Van Gogh had a hard life starting from his birth. He was named after his parents first born child, who was a still born a year to the exact date that Van Gogh was born, they even gave him the same name. Throughout his life he was financially dependant on his younger brother for a lot of his life. This always left him worrying about the fact that the funds could stop at any time. He also had no luck in his love life. With all of his struggles he turned to art as an outlet. As his skill as an artist grew he began to withdraw more into himself, creating a loneliness he couldn’t handle. By the age of 36 Van Gogh went of his own free will to Saint Paul de Mausole, a hospital for the mentally ill. He was allowed to leave the asylum unaccompanied to work on his art alone. He suffered from epileptic fits, during his attacks he suffered from hallucinations and would become violent. He used his artwork to drag himself out of his depressions, this art at this time did not reflect his illness, they were his attempt to not give up. They also helped him connect with life. He died from a fatal gun shot to the chest. on his death bed he claimed the gun shot to be a suicide attempt, however there is some speculation that he was shot but protected the person who shot him.
What i like about Van Gogh’s paintings is that he has a certain playfulness with his style and colour. Even though he was a man who was suffering he saw the world as a beautiful place. You can see this in his use of colour and his careful brush strokes. I like that he used his art as an escape from life, but avoided projecting his suffering onto the paintings.
Maeve Dawson Art 