Vincent van Gogh

In the field of painting there have been many important representatives worldwide who have left a relevant legacy, one of them is, without a doubt, Vincent van Gogh . A Dutch painter born at the end of the 19th century who developed his skills in the era of impressionism and, although he cannot be placed within any of the art schools of the time, he made sure that his work was made known after his death. Today, this artist is considered one of the most important painters in modern painting .

Biography of Vincent van Gogh

His real name is Vincent Willemn van Gogh , and he was born in what we now know as the Netherlands on March 30, 1853. As a child, he studied in different boarding schools because his parents could not find the best one for him. When he turned 15, he decided on his own to stop studying and dedicate himself to work. He began to work with his uncle in an art trading company, Goupil & Co.  Some time later he left his job and decided to dedicate himself to religion .

Vincent van Gogh tried to study theology but because he did not know Greek or Latin, he could not continue his studies. He spent many months working as an evangelizer in Belgium, a place where he met true misery and poverty. Later, his brother recommended that he paint for what he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels . He was living in Nuennen , where he painted The Potato Eaters and in 1885, he began to be influenced by Rubens and Japanese prints.

He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital by his brother after he cut off the ear of an acquaintance, at that time he devoted himself to painting exhaustively and made many medical portraits, however, the loss of contact with reality caused him many feelings of sadness that he could never get over. He traveled to many places and in each of them he painted a picture until he moved to Auver-sur-Oise , where he spent his last days.

Death

After leaving the psychiatric hospital, Vincent van Gogh could not get better and leave his state of sadness and melancholy in which he was. In May 1890 he decided to visit his brother and later traveled to Auvers-sur-Oise , and, despite the fact that the local doctor who tried to help him diagnosed him as completely cured, his dependence on his brother, the feeling of failure of and the depression didn’t really leave him. Vincent van Gogh died as a result of a shot in the chest that he himself fired. He died two days after shooting himself, on July 29, 1890 .

What happened to your ear

In October 1888, he was in a place known as the ” yellow house ” with Paul Gauguin with whom he did not get along. They started arguing about different topics and Van Gogh attacked him with a razor . Later he regretted his attitude and decided to cut off his earlobe to atone for his guilt by sending it to Gauguin, who did not forgive him for his act and on the contrary classified him as crazy.

Relations

Vincent van Gogh met a woman named Clasina María Hoornik , who was engaged in prostitution and had two children, she lived on the street and he decided to start a family with her, however, they lived in a situation of poverty because they were supported for Vincent’s brother, which is why his partner decided to go back to working on the streets which caused the couple to separate. He tried to have a relationship with Margot Begemann , however this was not possible due to opposition from his parents.

Children

To date, no natural son is known to Vincent van Gogh.

Fathers

His father was called Theodorus van Gogh who was a Protestant pastor and his mother Anna Cornelia Carbentus .

Characteristics of Vincent van Gogh

The main characteristics that represent Vincent van Gogh are the following:

• In his works he used dark tones and a lot of humanity .
• He began to use lighter colors after being in contact with Japanese art .
• His brush strokes were undulating or meandering.
• He was characterized by taking a large number of portraits .
• His works express his feelings using nature .
• In his time as an expressionist he used more energy in his brushstrokes, exaggerating the lines and using extreme colors that allowed him to give movement to his works.
• His works took on a lot of value after his death.
• His paintings are considered post-impressionist .

Technique

Vincent van Gogh’s technique was based on the use of paintings directly from the tube and this is reflected in the luminosity of his paintings. His way of applying color was complex and relied entirely on gray tones, although he also used bright tones. He used the grisaille system in his drawings and paintings with shades and white tones. He gave importance to the use of pointillism with vibrant colors and as a composition technique he used charcoal.

Acknowledgments to Vincent van Gogh

Tribute was paid to him in the Hall of the Independents, during an exhibition. Starting in the middle of the 20th century , the author was recognized worldwide as one of the best painters in the entire history of art, and in 2007, Dutch historians made The Canon of the Netherlands , including Van Gogh as one of the subjects. of the canon. Some of his works are exhibited in major world museums and some have been sold for very large sums of money.

Plays

Among the most recognized leftovers of Vincent van Gogh are the following:

The starry Night

An oil painting that is currently housed in the MoMA museum in New York. This is one of his most famous works, filled with sinuous shapes and deep blue tones . It was painted in 1889 when he was admitted to the Saint-Remy psychiatric hospital . A work that reflects the tranquility of the town in contrast to the energy of the sky through textures and lines that show liveliness and dynamism .

The sunflowers

A post-impressionist painting painted in oil that showed the artist’s love for these types of flowers. Its elements, although they are placed randomly and very naturally, establish a dynamic balance . The geometry is pure and elemental and in his first paintings of sunflowers he shows the versatility of textures and lines . Pointillism and the mixture of colors are observed , with cross-shaped brushstrokes. It also has a very wide range of yellow, ocher and earth colors. A painting painted with the aim of transmitting serenity and relief , the states of mind that the author lacked precisely.

Self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh

This painting was painted in 1889, when the author was supposedly recovering from his depression. In the work you can see a calm , serene , well-fed man, however, deep down in his gaze he denotes sadness and concern . A design with wavy lines, complementary colors such as orange and blue and marked lines in the contours. A painting that truly expresses the personality of the author.

Importance

Vincent van Gogh’s art is important because he was a crucial part in the development of art as we know it today and for this reason he is also considered one of the most important masters in the history of painting . He influenced the use of impressionist colors and emphasized the problems of contemporary art , nature and man . In addition, he exerted an important influence on many artists who followed in his footsteps, where his legacy is today.

Vincent van Gogh quotes

Some of the most relevant phrases of this painter were the following:

• I dream of painting and then I paint my dreams.
• If we perfect ourselves in one thing and perceive it well, we acquire the understanding and knowledge of many other things as a complement.
• Let’s not forget that small emotions are the captains of our lives and we obey them without even realizing it.
• Consciousness is the human compass.
• When I feel a need for religion, I go out at night and paint the stars.