Painter · 1853 – 1890
Vincent van Gogh
Key Takeaways
- Van Gogh produced about 2,100 works in roughly ten years of painting.
- His bold color and dynamic brushwork helped pioneer Post-Impressionism.
- He sold very few paintings and found fame only after his death.
- He struggled throughout his life with mental illness and poverty.
Vincent van Gogh transformed personal anguish and a passionate love of nature into some of the most powerful images in Western art. Working in a feverish burst of creativity, he forged a style of vivid color and surging brushwork that would shape the course of modern painting.
A late and brief career
Van Gogh came to art late, after failing as a dealer and a preacher. In barely a decade he produced around 2,100 works. Drawing on the example of Impressionism, he pushed color and texture far beyond observation toward raw emotion, creating canvases such as The Potato Eaters and his radiant Sunflowers.
The Starry Night and the south of France
In the modern-era of late nineteenth-century France, Van Gogh’s years in Arles and Saint-Rémy brought both his greatest paintings and his deepest suffering. There he painted The Starry Night, its swirling sky pulsing with energy, even as he battled the mental illness that would lead to his early death in 1890.
Legacy
Almost unknown when he died, Van Gogh became one of the most influential artists in history. His liberated color inspired the Expressionists and Fauves, and his story made him an enduring symbol of the suffering artist — a figure whose stature now rivals that of Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci.
Influence
Van Gogh's emotional intensity and liberated use of color directly inspired Expressionism and Fauvism and helped redefine the purpose of painting from depiction to personal expression.
Legacy
Once nearly unknown, Van Gogh became one of the most beloved and valuable artists in history, his works among the most recognized in the world.
Major Works
- The Starry Night
- Sunflowers
- The Potato Eaters
- Wheatfield with Crows
Controversies
- He famously mutilated part of his own ear during a breakdown in Arles in 1888.
- His death from a gunshot wound, long regarded as suicide, remains debated by historians.
Notable Quotes
“I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.”
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Vincent van Gogh?
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter known for works like The Starry Night and Sunflowers, who became famous only after his death.
Was Van Gogh successful in his lifetime?
No. He sold very few works and lived in poverty, gaining widespread recognition only in the decades after his death.
Citations & Sources
People Like Vincent
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Why A contemporary whose Impressionist innovations in color and light shaped the world Van Gogh painted in.
Pablo Picasso
94Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter and sculptor who co-founded Cubism and ranks among the most influential and prolific artists of the twentieth century, creating works such as Guernica and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
Why A later modern master who, like Van Gogh, broke decisively with academic tradition.
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Why The earlier Dutch master whose dramatic light and humanity Van Gogh deeply admired.
Leonardo da Vinci
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Why A fellow towering figure of Western art to whom Van Gogh is often compared.
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Why Also a painter & artist · Comparable historical impact
Michelangelo
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