Facts about Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was one of the finest and the greatest artist known for his exemplary work in the field of art. He can definitely be touted as one of the most original artists' ever. Born in Groot-Zundert in the southern area of Netherlands on 30th March 1853, Vincent Van Gogh's life can be described to be a struggle against various issues in life. He had to face extreme poverty, hunger and insanity and even battle his addiction to alcohol. Despite the greatness of this very talented person, Van Gogh's life was thus marked completely with struggle, pain and suffering. There are many masterpieces painted by this artist that can only be termed as priceless. However, his journey in life wasn't easy, which ultimately ended up in suicide. Here, we shall trace some important facts about Vincent Van Gogh connected to his life and paintings.

Vincent Van Gogh had a shaky beginning in the field of art. He spent a major portion of his adult life working for a firm of art dealers. At the age of 16, Vincent's uncle secured him a job with the Hague office. He worked here for four years and after his transfer to London, he fell in love with his landlady's daughter. This affected his work to a large extent, which resulted in his dismissal.

Poverty was something that affected the mind of Vincent Van Gogh to a great extent. When he moved to Belgium, he was distraught with the kind of poverty he witnessed. He thus immersed himself completely in work. He even gave away his clothes to the poor, which disturbed people around him who were alarmed with his appearance.

Vincent Van Gogh was always a solitary child. Throughout his life, he was said to be an extremely lonely person who always craved to find happiness in relationships.

He also suffered throughout his life due to various medical issues. Reports mentioned he suffered from schizophrenia and these mental problems made him suffer particularly towards his last few years.

As an artist, he always demanded to be supplied with the color yellow. This is particularly witnessed in the very famous painting, 'Sunflowers', which had a prominent use of this shade.

Vincent Van Gogh was particularly impressed with Japanese prints. He loved the use of bold colors and decorative designs and therefore, loved to collect the same.

The influence of the Japanese style was evident in his painting, 'The Bedroom at Arles'. Here, he painted his own room with flat areas of colors and used bold outlines.

This Dutch Post Impressionist artist was known for his particular style. His Impressionist technique was evident in the way he applied colors where he applied paint in terms of dashes. Later on, he also applied paint very thickly in swirls that caused the layers to stand from above the canvas. An example of this would be another of his famous painting, 'Café Terrace at Night' where he applied colors in terms of dashes.

In 1889, Van Gogh had to admit himself to a mental hospital. His brother Theo, helped to arrange two small rooms for him so that one could be used as a studio. This was the time when he painted 'Starry Night'. Here, he used swirls in the painting.

Vincent Van Gogh always had tremendous support from his brother, Theo. His younger brother helped him in every possible way. Theo provided support for Vincent so that the latter could devote himself to his paintings. He supported his brother emotionally and financially as well.

It is a known fact that some of Vincent Van Gogh's best works happened during his last two years of his life. This was also the time when he cut of his left ear due to a breakdown with his friendship with artist, Paul Gauguin.

At the age of 37, this artist suffered from heavy depression. This was the time when he shot himself with a revolver in the fields and committed suicide on 27th July 1890.

Vincent Van Gogh's paintings are providing inspirations to millions of artists around the world. These works stand testimony to the greatness of the very talented artist, Van Gogh.