which led to violent quarrels. No one will say exactly what happened on the eve of Christmas 1888, but it is known that Van Gogh and Gauguin quarreled again. And the next day Van Gogh cut off his earlobe - either wanting to show Gauguin his repentance, or trying to punish himself, or simply in a fit of madness caused by alcohol. He is taken to a psychiatric hospital, where doctors determine that Van Gogh suffers from epilepsy. However, they do not forbid him to paint even in the hospital.

The last two years of the artist’s life were filled with tossing and turning. He either quarreled with his brother, then made peace, then left for Paris, then returned to the small town of Auvers-sur-Oise. And he was tormented by attacks of illness that became unbearable. In 1890, Van Gogh went either for a walk or to paint in nature, taking a revolver with him. Deciding to commit suicide, he shoots himself in the heart. The bullet passed lower, but the wound received by the artist turned out to be fatal. On July 29, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh died. The only person close to him - brother Theo - died six months later and was buried next to his brother.

A genius ahead of his time

Having never really studied drawing, Van Gogh initially adhered to the original point of view - an artist does not have to be a natural genius. He can achieve with difficulty what is called mastery. And it must be said that Vincent himself followed this belief, constantly practicing and improving his technique.

His early paintings can be classified as realism. But here the lack of artistic education played what is called a cruel joke on him: Van Gogh was poor at depicting the human figure. That is why his realism is “incomplete”. The figures of people in his paintings are sometimes almost conventional, and sometimes they resemble trees, becoming as if part of nature. Drawing everyday scenes, creating pictures of difficult work, Van Gogh did not break away from nature and the essence of life.

You can visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam at: Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam Opening hours: 09:00 - 17:00, Fridays until 22:00
Official website : https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

Van Gogh paintings

"Potato Eaters", 1885

It is considered that the main masterpiece early period there was a painting “The Potato Eaters” (1885). “I wanted to give an idea of ​​a completely different way of life than the one we lead as civilized people” - Van Gogh wrote to his brother. This picture seems to breathe a world in which people work hard and live hard. Everything - a palette of colors, an image of human figures general mood the paintings speak about it.

"Shoes", 1887

Because creative life Van Gogh's life was not that long, only about 10 years, and the periods in it followed each other very quickly. Just two years later, in 1887, he painted “View of Paris from Theo’s apartment on Rue Lepic.” In this title - full description a new stage in the artist’s life. And at one glance at the canvas, it’s hard to believe that its author just two years ago painted dark figures of peasants bent over a table. Light, airy, full of light shades and joyful colors, this painting marks the Impressionist period in Van Gogh's work.

At this time, people practically disappear from his paintings, as if Van Gogh begins to be interested in the other side of the world. He studies color theory, the traditions of Japanese engraving, and makes nature or simple everyday things the heroes of his paintings. His series of paintings “Boots” (1887) is famous, where an incredibly harmonious combination of colors depicts a simple pair of work boots that tell us a whole story about their owner. And “Still Life with Flowers in a Bronze Vase” (1887), one of the still lifes of those years, amazes with its conventionality and authenticity at the same time.

Having moved to Provence, Van Gogh wanted not only to create himself, but also to create conditions for the creativity of other artists, to open a workshop where he could develop a new style.

Night terrace of a cafe", 1888

“Instead of trying to accurately depict what is in front of my eyes, I use color more freely, in a way that expresses myself most fully.”

The paintings become more vibrant, dynamic, rich, and expressive. This is no longer the lightness of impressionism, but post-impressionism. The painting “Red Vineyards in Arles” (1888) reflects the special color of nature, which we perhaps do not see in real life, but which, nevertheless, very accurately conveys the feeling of working in a field at sunset. Distinctive feature Van Gogh's new style - the brightness of yellow and blue colors, their contrasting, but at the same time harmonious combination, was fully embodied in the painting “Cafe Terrace at Night” (1888). A series of paintings depicting sunflowers also features rich color.

"Starry Night", 1889

The time that Van Gogh spent in a psychiatric clinic, as well as the period after his discharge, was very difficult for the artist. Epilepsy attacks often recurred, but he experienced a certain creative enthusiasm and drew regularly. In addition, experts do not rule out that the drugs Van Gogh took gave him side effects in the form of altered color perception. Perhaps this was so, but even before the treatment, Van Gogh’s paintings were difficult to confuse with others.

Looking at the masterpieces of the last years of his life, it is not always possible to believe that in front of us is a sick person and, in general, unhappy. " Starry night"(1889), one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings late period, despite the unrealistic nature of the depicted starry sky (as if a whirlwind of stars is flying across it), it does not seem far-fetched or deliberate. The picture is very harmonious - the image of the village below, darker and calmer color scheme, balances the celestial dynamics. “I still need religion. That’s why I left the house at night and started drawing stars.”, - Vincent wrote to his brother Theo. And there is a feeling that at this very moment a new Universe was born from the heavenly chaos.

Van Gogh's fame came after his death. During his lifetime, his paintings sold very poorly. Sometimes they say that only one painting was sold (the same “Vineyards in Arles”), in fact there were more, but no more than 15.

By the middle of the 20th century, Van Gogh was called the most recognizable artist who had the greatest influence on the development of art. Today, several Van Gogh paintings are included in the list of paintings sold at auction for more than $100 million.

Vincent Van Gogh is a Dutch artist, one of the brightest representatives of post-impressionism. He worked a lot and fruitfully: over the course of just over ten years he created such a number of works that none of the famous painters. He painted portraits and self-portraits, landscapes and still lifes, cypress trees, wheat fields and sunflowers.

The artist was born around southern border Netherlands in the village of Grotto-Zundert. This event in the family of Pastor Theodore van Gogh and his wife Anna Cornelia Carbentus occurred on March 30, 1853. In total, there were six children in the Van Gogh family. Younger brother Theo helped Vincent throughout his life and took an active part in his difficult fate.

In the family, Vincent was a difficult, disobedient child with some oddities, so he was often punished. Outside the house, on the contrary, he looked thoughtful, serious and quiet. He hardly played with children. His fellow villagers considered him a modest, sweet, friendly and compassionate child. At the age of 7 he was sent to a village school, a year later he was taken from there and taught at home, in the fall of 1864 the boy was taken to a boarding school in Zevenbergen.

Departure hurts the boy's soul and causes him a lot of suffering. In 1866 he was transferred to another boarding school. Vincent is good at languages, and here he also gains his first drawing skills. In 1868, in the middle academic year he quits school and goes home. His education ends here. He remembers his childhood as something cold and gloomy.

Traditionally, generations of Van Goghs realized themselves in two areas of activity: painting paintings and church activities. Vincent will try himself both as a preacher and as a merchant, giving his all to the work. Having achieved certain successes, he abandons both, consecrating his life and his whole self to painting.

Start of a career

In 1868, a fifteen-year-old boy entered the branch of the art company Gupil and Co. in The Hague. For good job and his curiosity are directed to the London branch. During the two years that Vincent spent in London, he becomes a real businessman and connoisseur of engravings by English masters, quotes Dickens and Eliot, and a gloss appears in him. Van Gogh faced the prospect of a brilliant commission agent in the central branch of Goupil in Paris, where he was supposed to move.

In 1875, events occurred that changed his life. In a letter to Theo, he calls his condition “painful loneliness.” Researchers of the artist's biography suggest that the reason for this state is rejected love. It is not known exactly who the object of this love was. It's possible that this version wrong. A transfer to Paris did not help change the situation. He lost interest in Goupil and was fired.

Theology and missionary activity

In his search for himself, Vincent affirms his religious destiny. In 1877, he moved to his uncle Johannes in Amsterdam and prepared to enter the Faculty of Theology. He gets disappointed in his studies, quits classes and leaves. The desire to serve people leads him to a missionary school. In 1879, he received a position as a preacher in Wham in the south of Belgium.

He teaches the Law of God at the miners' center in Borinage, helps the families of miners, visits the sick, teaches children, reads sermons, and draws maps of Palestine to earn money. He himself lives in a miserable shack, eats water and bread, sleeps on the floor, physically torturing himself. In addition, it helps workers defend their rights.

Local authorities remove him from his post, as they do not accept vigorous activity and extremes. During this period, he painted a lot of miners, their wives and children.

Becoming an artist

To escape the depression associated with the events in Paturage, Van Gogh turned to painting. Brother Theo befriends him and he attends the Academy of Fine Arts. But after a year he dropped out of school and went to his parents, continuing to study on his own.

Falls in love again. This time to my cousin. His feelings do not find an answer, but he continues his courtship, which irritates his relatives, who asked him to leave. Due to a new shock, he abandons his personal life and leaves for The Hague to take up painting. Here he takes lessons from Anton Mauve, works a lot, observes city life, mainly in poor neighborhoods. Studying “Drawing Course” by Charles Bargue, copying lithographs. Masters mixing various techniques on canvas, achieving interesting works color shades.

Once again he tries to start a family with a pregnant street woman whom he meets on the street. A woman with children moves in with him and becomes a model for the artist. Because of this, he quarrels with relatives and friends. Vincent himself feels happy, but not for long. The difficult character of his cohabitant turned his life into a nightmare, and they separated.

The artist goes to the province of Drenthe in the north of the Netherlands, lives in a hut, which he equipped as a workshop, paints landscapes, peasants, scenes from their work and life. Early works Van Gogh, with reservations, but can be called realistic. The lack of academic education affected his drawings and inaccurate depictions of human figures.

From Drenthe he moves to his parents in Nuenen and draws a lot. Hundreds of drawings and paintings were created during this period. Along with his creativity, he paints with his students, reads a lot and takes music lessons. The themes of the works of the Dutch period are simple people and scenes, painted in an expressive manner with a predominance of a dark palette, gloomy and dull tones. Masterpieces of this period include the painting “The Potato Eaters” (1885), depicting a scene from the life of peasants.

Parisian period

After much deliberation, Vincent decides to live and create in Paris, where he moves at the end of February 1886. Here he meets his brother Theo, who rose to the rank of director art gallery. Artistic life The French capital of this period is in full swing.

A significant event is the Impressionist exhibition on Rue Lafitte. For the first time, Signac and Seurat, who led the post-impressionism movement, which marked the final stage of impressionism, are exhibiting there. Impressionism is a revolution in art that changed the approach to painting, replacing academic technology and stories. The first impression and pure colors are of paramount importance, and preference is given to plein air painting.

In Paris, Van Gogh's brother Theo takes care of him, settles him in his house, and introduces him to artists. In the studio of the traditionalist artist Fernand Cormon, he met Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard and Louis Anquetin. He is greatly impressed by the paintings of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. In Paris, he became addicted to absinthe and even painted a still life on this topic.

The Parisian period (1886-1888) turned out to be the most fruitful; the collection of his works was replenished with 230 canvases. It was a time of searching for technology, studying innovative trends modern painting. He is forming new look for painting. The realistic approach is replaced by a new manner, gravitating towards impressionism and post-impressionism, which is reflected in his still lifes with flowers and landscapes.

His brother introduces him to the most prominent representatives this direction: Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and others. He often goes out plein air with his artist friends. His palette gradually brightens, becomes brighter, and over time turns into a riot of colors, characteristic of his work in recent years.

In Paris, Van Gogh communicates a lot, visiting the same places where his brothers go. In "Tambourine" he even starts a small affair with its owner Agostina Segatori, who once posed for Degas. From it he paints a portrait at a table in a cafe and several works in the nude style. Another meeting place was Papa Tanga's shop, where paints and other materials for artists were sold. Here, as in many other similar institutions, artists exhibited their works.

A group of Small Boulevards is being formed, which includes Van Gogh and his comrades, who have not reached such heights as the masters of the Grand Boulevards - more famous and recognized. The spirit of competition and tension that reigned in Parisian society at that time became unbearable for the impulsive and uncompromising artist. He gets into arguments, quarrels and decides to leave the capital.

Severed ear

In February 1888, he goes to Provence and becomes attached to it with all his soul. Theo sponsors his brother, sending him 250 francs a month. In gratitude, Vincent sends his paintings to his brother. He rents four rooms in a hotel, eats in a cafe, the owners of which become his friends and pose for pictures.

With the arrival of spring, the artist is captivated by flowering trees pierced by the southern sun. He is delighted with the bright colors and transparency of the air. The ideas of impressionism are gradually disappearing, but loyalty to the light palette and plein air painting remains. The works predominate yellow, acquiring a special radiance coming from the depths.

To work at night in the open air, he attaches candles to his hat and sketchbook, illuminating his work in this way. workplace. This is exactly how his paintings “Starry Night over the Rhone” and “Night Cafe” were painted. An important event becomes the arrival of Paul Gauguin, whom Vincent repeatedly invited to Arles. An enthusiastic and fruitful life together ends in quarrel and breakup. Self-confident, pedantic Gauguin was the complete opposite of the disorganized and restless Van Gogh.

The epilogue to this story is the stormy showdown before Christmas 1888, when Vincent cut off his ear. Gauguin, afraid that they were going to attack him, hid in the hotel. Vincent wrapped his bloody earlobe in paper and sent it to their mutual friend, the prostitute Rachelle. His friend Roulen discovered him in a pool of blood. The wound heals quickly, but his mental health returns him to his hospital bed.

Death

The residents of Arles begin to fear a city dweller who is unlike them. In 1889, they wrote a petition demanding that they be rid of the “red-haired madman.” Vincent realizes the danger of his condition and voluntarily goes to the hospital of St. Paul of Mausoleum in Saint-Rémy. During treatment, he is allowed to pee outside under the supervision of medical staff. This is how his works with characteristic wavy lines and swirls appeared (“Starry Night”, “Road with Cypress Trees and a Star”, etc.).

In Saint-Rémy, periods of intense activity are followed by long breaks caused by depression. At the moment of one of the crises, he swallows paint. Despite the increasing exacerbations of the disease, brother Theo promotes his participation in the September Salon of Independents in Paris. In January 1890, Vincent exhibited “Red Vineyards in Arles” and sold them for four hundred francs, which is quite a decent amount. This was the only painting sold during his lifetime.

His joy was immeasurable. The artist did not stop working. His brother Theo is also inspired by the success of Vineyards. He supplies Vincent with paints, but he begins to eat them. In May 1890, the brother negotiated with the homeopathic therapist Dr. Gachet to treat Vincent in his clinic. The doctor himself is fond of drawing, so he happily takes on the artist’s treatment. Vincent is also attracted to Gasha and sees him as a kind-hearted and optimistic person.

A month later, Van Gogh was allowed to travel to Paris. His brother does not greet him very kindly. He has financial problems and his daughter is very sick. This technique unbalanced Vincent; he realizes that he is becoming, perhaps, and has always been a burden for his brother. Shocked, he returns to the clinic.

On July 27, as usual, he goes out into the open air, but returns not with sketches, but with a bullet in his chest. The bullet he fired from the pistol hit the rib and went away from the heart. The artist himself returned to the shelter and went to bed. Lying in bed, he calmly smoked his pipe. It seemed that the wound did not cause him pain.

Gachet summoned Theo by telegram. He immediately arrived and began to reassure his brother that they would help him, that he did not need to give in to despair. The response was the phrase: “Sadness will last forever.” The artist died on July 29, 1890 at half past one in the morning. He was buried in the town of Mary on July 30.

Many of his artist friends came to say goodbye to the artist. The walls of the room were hung with his latest paintings. Doctor Gachet wanted to make a speech, but he cried so much that he managed to utter only a few words, the essence of which boiled down to the fact that Vincent was a great artist and an honest man that art, which was above all for him, will repay him and perpetuate his name.

The artist's brother Theo Van Gogh died six months later. He did not forgive himself for the quarrel with his brother. His despair, which he shares with his mother, becomes unbearable, and he suffers from a nervous breakdown. This is what he wrote in a letter to his mother after his brother’s death:

“It is impossible to describe my grief, just as it is impossible to find consolation. This is a grief that will last and from which I will certainly never be freed as long as I live. The only thing that can be said is that he himself found the peace he was striving for... Life was such a heavy burden for him, but now, as often happens, everyone praises his talents... Oh, mom! He was so my, my own brother.”

And this last letter Vincent, written by him after a quarrel:

“It seems to me that since everyone is a little on edge and also too busy, there is no need to fully clarify all the relationships. I was a little surprised that you seemed to want to rush things. How can I help, or rather, what can I do to make you happy with this? One way or another, I mentally shake your hands tightly again and, in spite of everything, I was glad to see you all. Don't doubt it."

In 1914, Theo's remains were reburied by his widow next to Vincent's grave.

Personal life

One of the reasons for Van Gogh’s mental illness could be his failed personal life; he never found a life partner. The first attack of despair occurred after the refusal of the daughter of his housewife Ursula Loyer, in whom he for a long time was secretly in love. The proposal came unexpectedly, shocked the girl, and she rudely refused.

History repeated itself with widowed cousin Key Stricker Voe, but this time Vincent decides not to give up. The woman does not accept advances. On his third visit to his beloved’s relatives, he puts his hand into the flame of a candle, promising to hold it there until she gives her consent to become his wife. With this act, he finally convinced the girl’s father that he was dealing with a mentally ill person. They did not stand on ceremony with him anymore and simply escorted him out of the house.

Sexual dissatisfaction was reflected in his nervous state. Vincent begins to like prostitutes, especially those who are not very young and not very beautiful, whom he could raise. Soon he chooses a pregnant prostitute, who moves in with his 5-year-old daughter. After the birth of his son, Vincent becomes attached to the children and considers getting married.

The woman posed for the artist and lived with him for about a year. Because of her, he had to be treated for gonorrhea. The relationship deteriorated completely when the artist saw how cynical, cruel, sloppy and unbridled she was. After the separation, the lady indulged in her previous activities, and Van Gogh left The Hague.

IN recent years Vincent was being stalked by a 41-year-old woman named Margot Begemann. She was the artist's neighbor in Nuenen and really wanted to get married. Van Gogh, rather out of pity, agrees to marry her. The parents did not give consent to this marriage. Margot almost committed suicide, but Van Gogh saved her. In the subsequent period, he has many promiscuous relationships, he visits brothels and from time to time he is treated for sexually transmitted diseases.

Vincent Van Gogh born in the Dutch town of Groot-Zundert on March 30, 1853. Van Gogh was the first child in the family (not counting his brother, who was stillborn). His father's name was Theodore Van Gogh, his mother's name was Carnelia. They had a large family: 2 sons and three daughters. In Van Gogh's family, all the men dealt with paintings in one way or another or served the church. By 1869, without even finishing school, he began working in a company that sold paintings. To tell the truth, Van Gogh was not good at selling paintings, but he had a boundless love for painting, and he was also good at languages. In 1873, at the age of 20, he ended up in, where he spent 2 years, which changed his whole life.

Van Gogh lived happily in London. He had a very good salary, which was enough to visit various art galleries and museums. He even bought himself a top hat, which he simply could not live without in London. Everything was going to the point that Van Gogh could become a successful merchant, but... as often happens, love, yes, exactly love, got in the way of his career. Van Gogh fell madly in love with the daughter of his landlady, but upon learning that she was already engaged, he became very withdrawn and became indifferent to his work. When he returned he was fired.

In 1877, Van Gogh began to live again, and increasingly found solace in religion. After moving to Moscow, he began studying to become a priest, but soon dropped out of school, as the situation at the faculty did not suit him.

In 1886, at the beginning of March, Van Gogh moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo, and lived in his apartment. There he takes painting lessons from Fernand Cormon, and meets such personalities as, and many other artists. Very quickly he forgets all the darkness of Dutch life, and quickly gains respect as an artist. He draws clearly and brightly in the style of impressionism and post-impressionism.

Vincent Van Gogh After spending 3 months at an evangelical school located in Brussels, he became a preacher. He distributed money and clothes to the needy poor, although he himself was not well off. This aroused suspicion among the church authorities, and his activities were banned. He did not lose heart and found solace in drawing.

By the age of 27, Van Gogh understood what his calling in this life was, and decided that he must become an artist at all costs. Although Van Gogh took drawing lessons, he can be confidently considered self-taught, because he himself studied many books, tutorials, and copied. At first he thought of becoming an illustrator, but then, when he took lessons from his relative-artist Anton Mouwe, he painted his first works in oils.

It seemed that life began to get better, but Van Gogh again began to be haunted by failures, and love ones at that. His cousin Keya Vos became a widow. He really liked her, but he received a refusal, which he experienced for a long time. In addition, because of Kei, he had a very serious quarrel with his father. This disagreement was the reason for Vincent's move to The Hague. It was there that he met Klazina Maria Hoornik, who was girl lung behavior. Van Gogh lived with her for almost a year, and more than once he had to be treated for sexually transmitted diseases. He wanted to save this poor woman, and even thought of marrying her. But then his family intervened, and thoughts of marriage were simply dispelled.

Returning to his homeland to his parents, who had already moved to Nyonen by that time, his skills began to improve. He spent 2 years in his homeland. In 1885 Vincent settled in Antwerp, where he attended classes at the Academy of Arts. Then, in 1886, Van Gogh returned to Paris again, to his brother Theo, who throughout his life helped him, both morally and financially. became a second home for Van Gogh. It was in it that he lived the rest of his life. He didn't feel like a stranger here. Van Gogh drank a lot and had a very explosive temper. He could be described as a difficult person to deal with.

In 1888 he moved to Arles. Locals were not happy to see him in their town, which was located in the south of France. They considered him an abnormal sleepwalker. Despite this, Vincent found friends here and felt quite good. Over time, he came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a settlement here for artists, which he shared with his friend Gauguin. Everything went well, but there was a disagreement between the artists. Van Gogh rushed at Gauguin, who had already become an enemy, with a razor. Gauguin barely escaped with his feet, miraculously surviving. Out of anger at failure, Van Gogh cut off part of his left ear. After spending 2 weeks in a psychiatric clinic, he returned there again in 1889, as he began to suffer from hallucinations.

In May 1890, he finally left the asylum and went to Paris to live with his brother Theo and his wife, who had just given birth to a boy, who was named Vincent in honor of his uncle. Life began to improve, and Van Gogh was even happy, but his illness returned again. On July 27, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a pistol. He died in the arms of his brother Theo, who loved him very much. Six months later, Theo also died. The brothers are buried in the Auvers cemetery nearby.

One of the most bright artists XIX century, whose name is known to all fans of painting, is Vincent Willem Van Gogh (03/30/1853 – 07/29/1890). His popularity, according to sociologists, is comparable to the fame of Pablo Picasso. Although the facets of their creativity still differ. The genius of the Great Leonardo covers many branches of knowledge; Picasso was known not only as a painter, but also as a talented sculptor, graphic artist, and designer. Van Gogh devoted himself entirely to painting. Most famous paintings He painted Van Gogh with the titles that can be found on our website in just ten years of his creative activity.

The post-impressionist artist from the Netherlands, who never managed to receive a special education, lived for 37 years. He created a lot of paintings, some of them after his death were recognized as real masterpieces and included in the list of the most expensive paintings peace.

It cannot be said about Van Gogh that he was far from the world of art until he took up painting seriously. After leaving school, young Vincent worked at the art company Goupil and Co., co-owned by his uncle, selling paintings. For seven years Van Gogh was a successful art dealer and often visited the Hague Museum. In 1872, he began to conduct active correspondence with his younger brother Theo. In 1873 he was promoted and transferred to London, where his career was ruined unrequited love. After bitter disappointment, Van Gogh left for Belgium, to the mining village of Borinage, to serve as a preacher there, and then follow in the footsteps of his father and enter the Evangelical School. However, upon returning, he learns that tuition has already begun to be charged and indignantly refuses this opportunity. That's when Van Gogh began to paint. Whole year he attended classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and then decided to return to his parents, as he believed that he could study on his own.

The artist's character was not easy. His temper, constant overwork and alcohol abuse, and mental turmoil influenced the development of epileptic psychosis in the last years of his life, to which he had a predisposition. The story of the cut off earlobe has several options. But it is she who is considered a clear sign of mental illness, which subsequently contributed to the deterioration of Van Gogh’s mental health, which led him to suicide.

Van Gogh worked with ecstasy. He was a real workaholic. In two hours he could paint a painting that would have taken other artists much longer. Controversy still rages around his name, and the legend of poverty and madness, created by the German gallery owner and art critic Julius Meyer-Graefe, is perceived by many as a real historical fact.

In fact, Van Gogh was educated person and read a lot. He graduated from a prestigious gymnasium and was fluent in three foreign languages. For his erudition and developed thinking in the society of artists, he was even called Spinoza.

Of course, Van Gogh’s throwing did not please the family, but he was never left without financial support. The artist’s grandfather was a famous bookbinder of ancient documents and manuscripts, and carried out orders for several European courts. His uncles were famous and wealthy people. Three of them were engaged in the sale of paintings and other forms of art, and one was an admiral who headed the port in Antwerp. Young Vincent lived in his house when he studied in a painting class at the Academy of Arts during the day and attended private school. In fact, the artist was quite pragmatic person, quite realistically assessed his capabilities and devoted himself entirely to work. He learned to draw according to the most the latest textbooks, which were sent to him by his uncles, real art experts.

In 1886, Van Gogh, on the recommendation of his younger brother Theo, left for Paris. It was Theo, who successfully sold art, who advised the artist to engage in joyful and light painting. He introduces him to critics, artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Auguste Renoir and others. An agreement was concluded between the brothers that in exchange for Vincent's paintings, Theo undertakes to pay him 220 francs monthly and also provides him with the best canvases, paints and brushes. In addition, the younger brother took on all the expenses associated with Vincent's treatment and bought him books, clothes, and necessary reproductions. In this regard, the artist never needed money; he even collected Japanese prints.

Van Gogh was permanent member the most prestigious art exhibitions, his paintings were shown by fashionable and successful art dealers at so-called “house shows”. Sudden suicide Vincent was interrupted by the methodically calculated “path of glory”, which he had already set foot on. The younger brother, in whose arms the great artist was dying, could not survive him and died six months later. From their friendly collaboration, a lot of paintings remained, real masterpieces that were appreciated in the twentieth century.

Some time after his death, the paintings painted by the artist were recognized as truly brilliant and priceless. Among the many paintings he painted, there are the most famous ones, the names of which are familiar even to those who are far from art at all. His paintings are characterized by some features, namely:

• dynamic thick strokes;
• bright, in some cases almost “open” colors;
• bold, experimental color combinations.

"Potato Eaters"

Vincent Van Gogh painted his first serious painting back in 1885. It was not created “in one breath”; it was preceded by a difficult preliminary work. The artist completed 12 sketches for the canvas, which he subsequently destroyed.

The painting depicts the de Groot peasant family, who, after a hard day of work, gathered at the table to have dinner by the light of a kerosene lamp. There is only one dish on the table - baked potatoes and cups of barley coffee. The tired faces of the peasants, their large, rough hands. The color palette of this work is very sparse, but unusually accurately conveys the atmosphere of peasant life.

Some researchers of the artist’s work argued that this painting is an undisguised satire on people who are not even aware of their ignorance. But in his letters, Van Gogh spoke with great respect about this family, their honesty and simple moral principles. He wanted to show in the picture the steam from hot potatoes and tired peasants busy eating, and also to evoke a feeling of compassion in the viewer.

"Self-portrait with a bandaged ear and a pipe"

In January 1889, the artist created this painting with a very strange backstory. It is still impossible to say with certainty whether Van Gogh himself cut off his earlobe or whether it was an accident that occurred during a quarrel with another famous artist- Paul Gauguin. Tired and thoughtful, with a pipe in his mouth, Vincent wrote his work, which truly became his calling card.

"Starry Night"

The artist painted this picture in 1889, while being treated in a psychiatric hospital in the small town of Saint-Rémy, in French Provence, which Cote d'Azur. The painting depicts a starry sky, which is the most important thing in the artist’s plan. It shows the possibilities of human mental activity, which contribute to a deep understanding of the nature of things, the interweaving of cosmic secrets and earthly cypress trees growing on a hill. The painter clearly demonstrates in the foreground the incomprehensible harmony of the Universe, its mysteries and secrets. And somewhere in the shadow of the twilight he placed city houses and mountains. He subsequently admitted to his brother that the stars were very close to him, he could look at them for a very long time and indulge in dreams.

"Irises"

The painting is considered one of the most latest paintings great artist. Even though the disease continued to progress, he was still working. In this picture he departs from his usual technique and imbues it with extraordinary lightness and weightlessness. The color scheme he selected allows you to endlessly look at images of irises growing in the field without tension, with a feeling of relaxation and even peace. The influence is obvious here Japanese art, which the artist liked so much, and French impressionism. Such a difficult combination of two various directions in art ensured the painter the complete success of this painting.

"Sunflowers"

Paintings with a variety of sunflowers are very famous among Van Gogh lovers and art connoisseurs. First, in Paris, the artist begins to work on images of cut flowers, and later, in Arles, he paints bouquets in vases. As it became known, he simply wanted to decorate the walls of the house for the arrival of his friend, Paul Gauguin. Gauguin liked the paintings so much that he even purchased two of them for himself.

Even a small acquaintance with the work of this genius artist, who created more than one masterpiece for a very long time short time, can serve as a significant incentive to make Van Gogh’s paintings with titles much clearer. And such a short life of a hardworking master was appreciated by fans of his work.

“It is better to do nothing than to express yourself weakly.” Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh spent a long time looking for something in which he could express himself to the fullest. He began painting at the age of 27. And he devoted himself to this business with all his passion. 10 years of working to the limit. He was straining himself. Shaking your physical and mental health.

But in this fire of self-immolation, he created one masterpiece after another.

True, no one took his efforts seriously. Many of his paintings were destroyed by those to whom he gave them. Even him birth mother When moving, I left dozens of my son’s paintings abandoned. They all disappeared without a trace.

And Van Gogh himself often sold them for pennies to a junk dealer. He resold them for reuse to other artists.

Despite all these losses, 3,000 of his works have reached us. Of these, 800 are oil paintings! One every 1-2 days!

Here are just 5 of his paintings. I took the work of the last 2 years of his life. When he became the Van Gogh we know. It was during this period that most of his masterpieces were created.

1. Sunflowers. August 1888

August 1888. Van Gogh has been living in the south of France for several months now. In the city of Arles. He came here for bright colors. Here he created a series of paintings with “Sunflowers”.

The London version is one of the most widely circulated. We see it on bags, postcards or phone cases.

It is surprising that ordinary flowers have become almost a symbol of the entire world of painting. What is so unusual about them?

The pot and background are drawn very schematically. It’s not clear whether it’s a table, or the distant horizon and sand. Flowers are not beautiful. Some of them have torn petals. And the majority are completely mutating.

Note that they look more like asters than sunflowers. Such flowers are sterile and occasionally appear among healthy flowers. But they were the ones Van Gogh chose for the bouquet.

Maybe that’s why “Sunflowers” ​​evokes conflicting feelings among many? On the one hand, Van Gogh wanted to show the beauty of existence. He liked sunflowers because they bring benefits to humans. But he inadvertently chooses fruitless flowers.

This is very similar to the tragedy of the artist himself. He longed to be useful to others. But people's reactions to his paintings each time showed only one thing: his efforts were fruitless.

He never dared to dream that his paintings would delight millions of people.

You can compare the paintings in this series in the article.

2. Night cafe terrace. September 1888

Van Gogh painted not only flowers in Arles, but also the city itself. “Cafe Terrace at Night” is one such cityscape.

Anyone who has been to Arles will immediately notice how different the city in Van Gogh’s paintings is from the real city.

It was an industrial, dirty town. He had the truth ancient history. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 3rd century. In the center of the city there is a Roman amphitheater, very similar to the Colosseum.

It’s strange, but you won’t find this amphitheater in any of Van Gogh’s paintings. Although he captured almost every corner of Arles. And I passed by the main attraction of the city!

This very much characterizes Van Gogh. He looked past ordinary things. He saw the most unusual things. He saw the soul of flowers and stones. He noticed how the stars breathe. But he ignored the obvious.

He wrote the cafe three nights in a row. Right on outdoors under the night sky. Have you ever seen an artist painting at night?

But this again is Van Gogh’s unusualness. He believed that the night is richer in colors than the day. And he was able to prove this “ridiculous” statement with his “ Night terrace”.

There's not a drop in the picture black paint. Thick brush strokes make the yellow and blue even more vibrant. These colors are accompanied by purple and orange reflections on the pavement. This is one of Van Gogh's most striking and positive works. Even though it's night before us!

3. Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe. January 1889

“Self-Portrait with a Pipe” was painted in the Arles hospital. Where did the artist end up after his legendary history with a cut off ear.

It all started with the arrival of Gauguin. Van Gogh wanted to create a school-workshop, seeing Gauguin as its leader. They began to live and work under the same roof.

Van Gogh was very impractical in everyday life. This irritated the neat and collected Gauguin. Van Gogh was too emotional, he argued until he was blue in the face. Gauguin was self-confident and did not tolerate anyone doubting his opinion. Can you imagine what it was like for such people to get along? I found a scythe on a stone.

When Van Gogh realized that they were not on the same path, he lost his mind. He attacked his friend with a razor. Gauguin stopped him with his menacing gaze.

Then Van Gogh directed the aggression towards himself, cutting off his earlobe. Such a gesture may seem very strange. If you don’t know one feature of Arles.

A bullfight took place in the already mentioned amphitheater. But it was more humane than in Spain. The defeated bull's ear was cut off. Van Gogh cut off his own ear, considering himself a loser.

The story with Gauguin was only the last straw. Nervous system By that time, Van Gogh was already greatly weakened by the frantic rhythm of work and constant malnutrition.

He once worked for 4 days without sleep, drinking 23 cups of coffee during that time! Imagine what would happen to you after such abuse of your body.

And after the first nervous attack, Van Gogh creates his strange self-portrait. It's written additional colors. These are colors that enhance each other. Red becomes even redder next to green. No wonder these colors are used in traffic lights.

But this enhancement is painful for the eyes. The colors become too loud. But they convey the cacophony in the artist’s soul.

4. Starry night. June 1889

The story of the cut off ear greatly frightened Van Gogh's neighbors. They wrote a petition demanding that the “madman” be expelled from Arles. He submitted. And he voluntarily went to a mental hospital in the small town of Saint-Remy.

One of his most famous masterpieces, “Starry Night,” was written here.

This is one of the few works that he did NOT write from life. Van Gogh was not allowed out of the hospital at night. Only during the day, accompanied by a health worker.

Therefore, “Starry Night” was created in the imagination. Only from the window of his room Van Gogh saw a piece of the sky and stars. And at the same time Venus, which that month was visible to the naked eye. The brightest star in Vincent's sky is the planet Venus.

Van Gogh believed that everything in our world has a soul. Both a flower and a stone. Even space breathes. This is what he conveyed in his “Starry Night”. He achieved this by using an unusual arrangement of strokes around each star and moon. The swirls also helped make the sky “alive.”

“Starry Night” is written in my favorite combination of yellow and blue. The attacks subsided. Van Gogh found hope that the disease had gone away. Soon he will leave the medical institution and move to another town of Auvers.

Also read about the painting in the article.

5. Blossoming almond branches. January 1890

Van Gogh painted the painting as a gift to his brother, who had a son. He was named after his uncle, Vincent. Van Gogh wanted his new parents to hang the painting above their bed. Almond blossoms mean the beginning of a new life.

The picture is very unusual. It's like lying under a tree and looking at the branches. Which spread out against the sky.

The painting is decorative. But Van Gogh strove for this in many of his works. He created them to decorate his home ordinary people with a modest income. It is unlikely that he imagined that his paintings would be available only to the very rich.

Six months after writing “Almond Blossoms,” Van Gogh would die. According to the official version, it was suicide.

The version of suicide was almost never disputed by anyone. After all, she made the legend of Van Gogh more dramatic. This only fueled interest in him, and prices for his paintings rose.

But here's what's strange. In the last months of his life, his works were one more positive than the other. Does Almond Blossom sound like the work of someone contemplating suicide?

Moreover, in Auvers, where he moved, his loneliness receded. Here he found many friends. They began to take interest in his paintings. Rave reviews began to appear in the press.

The version of murder by negligence (put forward in 2011 by writers Nayfi and White-Smith) is currently being considered.

When Van Gogh returned wounded to his room, he did not have a pistol with him. His easel and the paints he was working with that day were also not found. At the same time, one of the residents urgently left the city, taking with him two teenage brothers. There was a pistol in this family.

Van Gogh was reluctant to answer police questions about what happened. He insisted that he did it himself. It was as if Van Gogh decided to take all the blame on himself so that the child would not go to prison.

Such self-sacrifice was quite in his spirit. This is what he once did when he was an assistant pastor. He gave his last shirt to the poor. He cared for typhoid patients without thinking about the risk of infection.

PS.

Van Gogh passed away at the age of genius. At 37 years old. Short life. Creative path even shorter. But during this time he managed to change the vector of development of all painting.