van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned post-impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher in Belgium where he was dismissed for overzealousness, he decided to study art and become an artist. His goal was to bring happiness to other people by creating beauty.

In 1886 van Gogh went to Paris to join his brother who was the manager of Goupil’s gallery. There he met other influential artists like Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and tried to copy their Impressionists’ style. On this basis, he developed his own bolder style using bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork.

Within just ten years, he created over 2,100 artworks, including still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and self-portraits, contributing to the foundations of modern art. Much is known about his mental struggles, self-doubts and sensibility through extensive published letters. He was not commercially successful at his lifetime. Most historians agree, that his suicide at the age of 37 came after years of depression and poverty.