Van Gogh paintings biography. Vincent Van Gogh: works. Severe psychological shock

“The sadness will last forever”... In 2015, Europe celebrates 125 years since the death of Van Gogh. Exhibitions, excursions, festivals and performances serve one thing - to remind us who this amazing, extraordinary person was.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 1. Just 10 years of creativity

Worldwide famous artist, whose works are now sold for tens of millions of dollars, was painting for only the last 10 years of his life.

Van Gogh. "The Potato Eaters" (1985)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 2. Art dealer

Before finding something he liked, Vincent Van Gogh tried his hand at the trade and art industry, working in his uncle's firm in London. Dealing with painting, Van Gogh learned to understand and love it. But due to his careless character, he was fired from his job, despite family ties with the owner himself.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 3. Van Gogh - a preacher?

For a long time, Van Gogh seriously wanted to become a priest, like his father. He showed a keen interest in the Bible and was engaged in its translation. I was preparing for exams at the University of Amsterdam at the Faculty of Theology, but quickly lost interest in studying. Later he attended a Protestant missionary school near Brussels, and was even sent to the south of Belgium for six months to preach sermons to the poor. There Van Gogh showed extraordinary zeal, for which he was awarded the trust local residents. They even instructed him to petition the mine management on behalf of the workers to improve working conditions. But in this matter Van Gogh failed. Not only was the petition rejected, but Van Gogh himself was removed from service. The already eccentric and hot-tempered young man suffered this event painfully.

Van Gogh. "Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles" (1888)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 4. Woe-disciple

Depression after an unsuccessful pastoral experience pushed Van Gogh to find himself in painting. He even enters the Royal Academy in Brussels fine arts, but after studying for a year, he quits. Instead, Vincent works a lot on his own, takes private lessons, and studies various techniques.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 5. Rejected in Paris

The artist's most productive period was in Paris. Here he meets the impressionists, who have a significant influence on him. Here Van Gogh participates in many exhibitions, but the public categorically does not accept his work, forcing him to return to study.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 6. The myth of cut off ears

In 1889, while searching for a concept for a common workshop, a conflict took place between Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, during which Van Gogh attacked Gauguin with a razor in his hands. Gauguin was not injured, but Van Gogh cut off his earlobe that night. What it was - pangs of remorse or the consequences of excessive consumption of absinthe - is not known for certain. However, after this incident, Van Gogh ends up in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Residents of the town of Arles, where the incident with the razor occurred, asked the mayor of the city to isolate Van Gogh from society, so the artist was sent to a settlement for the mentally ill in Sant-Rémy-de-Provence. But even there Van Gogh works hard, creating, among other things, famous work"Starlight Night".

Van Gogh. "Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe" (1898)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 7. Recognition after death

Van Gogh’s first public recognition came in the last year of his life, after participating in the G20 exhibition, when the first positive article about his work “Red Vineyards in Arles” was published.

Van Gogh. "Red Vineyards at Arles" (1888)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 8. Mysterious death

Van Gogh passed away at the age of only 37. The circumstances of his death are still ambiguous. He died from loss of blood after a gunshot wound to the chest from a pistol, which the artist used to drive away birds during the plein air. It is not known for sure whether it was suicide or attempt. Van Gogh's last words were: "Sadness will last forever."

Van Gogh. Last work. "Wheat Field with Crows" (1890)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 9. The closest person

A special person in Van Gogh's life was his brother Theo. It was he who supported him more than others and helped in organizing the “southern” workshop. It was he who tried to organize a posthumous exhibition of the artist, but fell ill with a mental disorder and followed his brother exactly six months later.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 10. The myth of the only painting sold

There is a version that in his entire short life, Van Gogh sold only one work - “Red Vineyards in Arles”. The myth, of course, is spectacular, but there are documents indicating that formerly an artist He sold his paintings, although for more modest money.

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist artist who had a huge influence on 20th century painting. Today his works are valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.

During his life, he never received recognition in society, and became known only after committing suicide at the age of 37.

Less than 2 years later, Vincent van Gogh decided to quit educational institution and go back home. He himself called his childhood “gloomy, cold and empty,” which undoubtedly affected his subsequent biography.

Creative biography

At the age of 15, Vincent began working at the reputable art and trading company Goupil & Cie, owned by his uncle.

Speaking modern language, he performed the work of a dealer, in which he achieved success. He was well versed in painting and often visited various galleries.

However, working for the company does not bring Van Gogh joy. Having fallen into a deep depression, he writes several letters to his brother Theodorus, in which he talks about his loneliness and helplessness.

Some biographers believe that Vincent suffered from unrequited love, but there is no reliable information on this matter.

Eventually, Van Gogh was fired from Goupil & Cie.

Missionary activities

In 1877, an important event occurred in Van Gogh’s biography: he decided to enter the university to study theology. To do this, he moves to Amsterdam to live with his uncle Johannes.

After he successfully passes his exams and becomes a university student, Vincent becomes disillusioned with his studies. Realizing his mistake, he gives up everything and begins to engage in missionary work.

Van Gogh lights up with a new idea: he preaches the Gospel to the poor, teaches children, and also teaches the Law of God in the Borinage, where miners and their families mainly lived.

To provide himself with the bare necessities, Vincent draws maps of Palestine at night. In general, it must be said that in Van Gogh’s biography there are many examples of almost painful selflessness.

Gradually the missionary gained respect among the people, as a result of which he was given a salary of 50 francs.

IN this period biographies Vincent led a very modest lifestyle and repeatedly defended workers' rights.

He soon began to irritate officials, so he was removed from his post as a preacher. This turn of events was a real blow for Van Gogh.

The Making of the Artist Van Gogh

Being depressed, Vincent van Gogh begins to paint. For some time he even attended the Academy of Fine Arts, however, not seeing any benefit for himself, he left it.

After that, he continued to paint, relying only on his own experience.

During this period of his biography, Van Gogh falls in love with his cousin, but she does not reciprocate his feelings. As a result of this, he broken hearted leaves for The Hague, where he continues to paint.

There Van Gogh learns drawing from Anton Mauve, and in free time takes walks through the poor neighborhoods of the city. In the future, the artist will be able to capture everything he sees in his masterpieces.

Observing the techniques of different masters, Van Gogh began to experiment with shades and styles of painting. However, he continues to be tormented by endless thoughts about starting a family.

One day he met a woman who had several children, and soon invited her to move into his home. Then he felt real happiness, which, however, did not last long.

The hot temper and difficult temper of his partner made Van Gogh’s life unbearable. As a result, he broke up with this woman and went north. His home was a hut in which he lived and painted landscapes.

After some time, the artist returns home and continues to paint. On his canvases he often depicts ordinary people and cityscapes.

Parisian period

In 1886, there were again big changes in Van Gogh’s biography: he decided to leave for. Then many artists appeared in this city with a new vision of art. There he met his brother Theo, who was already the director of the gallery.

Soon Van Gogh visited several exhibitions of the Impressionists, who sought to capture the world in its dynamics. During this period, Vincent was supported by his brother, who took care of him in every possible way and introduced him to various artists.

After receiving new sensations, Van Gogh’s biography experienced a creative upswing. In Paris, he manages to paint about 230 paintings, in which he experiments with technique and paint. As a result, his canvases become lighter and brighter.

While walking around Paris, Van Gogh met the owner of a cafe, Agostina Segatori. Soon he paints a portrait of her.

Then Vincent begins to sell his works along with other little-known artists.

He often gets into arguments with his colleagues, criticizing their work. Realizing that no one is interested in his work, he decides to leave Paris.

Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin

In February 1888, Vincent van Gogh moved to Provence, where he fell in love at first sight. He receives 250 francs a month from his brother, thanks to which he can rent a hotel room and eat well.

During this period of his biography, Van Gogh often worked on the street, depicting night landscapes on his canvases. This is exactly how his famous painting “ Starlight Night over the Rhone."

After some time, Van Gogh managed to meet Paul Gauguin, whose work he was delighted with. They even begin to live together, constantly talking about the great meaning.

However, soon misunderstandings appear in their relationship, which often end in quarrels.

Van Gogh cuts off his ear

On the evening of December 23, 1888, perhaps the most important thing happens in the artist’s biography. famous event: He cuts off his ear. The actions unfolded as follows.

After another quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh attacked his friend with a razor in his hands. Gauguin accidentally managed to stop Vincent.

The whole truth about this quarrel and the circumstances of the attack is still unknown, but that same night Van Gogh cut off his earlobe, wrapped it in paper and sent it to the prostitute Rachel.

According to the generally accepted version, this was done in a fit of repentance, but some researchers believe that this was not repentance, but a manifestation of madness caused by frequent use absinthe (a drink containing 70% alcohol).

The next day, December 24, Van Gogh was taken to the Saint-Rémy psychiatric hospital, where the attack repeated with such force that the doctors placed him in a ward for violent patients.

Gauguin hastily left the city, without visiting Van Gogh in the hospital, but informing his brother Theo about what had happened.

Personal life

A number of Van Gogh's biographers believe that the causes of Van Gogh's mental illness could have been difficult relationships with women. He repeatedly proposed to different girls, but constantly received refusals.

There was a case when he promised to hold his palm over the candle flame until the girl agreed to become his wife.

With his action, he shocked his chosen one, and also angered her father, who, without hesitation, threw the artist out of the house.

Van Gogh's sexual dissatisfaction seriously affected his psyche and led him to start liking ugly, mature prostitutes. He began to live with one of them in his house, accepting her along with his five-year-old daughter.

After living like this for about a year, Vincent van Gogh painted several paintings with his lover. An interesting fact is that because of her, the artist was forced to undergo treatment for gonorrhea.

However, then more and more quarrels began to occur between them, which ultimately led to separation.

After this, Van Gogh was a frequent guest of brothels, as a result of which he was treated for various sexually transmitted diseases.

Death

While in the hospital, Van Gogh was able to continue painting. This is how they appeared famous paintings"Starry Night" and "Road with Cypresses and a Star".

It is worth noting that his health was very variable. While feeling well, he could suddenly become depressed. One day, during one of his fits, Vincent ate his paints.

Theo still tried to support his brother. In 1890, he put up for sale his painting “Red Vineyards in Arles,” which was subsequently purchased for 400 francs.

When Vincent van Gogh found out about this, his joy knew no bounds. An interesting fact is that this was the only painting sold during the artist’s lifetime.

IN next period biography Van Gogh still continues to eat paint, so his brother arranges for his treatment at Dr. Gachet's clinic. It is worth noting that a good and even friendly relationship developed between the patient and the doctor.

Literally a month later, the treatment yielded results, as a result of which Gachet allowed Vincent to go to visit his brother.

However, having met Theo, Van Gogh did not feel the attention due to his person, since at that time Theo had financial difficulties, and my daughter was seriously ill.

The offended and offended artist returns to the hospital.

On July 27, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver, and, as if nothing had happened, lay down in bed, lighting his pipe. It seemed that the wound did not cause him any pain.

Gachet immediately informed his brother about the crossbow, and Theo arrived immediately. Wanting to reassure Vincent, Theo said that he would definitely recover, to which Van Gogh said the phrase: “Sadness will last forever.”

2 days later, on July 29, 1890, Vincent van Gogh died at the age of 37. He was buried in the small town of Meri.

It is interesting that six months later Van Gogh’s brother Theodorus himself passed away.

Photo by Van Gogh

At the end you can see several photos of Van Gogh's portraits. All of them were made by him, that is, they are self-portraits.

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Vincent Van Gogh. Biography. Life and art

We do not know who Vincent Van Gogh was in past life... In this life he was born just a boy on March 30, 1853 in the village of Groot Zunder in the province of North Brabant near southern border Holland. At baptism he was given the name Vincent Willem in honor of his grandfather, and the prefix Gog may come from the name of the small town of Gog, which stood near deep forest next to the border...
His father, Theodore Van Gogh, was a priest, and, besides Vincent, there were five more children in the family, but only one of them meant for him great value- Theo's younger brother, whose life is confusing and tragically intertwined with Vincent's life.

The fact that in the case of Vincent, fate chose the factor of surprise, making the author extremely famous and revered, while unknown and despised during his lifetime, begins to manifest itself, it seems, already in the events of 1890, decisive for the unfortunate artist, which ended tragically for him in July. And this year began with the best omens, with that first, only and unexpected sale of his painting “Red Vineyards in Arles.”
The January issue of Mercure de France magazine featured the first enthusiastic critical article about his work signed by Albert Aurier. In May, he moved from the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence psychiatric hospital to the town of Auvers-on-Oise, near Paris. There he met Dr. Gachet (an amateur artist, a friend of the Impressionists), who highly appreciated him. There he painted almost eighty canvases in just over two months. In addition, signs of an extraordinary destiny, something destined from above, appear from birth. By a strange coincidence, Vincent was born on March 30, 1853, exactly one year after the first-born of Theodorus Van Gogh and Anna Cornelius Carbenthus, who received the same name at baptism, was stillborn. The first Vincent's grave was located next to the church door through which the second Vincent passed every Sunday of his childhood.
This must not have been very pleasant, in addition, in the Van Gogh family papers there is a direct indication that the name of the stillborn predecessor was often mentioned in the presence of Vincent. But whether this had any effect on his "feeling of guilt" or his supposed feeling of being an "illegal usurper" by some is anyone's guess.
Following tradition, generations of Van Goghs chose two areas of activity for themselves: the church (Theodorus himself was the son of a pastor) and the art trade (like his father’s three brothers). Vincent will follow both the first and second paths, but will fail in both cases. However, both accumulated experiences will have a great influence on his future choice.

The first attempt to find his place in life dates back to 1869, when, at the age of sixteen, Vincent went to work - with the help of his namesake uncle (he is affectionately called Uncle Saint) - in the branch of the Parisian art company Goupil, which opened in The Hague . Here future artist for the first time comes into contact with painting and drawing and enriches the experience he receives at work with educational visits to city museums and copious reading. Everything goes quite well until 1873.
First of all, this is the year of his transfer to the London branch of Goupil, which had a negative impact on his future work. Van Gogh stayed there for two years and experienced a painful loneliness, which comes through in his letters to his brother, more and more sad. But the worst comes when Vincent, having exchanged the apartment that has become too expensive for a boarding house, which is maintained by the widow Loyer, falls in love with her daughter Ursula (according to other sources - Eugenia) and is rejected. This is the first acute love disappointment, this is the first of those impossible relationships that will constantly darken his feelings.
During that period of deep despair, a mystical understanding of reality begins to mature in him, developing into downright religious frenzy. His impulse grows stronger, displacing his interest in working at Gupil. And the transfer in May 1875 to the central office in Paris, supported by Uncle Saint in the hope that such a change would benefit him, would no longer help. On April 1, 1876, Vincent was finally fired from the Parisian art company, which by that time had passed to his partners Busso and Valadon.

More and more firmly convinced of his religious vocation, in the spring of 1877 Van Gogh moved to Amsterdam to live with his uncle Johannes, the director of the city shipyard, in order to prepare for the entrance exams to the Faculty of Theology. For him, who read with delight “On the Imitation of Christ,” becoming a servant of the Lord meant, first of all, devoting himself to specific service to his neighbor, in full accordance with the tenets of the Gospel. And great was his joy when, in 1879, he managed to obtain a position as a secular preacher in Wham, a mining center in the Borinage in southern Belgium.
Here he teaches the miners the Law of God and selflessly helps them, voluntarily dooming himself to a miserable existence: living in a shack, sleeping on the floor, eating only bread and water, subjecting himself to bodily torture. However, local authorities do not like such extremes, and they deny him this position. But Vincent stubbornly continues his mission as a Christian preacher in the nearby village of Kem. Now he doesn’t even have such an outlet as correspondence with his brother Theo, which is interrupted from October 1879 to July 1880.
Then gradually something changes in him, and his attention turns to painting. This new path is not as unexpected as it might seem. Firstly, making art was no less common for Vincent than reading. Work at the Goupil gallery could not help but influence the honing of his taste, and during his stay in various cities (The Hague, London, Paris, Amsterdam) he never missed the opportunity to visit museums.
But first of all, it was his deep religiosity, his compassion for the outcast, his love for people and for the Lord that are embodied through artistic creativity. “One must understand the defining word contained in the masterpieces of the great masters,” he writes to Theo in July 1880, “and God will be there.”

In 1880, Vincent entered the Academy of Arts in Brussels. However, due to his irreconcilable nature, he very soon leaves her and continues his art education as a self-taught person, using reproductions and regularly drawing. Back in January 1874, in his letter, Vincent listed fifty-six favorite artists to Theo, among whom the names of Jean Francois Millet, Théodore Rousseau, Jules Breton, Constant Troyon and Anton Mauve stood out.
And now, at the very beginning of his artistic career, his sympathy for realistic French and Dutch school of the nineteenth century have in no way weakened. Besides social art Millet or Breton, with their populist themes, could not help but find in him an unconditional follower. As for the Dutchman Anton Mauwe, there was another reason: Mauwe, along with Johannes Bosboom, the Maris brothers and Joseph Israels, was one of the major representatives of the Hague School, the most significant artistic phenomenon in Holland in the second half of the 19th century, which united French realism The Barbizon school, formed around Rousseau, with a great realistic tradition Dutch art XVII century. Mauve was also distant relative Vincent's mother.
And it was under the guidance of this recognized master that in 1881, upon returning to Holland (to Etten, where his parents had moved), Van Gogh created his first two paintings: “Still Life with Cabbage and Wooden Shoes” (now in Amsterdam, in the Vincent Van Museum Gogh) and “Still Life with Beer Glass and Fruit” (Wuppertal, Von der Heydt Museum).

For Vincent, everything seems to be working out for the better, and the family seems to be happy with his new calling. But soon relations with parents deteriorate sharply, and then are completely interrupted. The reason for this, again, is his rebellious character and unwillingness to adapt, as well as a new, inappropriate and again unrequited love to cousin Kay, who recently lost her husband and was left alone with her child.

Having fled to The Hague, in January 1882, Vincent meets Christina Maria Hoornik, nicknamed Sin, an older prostitute, an alcoholic, with a child, and even pregnant. Being at the apogee of his contempt for existing decency, he lives with her and even wants to get married. Despite financial difficulties, he continues to be faithful to his calling and completes several works. Mostly pictures of this very early period- landscapes, mainly sea and urban: the theme is quite in the tradition of the Hague School.
However, its influence is limited to the choice of subjects, since Van Gogh was not characterized by that refined texture, that elaboration of details, those ultimately idealized images that distinguished the artists of this movement. From the very beginning, Vincent gravitated towards an image that was more truthful than beautiful, trying first of all to express a sincere feeling, and not just achieve a good performance.

Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world's greatest artists, whose work has a great influence on the development of modern trends in painting and gives impetus to the development of impressionism. Today, countries such as the Netherlands, France and England are proud that such a great creator once lived and worked on their territory, and the value of his paintings, which are in different corners land, cannot be counted in any monetary unit, like the cost of irobot. However, no matter how sad it may sound, during Vincent van Gogh’s life his paintings were of no value to the society of that time, and this genius died in a state of madness and complete loneliness.

Van Gogh's work was influenced by many factors, so, undoubtedly, he was influenced by his childhood, character, and the time in which he was born. However, despite the fact that for its short life the creator survived many illnesses, depression, poverty, loneliness, he was never afraid and never stopped experimenting. And he experimented with everything that was possible. So for my short time creative path Van Gogh experimented with light and shadow, with colors, with form, with models and with various artistic techniques. His work also changed as his worldview changed.

Thus, being born at the end of the nineteenth century into a low-income Dutch working-class family, Van Gogh was accustomed to observing and empathizing with the lives of ordinary people. At that time, the poor barely had enough money for food, and therefore it was not possible to imagine that in a couple of centuries people would be able, sitting at home in an armchair, to purchase equipment for themselves by asking in the search bar of the browser: “irobot roomba 790 buy.”

Hard times and the impressionability of the young Van Gogh served as the main impetus for the development of his work, in which the main characters were working-class people. In the paintings of that time, the creator conveyed the severity of the situation of poor people. By painting canvases in dark colors, the artist clearly and accurately conveyed the oppressive and oppressive atmosphere of that time.

However, having moved to sunny France, the artist begins to paint life-filled landscapes and still lifes. The paintings of that period of Van Gogh's work seemed to flow with light, thanks to the use of blue, golden yellow, red colors, as well as writing them using the technique of small strokes.

The end of a short, but so intense artistic activity the life of Vincent van Gogh, is considered the dawn of his creativity. Exactly at last years In life, the creator is determined by his own style and technique of painting.

Biography and episodes of life Vincent Van Gogh. When born and died Vincent Van Gogh, memorable places and dates important events his life. Artist Quotes, Photo and video.

Years of life of Vincent van Gogh:

born March 30, 1853, died July 29, 1890

Epitaph

“I’m standing there, and looming over me
Cypress twisted like a flame.
Lemon crown and dark blue, -
Without them I would not have become myself;
I would humiliate my own speech,
If only I could take someone else's burden off my shoulders.
And this rudeness of an angel, with what
He makes his stroke similar to my line,
Guides you through his pupil
To where Van Gogh breathes the stars.”
From a poem by Arseny Tarkovsky dedicated to Van Gogh

Biography

Without a doubt the greatest artist XIX V. With a recognizable manner, the author of internationally recognized masterpieces, Vincent Van Gogh was and remains one of the most controversial figures in world painting. Mental illness, passionate and uneven character, deep compassion and at the same time unsociability, combined with an amazing sense of nature and beauty, found expression in a huge creative heritage artist. Throughout his life, Van Gogh painted hundreds of canvases and remained unrecognized genius. Only one of his works, “Red Vineyards in Arles,” was sold during the artist’s lifetime. What an irony: after all, a hundred years after Van Gogh’s passing, his tiniest sketches were already worth a fortune.

Vincent Van Gogh was born in a village in big family Dutch pastor, where he was one of six children. While studying at school, the boy began to draw with a pencil, and even in these very early drawings of the teenager, extraordinary talent is already visible. After school, sixteen-year-old Van Gogh was given a job at the Hague branch of the Parisian company Goupil and Company, which sold paintings. This gave the young man and his brother Theo, with whom Vincent had a not simple but very close relationship all his life, the opportunity to get acquainted with real art. And this acquaintance, in turn, cooled Van Gogh’s creative zeal: he strove for something sublime, spiritual, and in the end gave up what he considered a “base” occupation, deciding to become a pastor.

What followed were years of poverty, living from hand to mouth and the spectacle of much human suffering. Van Gogh was passionate about helping poor people, while at the same time experiencing an ever-increasing thirst for creativity. Seeing in art much in common with religious faith, at the age of 27 Vincent finally decides to become an artist. He works a lot, enters the School of Fine Arts in Antwerp, then moves to Paris, where at that time a whole galaxy of impressionists and post-impressionists live and work. With the help of brother Theo, who is still engaged in the painting trade, and with his financial support Van Gogh leaves to work in the south of France and invites Paul Gauguin there, with whom he became close friends. This is the time to blossom creative genius Van Gogh and at the same time the beginning of his end. The artists work together, but the relationship between them becomes increasingly tense and eventually explodes in the famous quarrel, after which Vincent cuts off his earlobe and ends up in a mental hospital. Doctors find he has epilepsy and schizophrenia.

The last years of Van Gogh's life were tossing between hospitals and attempts to return to normal life. Vincent continues to create while in the hospital, but he is haunted by obsessions, fears and hallucinations. Twice Van Gogh tries to poison himself with paints and, finally, one day he returns from a walk with gunshot wound in the chest, shooting himself with a revolver. Last words Van Gogh's words to his brother Theo sounded like this: “The sadness will be endless.” A hearse for the suicide's funeral had to be borrowed from a neighboring town. Van Gogh was buried in Auvers, and his coffin was strewn with sunflowers - the artist's favorite flowers.

Self-portrait of Van Gogh, 1887

Life line

March 30, 1853 Date of birth of Vincent Van Gogh.
1869 Start of work at the Goupil Gallery.
1877 Work as a teacher and life in England, then work as an assistant pastor, life with miners in Borinage.
1881 Life in The Hague, the first paintings created to order (cityscapes of The Hague).
1882 Meeting with Klozinna Maria Hornik (Sin), the artist’s “vicious muse”.
1883-1885 Living with parents in North Brabant. Creation of a series of works on everyday rural subjects, including famous painting"Potato Eaters"
1885 Study at the Antwerp Academy.
1886 Acquaintance in Paris with Toulouse-Lautrec, Seurat, Pissarro. The beginning of a friendship with Paul Gauguin and creative growth, the creation of 200 paintings in 2 years.
1888 Life and work in Arles. Three paintings by Van Gogh are exhibited at the Independent Salon. Gauguin's arrival, joint work and quarrel.
1889 Periodic exits from the hospital and attempts to return to work. Final move to the shelter in Saint-Rémy.
1890 Several of Van Gogh's paintings were accepted for exhibitions of the Society of Twenty in Brussels and the Independent Salon. Moving to Paris.
July 27, 1890 Van Gogh wounds himself in Daubigny's garden.
July 29, 1890 Van Gogh's date of death.
July 30, 1890 Van Gogh's funeral in Auvers-sur-Oise.

Memorable places

1. The village of Zundert (Netherlands), where Van Gogh was born.
2. The house where Van Gogh rented a room while working for the London branch of the Goupil company in 1873.
3. The village of Kuem (Netherlands), where Van Gogh’s house, where he lived in 1880 while studying the life of miners, is still preserved.
4. Rue Lepic in Montmartre, where Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo after moving to Paris in 1886.
5. Forum Square with a cafe-terrace in Arles (France), which in 1888 Van Gogh depicted in one of his most famous paintings “ Night terrace cafe".
6. Hospital at the monastery of Saint-Paul-de-Mousol in the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where Van Gogh was placed in 1889.
7. Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh spent the last months of his life and where he is buried in the village cemetery.

Episodes of life

Van Gogh was in love with his cousin, but she rejected him, and the persistence of Van Gogh's courtship put him at odds with almost his entire family. The depressed artist left his parents' house, where, as if in defiance of his family and himself, he settled with a corrupt woman, an alcoholic with two children. After a year of nightmare, dirty and miserable “family” life, Van Gogh broke up with Sin and forever forgot about the idea of ​​starting a family.

No one knows exactly what caused Van Gogh's famous quarrel with Paul Gauguin, whom he greatly respected as an artist. Gauguin did not like Van Gogh's chaotic life and disorganization in his work; Vincent, in turn, could not get his friend to sympathize with his ideas of creating a commune of artists and general direction painting of the future. As a result, Gauguin decided to leave, and apparently this provoked a quarrel, during which Van Gogh first attacked his friend, although without harming him, and then mutilated himself. Gauguin did not forgive: subsequently he more than once emphasized how much Van Gogh owed him as an artist; and they never saw each other again.

Van Gogh's fame grew gradually but constantly. Since his very first exhibition in 1880, the artist has never been forgotten. Before the First World War, his exhibitions were held in Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, and New York. And already in the middle of the 20th century. Van Gogh's name became one of the most famous in the history of world painting. And today the artist’s works occupy first place in the list of the most expensive paintings peace.

The grave of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theodore in the cemetery in Auvers (France).

Testaments

“I am increasingly coming to the conviction that God cannot be judged by the world he created: this is just a failed sketch.”

“Whenever the question arose - to starve or work less, I chose the first, if possible.”

“Real artists don’t paint things as they are... They paint them because they feel like they are them.”

“He who lives honestly, who knows real difficulties and disappointments, but does not bend, is worth more than he who is lucky and knows only comparatively easy success.”

“Yes, sometimes it gets so cold in winter that people say: the frost is too severe, so it doesn’t matter to me whether summer returns or not; evil is stronger than good. But, with or without our permission, the frosts sooner or later stop, one fine morning the wind changes and a thaw sets in.”

BBC documentary “Van Gogh. Portrait written in words" (2010)

Condolences

"He was an honest man and a great artist, for him there were only two true values: love for one’s neighbor and art. Painting meant more to him than anything else, and he will always live in it.”
Paul Gachet, Van Gogh's last attending physician and friend