Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands. Van Gogh was a self-taught painter whose work, notable for its impasto and color, highly influenced 20th century art. He struggled with mental illness and remained relatively unknown and poor throughout his life. In 1886, van Gogh decided to move to Paris and showed up, uninvited at his brother Theo’s apartment. While in Paris, he was exposed to the art of the Impressionists. He moved to the village of Arles in the south of France in February 1888. During this time, he is known to have spent his money on painting supplies rather than food; he became sickly, both mentally and physically. Theo enlisted the help of painter Paul Gauguin to watch over van Gogh, but they two soon began to have constant arguments. After one of their fights, Gauguin left, and van Gogh is said to have cut off his ear with a razor. He was hospitalized and released on January 7, 1889; however, the people of Arles petitioned that van Gogh was dangerous and had him moved to an asylum in Saint-Rémy-De-Provence. Dr. Paul Gachet offered to have van Gogh as a patient, so the artist moved to Auvers. On July 27, 1890 van Gogh went out to paint as he usually would; however, he shot himself in the chest with a pistol and passed away two days later with his beloved brother at his side at the young age of 37.
Vincent van Gogh is featured in Edition: Guest Editor, Stephan Breuer
