VINCENT VAN GOGH

Early Life
Vincent was employed by art dealers at the age of 16. (1870)
Three years later, he was transferred to London, and then Paris, but he no longer wanted to be an art dealer. Vincent became an evangelist for the poor.

He abandoned his education and became a miner, though he was still an evangelist. He wanted to leave a way for people to remember him so he became an artist.

Vincent received little success in painting until 1885 with Potato Eaters.

POTATO EATERS

The first self-portraits by Van Gogh, that survived, are dated to 1886. He painted 30 self-portraits between 1886 and 1889.

In 1888, Vincent Van Gogh completed his famous sunflower paintings and started suffering from mental health issues.

In the fall of 1888, Van Gogh completed 3 paintings:
~ Starry Night Over the Rhone
~ The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum
~ Bedroom in Arles

In December, 1888, Vincent cut off a portion of his ear and confined himself to a mental asylum.

While in the mental asylum, Van Gogh completed some of his most famous works:
~ Starry Night, 1889
~ Irises, 1889
~ Almost Blossom, 1890

MENTAL DISEASES OF VAN GOGH

• Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
• Bipolar Disorder
• Sunstroke
• Lead poisoning
• Hypergraphia

He left the asylum in 1890 and contributed most of his time to painting. Van Gogh was nearly completing one painting a day.

Vincent Van Gogh attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest. He survived, but died two days later from the wound.

STARRY NIGHT OVER THE RHONE

SUNFLOWERS

If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent Van Gogh