The period of the earthly life of Vincent van Gogh was only 37 years, but, even after a superficial acquaintance with his biography, many will say: "as many as 37 years." The never-ending internal struggle, a keen sense of the imperfection of the world, and what is the lack of understanding and love on the part of people, even those closest to you - this tiny list of tests can break even the most strong-willed personality, and the list of painful blows in the artist's fate was much longer and more sophisticated .
Only through art did the rebel manage to come to terms with reality, and it repaid him with recognition and fame, however, after the death of a genius.
Born on March 30, 1853, Vincent Willem Van Gogh seemed to already have a destined path. His family worked in two fields: serving the church and selling works of art, and there were no obstacles to the continuation of the family tradition: Vincent's father, Theodore, served as a priest, and his three brothers were engaged in trading business, representing the interests of art firms. Already at a young age, it was noticeable that the boy had a talent for drawing, and he also loved to read, and voraciously, without any preferences. Is it really that simple and certain? But here's the character ... Landscapes made with love, then presented to friends, a tender, vulnerable soul, and an explosive character, sometimes noticeable only by a look that burned with a gloomy fire; there were curses pouring down on the one who unbalanced him.
At the age of fifteen, Vincent left his studies that weighed on him, having completed his education, and in 1869, when he was sixteen, he began to trade in paintings in the Hague branch of the Goupil company, and very successfully. Service zeal was noticed, and the reward was a transfer to the London branch of the firm. Probably, if it were not for the love drama that happened to him in England, Van Gogh would have made a successful career in this business.
Dismissed in 1876 from the Goupil, Vincent receives a "revelation" that his true calling is religion, although for a while he has been teaching at the school, and he enjoys this occupation. The pastoral ministry, which he zealously embarks on at the beginning of 1879, did not find support from the Church, and, after a year of semi-beggarly existence in the mining region of Belgium, Borinage, again "illumination" - painting.
Arriving to his parents in Etten (Holland) in 1881, having managed to enter and leave the Academy of Arts in Brussels, Van Gogh creates "Still Life with Cabbage and Wooden Shoes" and "Still Life with a Beer Glass and Fruit" - the first paintings.
Having fled from his parents to The Hague, he no longer parted with painting, trying to work in the traditions of the Hague School, but depicting mostly urban and seascapes. Also here was the beginning of a series of works of the Dutch period, where the majority depicted ordinary downtrodden people; This period was opened by the painting “Potato harvesting”.
At the end of 1883, Vincent again had to live with his parents, this time in Nuenen. In North Brabant, in two years he created hundreds of canvases and drawings, and the main characters of the works are the same destitute peasants and weavers. The most famous painting, dating from 1885, is considered to be The Potato Eaters, a composition that he did not draw from life, which was not in his rules.
In the autumn of 1883, before moving to Nuenen, Vincent spent two and a half months in Drenthe, where his art was enriched with a sense of the grandiose, and where he came to the harmony of color and tones. Seven paintings of this short period, conveying the expanses of the steppe, were already made by another artist, whose work has experienced a qualitative change.
Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Dutch city of Groot-Sundert on March 30, 1853. Van Gogh was the first child in the family (not counting the brother who was born dead). Father's name was Theodor Van Gogh, mother's name was Karnelia. They had a large family: 2 sons and three daughters. In the Van Gogh family, all men, one way or another, dealt with paintings, or served the church. Already by 1869, without even finishing school, he began working in a company that sold paintings. In truth, Van Gogh was not good at selling paintings, but he had a boundless love for painting, and he was also good at languages. In 1873, at the age of 20, he ended up in, where he spent 2 years, which changed his whole life.
In London, Van Gogh lived happily ever after. He had a very good salary, which was enough to visit various art galleries and museums. He even bought himself a top hat, which was simply indispensable in London. Everything went to the fact that Van Gogh could become a successful merchant, but ... as often happens, love, yes, love, became in the way of his career. Van Gogh fell unconsciously in love with the daughter of his landlady, but after learning that she was already engaged, he became very withdrawn into himself, became indifferent to his work. When he returned he was fired.
In 1877, Van Gogh began to live again in, and increasingly found solace in religion. After moving to, he began to study as a priest, but soon dropped out, as the situation at the faculty did not suit him.
In 1886, at the beginning of March, Van Gogh moved to Paris to his brother Theo, and lived in his apartment. There he takes painting lessons from Fernand Cormon, and meets such personalities as, and many other artists. Very quickly he forgets all the darkness of Dutch life, and quickly gains respect as an artist. He draws clearly, brightly in the style of impressionism and post-impressionism.
Vincent Van Gogh, after spending 3 months in an evangelical school, which was located in Brussels, he became a preacher. He distributed money and clothes to the needy poor, although he himself was not well off. This aroused the suspicion of the authorities of the church, and his activities were banned. He did not lose heart, and found solace in drawing.
By the age of 27, Van Gogh understood what his calling in this life was, and decided that he must become an artist at all costs. Although Van Gogh took drawing lessons, he can be safely considered self-taught, because he himself studied many books, self-study books, and copied. At first he thought of becoming an illustrator, but then, when he took lessons from his artist relative Anton Mouve, he painted his first works in oils.
It seems that life began to improve, but again Van Gogh began to be haunted by failures, and love ones at that. His cousin Kay Vos became a widow. He liked her very much, but he received a refusal, which he experienced for a long time. In addition, because of Kei, he quarreled very seriously with his father. This quarrel was the reason for Vincent's move to The Hague. It was there that he met Clazina Maria Hoornik, who was a girl of easy virtue. Van Gogh lived with her for almost a year, and more than once he had to be treated for sexually transmitted diseases. He wanted to save this poor woman, and even considered marrying her. But then his family intervened, and thoughts of marriage were simply dispelled.
Returning to his homeland to his parents, who by that time had already moved to Nyonen, his skills began to improve. He spent 2 years in his homeland. In 1885 Vincent settled in Antwerp, where he attended classes at the Academy of Arts. Then, in 1886, Van Gogh returned to Paris again, to his brother Theo, who throughout his life helped him, both morally and financially. became a second home for Van Gogh. This is where he lived for the rest of his life. He didn't feel like a stranger. Van Gogh drank a lot and had a very explosive temper. He could be called a person who is difficult to deal with.
In 1888 he moved to Arles. The locals were not happy to see him in their town, which was located in the south of France. They considered him an abnormal lunatic. Despite this, Vincent found friends here, and felt quite good. Over time, he got the idea to create a settlement for artists here, which he shared with his friend Gauguin. Everything was going well, but there was a quarrel between the artists. Van Gogh rushed at Gauguin, who had already become an enemy, with a razor. Gauguin barely blew his legs, miraculously surviving. From the anger of failure, Van Gogh cut off part of his left ear. After spending 2 weeks in a psychiatric clinic, he returned there again in 1889, as he began to suffer from hallucinations.
In May 1890, he finally left the asylum for the mentally ill and went to Paris to his brother Theo and his wife, who had just given birth to a boy, who was named Vincent in honor of his uncle. Life began to improve, and Van Gogh was even happy, but his illness returned again. On July 27, 1890, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a pistol. He died in the arms of his brother Theo, who loved him very much. Six months later, Theo also died. The brothers are buried in the Auvers cemetery nearby.
It would seem that Vincent van Gogh (Vincent Willem van Gogh, 1853-1890) and, two of the greatest artists of the second half of the 19th century, there could be much in common. But their brief relationship ended in tragedy.
Fate decreed that van Gogh and Gauguin ended up at the same time in the same place. And those 70 days that they were destined to spend in Arles, a city in the south of France, became a difficult test for them. But if for Paul the difficult neighborhood turned into only an unpleasant memory, then for Vincent living together turned into a loss of physical and mental health. After all, the crazy story with the cut off ear happened exactly there, and there is still no unequivocal answer to the question of what role Gauguin played in it.
The artists had different motives for settling in Arles. Vincent van Gogh was obsessed with the idea of creating a commune. It was for the Southern Studio that a small yellow house was filmed in the city.
The realization of this dream required great effort from Vincent, because fate was rarely favorable to him. The artist worked as a consultant for the sale of paintings, was a teacher, mastered theology and read sermons to Belgian miners. But the versatile activity in his soul did not find a lively response.
Things were no better on the personal front: the relationship with a street woman ended in a “bad” illness and a pernicious passion for absinthe.
The paintings were not sold, creativity did not provide even a modest existence, and in order to start the next work, the artist often had to borrow canvas and paints from papa Tanga, a dealer in painting materials.
By the way, he exhibited in the window of his store paintings of Van Gogh, “unclaimed” at that time.
By the time of his arrival in Arles, the artist was a thin, extremely emaciated, thirty-five-year-old man who had lost half his teeth with a shattered nervous system, uncontrollable outbursts of rage and a bunch of bad habits.
But in terms of creativity, Van Gogh's life in Arles turned out to be extremely fruitful. There were no scathing critics and ubiquitous newspapers commenting on the artist's crazy antics, so in just the first two months of his life, 200 paintings appeared in the province.
Such ability to work was not given in vain: the artist drank more than 20 cups of strong coffee a day, and fell asleep only after an immeasurable amount of alcohol. This went on from February to October 1888, until the arrival of Paul Gauguin in Arles, whose life was completely different.
Strong prosperity, a big house in a prestigious district of Paris, a wife, five children - what else is needed for happiness? But Paul yearned for his former freedom and was burdened by the conventions of life of a wealthy bourgeois. In the family of his guardian, where everyone was very fond of painting, paints and brushes fell into his hands. Gauguin began to write.
Numerous hardships of an unrecognized genius immediately fell upon him: in just a few years, his career collapsed, the house was sold under the hammer, the Danish wife took the children and left for her homeland.
Slava put off a visit to the artist, and he was forced to agree to the proposal of Theo van Gogh, who promised Paul to pay 150 francs each for going to Arles and living in the same house with his brother Vincent.
On October 22, Gauguin arrived in Arles. A little more than two months remained before the tragic events. The situation escalated in the very first minutes after the meeting of the artists. Gauguin did not like the terrible mess that reigned in the rooms, and the fact that there was no food in the house. In addition, he announced that he would live in the brightest and largest bedroom, where Vincent had already managed to settle. It would seem that the owner's cup of patience could be overwhelmed by a caustic review of the picture that he painted specially for the arrival of the guest - these, by the way, were the famous "Sunflowers".
But van Vincent van Gogh patiently took down all the comments of the future, as he hoped, friend, because he absolutely did not pretend to be the leader in their relationship.
Paul did not stop there and undertook to manage not only the life, but also the creativity of his neighbor. He believed that there was no need to often go to the open air, because you can draw from memory. But van Gogh could only paint from nature, and the landscapes created in the room caused him fits of rage.
When the artists did get into nature, Gauguin was already annoyed - his friend painted a full-fledged picture in a day, and he brought home only sketches.
But in their vision, of course, there was something in common, and this is precisely what explains the fact that the artists “crossed paths” several times in the plots of the paintings. So, both of them were inspired to paint a portrait by the local beauty Marie Gino and did not leave indifferent the landscapes of Provence, the famous red vineyards of Arles and the modest dwellings of local farmers.
Van Gogh called the yellow house a monastery, where Gauguin would be an abbot, and he would be just a novice, but the artists did not live according to the monastic charter. They drank a lot, often visited the local bullfight and the city brothel. And, perhaps, these circumstances have the most direct relation to the severed ear of Vincent van Gogh.
At the bullfight in Arles, the matador did not kill the defeated bull, but only cut off his ear. Once again, the artists visited the arena literally on the eve of the tragedy, and van Gogh had the opportunity to once again see what happens to the losers.
This story could not do without a woman. She turned out to be the “priestess of love” Rachel, who chose to spend the night with the outwardly attractive Gauguin. He allowed himself not only to bring the girl into the house, but also to discuss with her the pictures of his friend.
It is likely that after this, in the inflamed imagination of van Gogh, a crazy idea arose that he was a loser, and Gauguin and Rachel were winners who had the right to “claim” in his ear. Then it becomes clear why in the morning Vincent brought Rachel such a terrible "gift".
But there is another version, where events developed differently. According to her, heavily drunk friends had a fight, Vincent van Gogh rushed to Paul with a razor, and he, defending himself, accidentally cut off his ear with a rapier. This could well have happened, especially since the victim himself never told anyone about self-mutilation, but in one of his letters to his brother he noted:
“It’s good that Gauguin didn’t have a firearm, otherwise everything could have ended much worse”
Vincent van Gogh is a Dutch artist, one of the brightest representatives of post-impressionism. He worked a lot and fruitfully: for a little over ten years he created such a number of works that none of the famous painters had. He painted portraits and self-portraits, landscapes and still lifes, cypresses, wheat fields and sunflowers.
The artist was born near the southern border of the Netherlands in the village of Grot-Zundert. This event in the family of pastor Theodor van Gogh and his wife Anna Cornelia Carbentus happened on March 30, 1853. In total, there were six children in the Van Gogh family. The younger brother Theo helped Vincent throughout his life, took an active part in his difficult fate.
In the family, Vincent was a difficult, naughty child with some oddities, so he was often punished. Outside the house, on the contrary, he looked thoughtful, serious and quiet. He hardly played with children. The villagers considered him a modest, sweet, friendly and compassionate child. At the age of 7, he was sent to a village school, a year later they were taken away from there and taught at home, in the fall of 1864 the boy was taken to a boarding school in Zevenbergen.
Departure wounds the boy's soul and causes him much suffering. In 1866 he was transferred to another boarding school. Vincent is good at languages, and here he gets his first drawing skills. In 1868, in the middle of the school year, he left school and went home. His education ends there. He remembers his childhood as something cold and gloomy.
Traditionally, the generations of the Van Goghs realized themselves in two areas of activity: the sale of paintings and church activities. Vincent will try himself both as a preacher and as a merchant, giving his whole self to the work. Having achieved some success, he refuses both, consecrating his life and all of himself to painting.
Carier start
In 1868, a fifteen-year-old boy entered the branch of the art firm Goupil & Co. in The Hague. For good work and curiosity, he is sent to the London branch. During the two years that Vincent spent in London, he becomes a real businessman and connoisseur of engravings of English masters, quotes Dickens and Eliot, gloss appears in him. Van Gogh is waiting for the prospect of a brilliant commissioner of the central branch of Goupil in Paris, where he was supposed to move.
Pages from the book of letters to brother Theo In 1875, events occurred that changed his life. In a letter to Theo, he calls his condition "painful loneliness." Researchers of the artist's biography suggest that the reason for this condition is rejected love. Who was the object of this love is not exactly known. It is possible that this version is wrong. The transfer to Paris did not help to change the situation either. He lost interest in Goupil and was fired.
Theology and missionary activity
In search of himself, Vincent is affirmed in his religious destiny. In 1877 he moved to his uncle Johannes in Amsterdam and was preparing to enter the Faculty of Theology. In his studies, he is disappointed, quits classes and leaves. The desire to serve people leads him to a missionary school. In 1879, he received a position as a preacher in Vama in southern Belgium.
He teaches the Law of God at the mining center in Borinage, helps the families of miners, visits the sick, teaches children, reads sermons, draws maps of Palestine to earn money. He himself lives in a miserable shack, eats water and bread, sleeps on the floor, torturing himself physically. In addition, he helps workers to defend their rights.
Local authorities remove him from his post, as they do not accept violent activity and extremes. During this period, he draws a lot of miners, their wives and children.
Becoming an artist
To get away from the depression associated with the events in Paturage, Van Gogh turns to painting. Brother Theo gives him support and he attends the Academy of Fine Arts. But a year later, he drops out of school and goes to his parents, continuing to study on his own.
Falls in love again. This time to my cousin. His feelings do not find an answer, but he continues courtship, which irritates his relatives, who asked him to leave. Due to a new shock, he gives up his personal life, leaves for The Hague to take up painting. Here he takes lessons from Anton Mauve, works hard, observes city life, mainly in poor neighborhoods. Studying the “Drawing Course” by Charles Bargue, copying lithographs. He masters the mixing of various techniques on canvas, achieving interesting color shades in his works.
Once again he tries to start a family with a pregnant street woman whom he meets on the street. A woman with children moves in with him and becomes a model for the artist. Because of this, he quarrels with relatives and friends. Vincent himself feels happy, but not for long. The difficult nature of the cohabitant turned his life into a nightmare, and they parted.
The artist goes to the province of Drenthe in the north of the Netherlands, lives in a hut, which he equipped as a workshop, paints landscapes, peasants, scenes from their work and life. The early works of Van Gogh, with reservations, but can be called realistic. The lack of academic education affected his drawing, in the inaccuracy of the depiction of human figures.
From Drent, he moves to his parents in Nuenen, draws a lot. Hundreds of drawings and paintings were created during this period. Simultaneously with creativity, she is engaged in painting with students, reads a lot and takes music lessons. The themes of the works of the Dutch period are simple people and scenes painted in an expressive manner with a predominance of a dark palette, gloomy and deaf tones. The masterpieces of this period include the painting "Potato Eaters" (1885), depicting a scene from the life of peasants.
Parisian period
After much thought, Vincent decides to live and work in Paris, where he moves at the end of February 1886. Here he meets his brother Theo, who has risen to the director of an art gallery. The artistic life of the French capital of this period is in full swing.
A significant event is the Impressionist exhibition on Rue Lafitte. Signac and Seurat are exhibiting there for the first time, leading the Post-Impressionist movement that marked the final stage of Impressionism. Impressionism is a revolution in art that changed the approach to painting, displacing academic techniques and subjects. At the forefront is the first impression, pure colors, preference is given to painting in the open air.
In Paris, Van Gogh is taken care of by his brother Theo, settles him in his house, and introduces him to artists. In the workshop of the traditionalist artist Fernand Cormon, he met Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard and Louis Anquetin. Impressionist and post-impressionist paintings make a huge impression on him. In Paris, he became addicted to absinthe and even writes a still life on this subject.
Painting "Still life with absinthe" The Parisian period (1886-1888) turned out to be the most fruitful, the collection of his works was replenished with 230 canvases. It was the time of the search for technology, the study of innovative trends in modern painting. He has a new view of painting. The realistic approach is replaced by a new manner, gravitating towards impressionism and post-impressionism, which is reflected in his still lifes with flowers and landscapes.
His brother introduces him to the most prominent representatives of this trend: Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and others. With his friends, artists often goes to the open air. His palette gradually brightens, becomes brighter, and over time turns into a riot of colors, characteristic of his work in recent years.
Fragment of the painting “Agostina Segatori in a cafe” In Paris, Van Gogh communicates a lot, visits the same places where his brothers go. In "Tambourine" he even starts a little romance with his mistress Agostina Segatori, who once posed for Degas. From it, he paints a portrait at a table in a cafe and several works in the nude style. Another meeting place was papa Tanga's shop, where paints and other materials for artists were sold. Here, as in many other similar institutions, artists exhibited their work.
A group of Small Boulevards is being formed, which includes Van Gogh and his comrades, who have not reached such heights as the masters of the Grand Boulevards - more famous and recognized. The spirit of rivalry and tension that reigned in the Parisian society of that time become unbearable for an impulsive and uncompromising artist. He enters into disputes, quarrels and decides to leave the capital.
severed ear
In February 1888, he goes to Provence and becomes attached to it with all his heart. Theo sponsors his brother, sending him 250 francs a month. In gratitude, Vincent sends his paintings to his brother. He rents four rooms in a hotel, eats in a cafe, the owners of which become his friends and pose for pictures.
With the advent of spring, the artist is captivated by flowering trees pierced by the southern sun. He is delighted with the bright colors and transparency of the air. The ideas of impressionism are gradually leaving, but fidelity to the light palette and painting in the open air remains. The works are dominated by yellow, which acquires a special radiance coming from the depths.
Vincent Van Gogh. Self-portrait with severed ear To work at night in the open air, he fixes candles on his hat and sketchbook, illuminating his workplace in this way. This is how his paintings "Starry Night over the Rhone" and "Night Cafe" were painted. An important event is the arrival of Paul Gauguin, whom Vincent repeatedly invited to Arles. An enthusiastic and fruitful cohabitation ends in a quarrel and a break. Self-confident, pedantic Gauguin was the complete opposite of the uncollected and restless Van Gogh.
The epilogue of this story is a stormy showdown before Christmas 1888, when Vincent cut off his ear. Gauguin, frightened that they were going to attack him, hid in the hotel. Vincent wrapped the bloodied earlobe in paper and sent it to their mutual friend, the prostitute Rachel. In a pool of blood, he was discovered by his friend Roulin. The wound heals quickly, but mental health sends him back to the hospital bed.
Death
The inhabitants of Arles begin to fear a city dweller unlike them. In 1889, they write a petition demanding that they be rid of the "red-haired madman." Vincent realizes the danger of his condition and voluntarily goes to the hospital of St. Paul of Mausoleum in Saint-Remy. During treatment, he is allowed to write on the street under the supervision of medical staff. This is how his works with characteristic wavy lines and swirls appeared (“Starry night”, “Road with cypresses and a star”, etc.).
Painting “Starry night” In Saint-Remy, periods of intense activity are replaced by long breaks caused by depression. At the time of one of the crises, he swallows paint. Despite the increased aggravation of the disease, Theo's brother encourages his participation in the September Salon des Indépendants in Paris. In January 1890, Vincent exhibits "Red Vineyards at Arles" and sells them for four hundred francs, which is a pretty decent amount. It was the only painting sold during his lifetime.
Painting "Red Vineyards in Arles" His joy was immeasurable. The artist did not stop working. The success of the Vineyards is also inspired by his brother Theo. He supplies Vincent with paints, but Vincent begins to eat them. In May 1890, the brother negotiates with the homeopathic therapist Dr. Gachet about the treatment of Vincent in his clinic. The doctor himself is fond of drawing, so he happily takes up the treatment of the artist. Vincent is also disposed towards Gache, sees in him a kind-hearted and optimistic person.
A month later, Van Gogh is allowed to travel to Paris. His brother does not welcome him very kindly. He has financial problems, his daughter is very sick. Vincent is unbalanced by such a reception, he understands that he is becoming, perhaps, and has always been a burden for his brother. Shocked, he returns to the clinic.
Fragment of the painting "Road with cypresses and a star" On July 27, as usual, he goes to the open air, but returns not with sketches, but with a bullet in his chest. A bullet fired by him from a pistol hit the rib and went away from the heart. The artist himself returned to the shelter and went to bed. Lying in bed, he calmly smoked his pipe. It seemed that the wound did not hurt him.
Gachet summoned Theo by telegram. He immediately arrived, began to reassure his brother that they would help him, that there was no need to indulge in despair. The answer was the phrase: "Sorrow will last forever." The artist died on July 29, 1890 at half past one in the night. He was buried in the town of Mary on July 30.
Many of his artist friends came to say goodbye to the artist. The walls of the room were hung with his latest paintings. Dr. Gachet wanted to make a speech, but he cried so hard that he managed to utter only a few words, the essence of which was that Vincent was a great artist and an honest man, that art, which for him was above all, would repay him by perpetuating his name .
The artist's brother Theo van Gogh passed away six months later. He did not forgive himself for quarrels with his brother. His despair, which he shares with his mother, becomes unbearable, and he falls ill with a nervous breakdown. Here is what he wrote in a letter to his mother after the death of his brother:
“It is impossible to describe my grief, as it is impossible to find consolation. It is a grief that will last and from which, of course, I will never get rid of as long as I live. The only thing that can be said is that he himself found the peace he longed for... Life was such a heavy burden for him, but now, as often happens, everyone praises his talents... Oh, mother! He was so mine, my own brother."
Theo van Gogh, the artist's brother And this is Vincent's last letter, written by him after the quarrel:
“It seems to me that since everyone is a little nervous and also too busy, it’s not worth it to sort out all the relationships to the end. I was a little surprised that you seem to want to rush things. How can I help, or rather, what can I do to make it suit you? One way or another, mentally again I firmly shake hands with you and, in spite of everything, I was glad to see you all. Don't doubt it."
In 1914, Theo's remains were reburied by his widow next to Vincent's grave.
Personal life
One of the reasons for Van Gogh's mental illness could be his failed personal life, he never found a life partner. The first fit of despair came after the refusal of the daughter of his housewife Ursula Leuer, with whom he had been secretly in love for a long time. The proposal sounded unexpected, shocked the girl, and she rudely refused.
History repeated itself with widowed cousin Key Stricker Voe, but this time Vincent decides not to give up. The woman does not accept courtship. On his third visit to his beloved's relatives, he sticks his hand into the flame of a candle, promising to keep her there until she gives her consent to become his wife. By this act, he finally convinced the girl's father that he was dealing with a mentally ill person. They did not stand on ceremony with him anymore and simply escorted him out of the house.
Sexual dissatisfaction was reflected in his nervous state. Vincent begins to like prostitutes, especially not very young and not very beautiful, whom he could bring up. Soon he decides on a pregnant prostitute who moves in with him with her 5-year-old daughter. After the birth of his son, Vincent becomes attached to the children and thinks about getting married.
The woman posed for the artist and lived with him for about a year. Because of her, he had to be treated for gonorrhea. Relations deteriorated completely when the artist saw how cynical, cruel, sloppy and unbridled she was. After parting, the lady indulged in her former occupations, and Van Gogh left The Hague.
Margot Begemann in youth and maturity In recent years, Vincent has been stalked by a 41-year-old woman named Margot Begemann. She was a neighbor of the artist in Nuenen and really wanted to get married. Van Gogh, rather out of pity, agrees to marry her. Parents did not give consent to this marriage. Margo almost committed suicide, but Van Gogh saved her. In the following period, he has many promiscuity, he visits brothels and from time to time is treated for venereal diseases.
Vincent van Gogh is a famous artist and a scandalous figure in the art world of the 19th century. Today, his work continues to be controversial. The ambiguity of the paintings and their fullness of meanings make us take a deeper look at them and at the life of their creator.
Childhood and family
He was born in 1853 in the Netherlands, in the small village of Grot-Zundert. His father was a Protestant pastor, and his mother was from a family of bookbinders. Vincent van Gogh had 2 younger brothers and 3 sisters. It is known that at home he was often punished for his wayward character and temper.
The men in the artist's family worked in the church or sold paintings and books. From childhood, he was immersed in 2 contradictory worlds - the world of faith and the world of art.
Education
At the age of 7, the elder Van Gogh began attending a village school. Just a year later, he switched to home schooling, and after another 3 he left for a boarding school. In 1866, Vincent became a student at Willem II College. Although the departure and separation from loved ones were not easy for him, he achieved some success in his studies. Here he received drawing lessons. After 2 years, Vincent van Gogh interrupted his basic education and returned home.
In the future, he repeatedly made attempts to get an art education, but none of them was successful.
Searching for yourself
From 1869 to 1876, working as an art dealer for a large firm, he lived in The Hague, Paris and London. During these years, he got to know painting very closely, visited galleries, daily in contact with works of art and their authors, and for the first time tried himself as an artist.
After his dismissal, he worked in 2 English schools as a teacher and assistant pastor. Then he returned to the Netherlands and sold books. But most of the time he spent on drawings and translating fragments of the Bible into foreign languages.
Six months later, having settled in Amsterdam with his uncle Jan van Gogh, he was preparing to enter the university in the department of theology. However, he quickly changed his mind and went first to the Protestant missionary school near Brussels, and then to the mining village of Paturazh in Belgium.
Since the mid 80s of the XIX century. and until the end of his life, Vincent van Gogh actively painted and even sold some paintings.
Some time in 1888 he spent in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of epilepsy of the temporal lobes. The incident with cutting off the earlobe, because of which he ended up in the hospital, is well known - Van Gogh, after a quarrel with Gauguin, separated it from his left ear and took it to a familiar prostitute.
The artist died in 1890 from a bullet wound. According to some versions, the shot was fired by him.
Van Gogh short biography.
