The van gogh family. What is the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh for? He changed several jobs before becoming an artist.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh - Dutch painter and graphic artist; the largest representative of post-impressionism. Born March 30, 1853 in the small Dutch village of Grot-Zundert, located near the Belgian border. The father of the future artist was a Protestant pastor, and his mother was the daughter of a bookseller. Vincent was the second child in a large family, but since the elder brother died in infancy, he remained with the older one.

Already at the age of 16, he worked for a company that sells paintings. Although he was not an excellent businessman, he possessed an endless love of painting. The artist's life changed dramatically during the two years he spent in London. His work was paid so well that he could not deny himself anything. During this period, Vincent actively attended exhibitions in art galleries. On the way to a glorious career, love got in the way. The young art dealer fell madly in love with a woman who had already been betrothed, after which he closed in on himself.

He became indifferent to his work, and when he returned to Holland, he fell into religion. From 1886 he lived with his brother in Paris. There he studied painting with F. Cormon, and also met Pissarro, Gauguin and other prominent artists. He paints with bright and clear sketches in the style of the Impressionists. By the age of 27, he already knew for sure that he wanted to be a professional artist. By nature, Van Gogh was very kind and compassionate. He could distribute money and clothing to people in need, even when he himself was not particularly well off.

Life was slowly getting better, but another personal crisis followed. The widow cousin, whom he had liked for a long time, refused him, which he was very worried about. This disagreement caused him to move to The Hague. In 1888 he moved to Arles, as France had long been his second home. Local residents avoided him, considering him abnormal. Despite this, he made new acquaintances there and made many good friends. For some time, they closely communicated with Gauguin, but after a serious quarrel, he almost killed him by throwing himself with a razor. During the same period, he cut off his ear, after which he was placed in a psychiatric clinic.

Van Gogh's madness was already known. The treatment did not give the desired result, since the artist was tormented by hallucinations. In 1890, he went to his brother Theo, who had just had a son named after him Vincent. The illness seemed to recede and life began to improve again. However, in July of the same year, Van Gogh committed suicide. He died by shooting himself in the chest with a pistol. In the last minutes of his life, his brother Theo, who loved him dearly, was next to him.

Vincent William Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853. He was named after his first son, who was born dead exactly one year ago. Vincent was the eldest of six children of Theodor van Gogh (1822-1885) and his wife Anna Cornelia, née Carbentus (1819-1907). Theodore, pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, and Cornelia, daughter of a bookbinder from The Hague, were married in 1851. Vincent was born in the village of Groot-Zundert, fifty miles from Breda, which is located in North Brabant, Holland.

VINCENT VAN GOGH BORN ON MARCH 30, 1853 IN THE TREE OF GROT ZUNDERT IN THE PROVINCE OF BRABANT IN THE SOUTH OF THE NETHERLANDS

On May 1, 1857, Vincent's brother Theodore (Theo) was born. Throughout their lives, Theo and Vincent, despite the periods of misunderstandings and quarrels that happened, were tied by close ties of brotherly love.

The Van Gogh family led a quiet, humble life in the home of the priest Theodor van Gogh. Hard work and piety entered the boy's mind deeply. Perhaps the volcanic frenzy with which Van Gogh expressed himself in painting was the desire to free himself from the serenity of the world that had developed in his childhood.

In 1864 he was assigned to a private boarding house in Zevenbergen. Little Van Gogh lives far from his parents, here he studies French, English and German, and also practices painting.

It is noteworthy that in the house in Zundert, where Van Gogh spent his first 16 years of life, today his 12 children's drawings, drawn from 1862 to 1864, are kept. Some of these drawings do not look like children, they already show the talent of the artist.

For another two years, Vincent stays at a boarding house in Tilburg. In 1868, he unexpectedly quit his studies and returned to Groot-Zundert, where he remained until July 1869. It remains unclear what caused the early return from Tilburg: lack of funds or insufficient diligence on the part of the student himself.

On July 30, 1869, Uncle Saint van Gogh recommends his nephew to the head of the Dutch branch of the Parisian firm "Goupil & Co.", where he begins his work since August. Thanks to his uncle Vincent (and then his brother Theo, who started working in Brussels), they got acquainted with works of art made in various techniques, as well as with many contemporary artists. Under the leadership of H.G. Terstekha sells canvases by contemporary artists (mostly belonging to the Barbizon and Hague schools), reproductions from paintings by old masters, photographs, engravings, lithographs; reads a lot, visits the Hague museums.

The Van Gogh family held a fairly high position in society. The need to meet this level has always dominated Vincent. He feels this oppressive feeling while working for Gupil & Co.

In 1872 he spent a vacation at his parents' house, then in August he visited his brother in The Hague. This year was marked by the beginning of an intense correspondence between the brothers, which, once interrupted for a short time, did not stop throughout their lives. Vincent's letters to his brother are the most important source that gives us today an idea of ​​the artist's aesthetic, socio-philosophical views. From the letters, we also learn about the vicissitudes of Vincent's private life, his relationship with relatives, friends and colleagues.

In 1873, for conscientious service in the Hague branch of "Gupil and Co." Vincent was transferred to the London branch, but it was in London that he forever lost interest in the work of an agent for the sale of paintings.

In London, he rents a room in Mrs. Ursula Loyer's house, falls in love with her daughter Eugénie, hesitates for a long time, but still confesses his feelings. Upon learning that the girl is already engaged, she falls into a state of depression. The unfortunate Van Gogh throws away all the books that he had read eagerly before and begins to seriously study the Bible.

Nowadays, few people do not know about the great artist Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh's biography was destined to be not too long, but eventful and full of hardships, short ups and desperate falls. Few know that in his entire life Vincent managed to sell only one of his paintings for a substantial amount, and only after his death did his contemporaries recognize the enormous influence of the Dutch post-impressionist on painting of the 20th century. The biography of Van Gogh can be summarized in the great master's dying words:

The sadness will never end.

Unfortunately, the life of an amazing and original creator was full of pain and disappointment. But who knows, maybe if not for all the losses in life, the world would never have seen his amazing works, which people still admire?

Childhood

A short biography and work of Vincent Van Gogh were restored through the efforts of his brother Theo. Vincent had almost no friends, so everything that we now know about the great artist is told by a man who loved him immensely.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in North Brabant in the village of Groth-Zundert. The firstborn of Theodore and Anna Cornelia, Van Gogh died in infancy - Vincent became the oldest child in the family. Four years after the birth of Vincent, his brother Theodorus was born, with whom Vincent was close until the end of his life. In addition, they also had a brother Cornelius and three sisters (Anna, Elizabeth and Willemina).

An interesting fact in the biography of Van Gogh is that he grew up as a difficult and stubborn child with extravagant manners. At the same time, outside the family, Vincent was serious, gentle, thoughtful and calm. He did not like to communicate with other children, but fellow villagers considered him a modest and friendly child.

In 1864 he was sent to a boarding school in Zevenbergen. The artist Van Gogh recalled this segment of his biography with pain: the departure caused him a lot of suffering. This place doomed him to loneliness, so Vincent took up his studies, but in 1868 he left his studies and returned home. In fact, this is all the formal education that the artist managed to get.

A brief biography and work of Van Gogh is still carefully preserved in museums and a few testimonies: no one could have thought that an obnoxious child would become a truly great creator - even if his significance was recognized only after his death.

Work and missionary work

A year after returning home, Vincent goes to work at the Hague branch of his uncle's art and trading company. In 1873, Vincent was transferred to London. Over time, Vincent learned to appreciate and understand painting. He later moved to 87 Hackford Road, where he rents a room from Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugenie. Some biographers add that Van Gogh was in love with Eugene, although the facts suggest that he loved the German woman Karlina Haanebik.

In 1874, Vincent already worked in the Paris branch, but soon he returned to London again. Things are getting worse for him: a year later he is again transferred to Paris, visits art museums and exhibitions, and finally, he finds the courage to try his hand at painting. Vincent cools off to work, fired up by a new business. All this leads to the fact that in 1876 he was fired from the company for poor performance.

Then in the biography of Vincent Van Gogh there comes a moment when he again returns to London and teaches at a boarding school in Ramsgate. During the same life period, Vincent devoted a lot of time to religion, he has a desire to become a pastor, following in the footsteps of his father. A little later, Van Gogh moved to another school in Isleworth, where he began to work as a teacher and assistant pastor. In the same place, Vincent read his first sermon. Interest in scripture grew and he was inspired by the idea of ​​preaching to the poor.

At Christmas, Vincent went home, where he was begged not to travel back to England. So he stayed in the Netherlands to help in a bookstore in Dordrecht. But this work did not inspire him: he mainly occupied himself with sketches and translations of the Bible.

His parents supported Van Gogh's desire to become a priest, sending him to Amsterdam in 1877. There he settled with his uncle Jan Van Gogh. Vincent studied hard under the supervision of Johannes Stricker, the renowned theologian, preparing for the exams for admission to the theology department. But very soon he quits his studies and leaves Amsterdam.

The desire to find his place in the world led him to the Protestant Missionary School of Pastor Bokma in Laeken near Brussels, where he took a preaching course. There is also an opinion that Vincent did not complete the full course, because he was kicked out because of his unkempt appearance, hot temper and fits of anger.

In 1878, Vincent became a missionary for six months in the village of Patyurazh in Borinage. Here he visited the sick, read the Scriptures for those who could not read, taught children, and at night he was engaged in drawing maps of Palestine, earning a living. Van Gogh planned to enter the Evangelical school, but he considered the payment of tuition discrimination and abandoned this idea. Soon he was removed from the rank of preacher - this was a painful blow for the future artist, but also an important fact in the biography of Van Gogh. Who knows, perhaps, if not for this high-profile event, Vincent would have become a priest, and the world would never have known the talented artist.

Becoming as an artist

Studying the short biography of Vincent Van Gogh, we can conclude: fate seemed to push him all his life in the right direction and led him to drawing. Seeking salvation from despondency, Vincent again turns to painting. He turned to his brother Theo for support and in 1880 went to Brussels, where he attended classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. A year later, Vincent is forced to leave school again and return to his family. It was then that he decided that the artist did not need any talent, the main thing was to work hard. Therefore, he continues painting and drawing on his own.

During this period, Vincent experiences a new love, this time turned to his cousin, the widow Kei Vos-Stricker, who was visiting the Van Gogh house. But she did not reciprocate, but Vincent continued to look after her, which caused the indignation of his relatives. In the end, he was told to leave. Van Gogh is experiencing another shock and abandons attempts to establish a further personal life.

Vincent leaves for The Hague, where he takes lessons from Anton Mauve. Over time, the biography and work of Vincent Van Gogh was filled with new colors, including in painting: he experimented with mixing different techniques. Then his works were born, such as Backyards, which he created with chalk, pen and brush, as well as the painting Roofs. View from Van Gogh's Studio ”, painted with watercolors and chalk. A great influence on the formation of his work was influenced by Charles Bargh's book "A Course in Drawing", from which he diligently copied lithographs.

Vincent was a man of fine mental organization, and, one way or another, he was drawn to people and emotional return. Despite his decision to forget about his personal life, in The Hague, he nevertheless made another attempt to create a family. He met Christine right on the street and was imbued with her difficult situation so much that he invited her to live in his house with the children. This act finally broke off Vincent's relationship with all his loved ones, but they maintained a warm relationship with Theo. So Vincent had a girlfriend and a model. But Christine turned out to be a nightmare: Van Gogh's life turned into a nightmare.

When they parted, the artist traveled north to the province of Drenthe. He equipped the dwelling for a workshop, and spent whole days outdoors, creating landscapes. But the artist himself did not call himself a landscape painter, devoting his paintings to the peasants and their daily life.

Van Gogh's early works are classified as realism, but his technique does not quite fit into this direction. One of the problems that Van Gogh faced in his work is the inability to correctly portray a human figure. But this only played into the hands of the great artist: it became a characteristic feature of his style: the interpretation of a person as an integral part of the world around him. This can be clearly seen, for example, in the work "Peasant and Peasant Woman Planting Potatoes". Human figures are like mountains in the distance, and the elevated horizon seems to press on them from above, preventing them from straightening their backs. A similar technique can be seen in his later work Red Vineyards.

In this segment of his biography, Van Gogh writes a series of works, including:

• "Leaving the Protestant Church in Nuenen";
• Potato Eaters;
• "Peasant";
• "The old church tower in Nuenen".

The paintings are created in dark shades, which symbolize the painful perception by the author of human suffering and a feeling of general depression. Van Gogh portrayed the heavy atmosphere of hopelessness of the peasants and the sad mood of the village. At the same time, Vincent developed his own understanding of landscapes: in his opinion, through the landscape the state of mind of a person is expressed through the connection between human psychology and nature.

Paris period

The artistic life of the French capital is flourishing: it was there that the great artists of the time flocked. The exhibition of the Impressionists on the rue Lafite became a landmark event: for the first time, the works of Signac and Seurat are shown, who herald the beginning of the post-impressionism movement. It was impressionism that revolutionized art, changing the approach to painting. This trend presented confrontation with academism and outdated plots: pure colors and the very impression of what they saw are at the head of creativity, which are subsequently transferred to the canvas. Post-Impressionism was the final stage of Impressionism.

The Parisian period, which lasted from 1986 to 1988, became the most fruitful in the artist's life; more than 230 drawings and canvases were added to his collection of paintings. Vincent Van Gogh forms his own view of art: the realistic approach is becoming a thing of the past, being replaced by the desire for post-impressionism.

With the acquaintance with Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet, the colors in his paintings begin to brighten and become brighter and brighter, eventually becoming a real riot of colors characteristic of his last works.

Papa Tanguy's shop, where art materials were sold, became an iconic place. Here many artists met and exhibited their works. But Van Gogh's temper was still irreconcilable: the spirit of rivalry and tension in society often pissed off the impulsive artist, so Vincent soon quarreled with friends and decided to leave the French capital.

Among the famous works of the Parisian period are the following paintings:

• Agostina Segatori at the Tambourine Cafe;
• "Daddy Tanguy";
• Still Life with Absinthe;
• "Bridge over the Seine";
• "View of Paris from Theo's apartment on rue Lepic."

Provence

Vincent goes to Provence and is imbued with this atmosphere for the rest of his life. Theo supports his brother's decision to become a real artist and sends him money for a living, and he sends him his paintings in gratitude in the hope that his brother will be able to sell them profitably. Van Gogh settles in a hotel, where he lives and works, periodically inviting casual visitors or acquaintances to pose.

With the onset of spring, Vincent gets out into the street and draws flowering trees and nature that comes to life. The ideas of impressionism are gradually leaving his work, but remain in the form of a light palette and pure colors. During this period of his work, Vincent wrote "The Peach Tree in Bloom", "Anglois Bridge at Arles".

Van Gogh worked even at night, once imbued with the idea of ​​capturing the special night shades and glow of the stars. He works by candlelight: this is how the famous "Starry Night over the Rhone" and "Night Cafe" were created.

Severed ear

Vincent is fired up with the idea of ​​creating a common home for the artist, where creators could create their masterpieces, living and working together. An important event was the arrival of Paul Gauguin, with whom Vincent had a long correspondence. Together with Gauguin, Vincent writes passion-filled works:

• "Yellow House";
• "Harvest. Valley of La Cro ";
• "Armchair of Gauguin".

Vincent was overjoyed, but this union ends in a loud quarrel. Passions all ran high, and in one of his desperate turbidity, Van Gogh, according to some testimonies, attacks a friend with a razor in his hands. Gauguin manages to stop Vincent, and as a result, he cuts off his earlobe. Gauguin leaves his house, while he wrapped the bloody flesh in a napkin and handed it to a familiar prostitute named Rachelle. Rulen's friend found him in a pool of his own blood. Although the wound soon healed, the deep mark on his heart shattered Vincent's mental health for life. Soon Vincent ends up in a psychiatric hospital.

The flowering of creativity

During periods of remission, he asked to return to the workshop, but the residents of Arles signed a statement to the mayor asking him to isolate the mentally ill artist from civilians. But in the hospital he was not forbidden to create: until 1889, Vincent worked on new paintings right there. During this time, he created over 100 pencil and watercolor drawings. The canvases of this period are distinguished by tension, bright dynamics and contrasting contrasting colors:

• "Landscape with Olives";
• "Wheat field with cypresses".

At the end of the same year, Vincent was invited to participate in the G20 exhibition in Brussels. His works aroused great interest among connoisseurs of painting, but this could no longer please the artist, and even a laudatory article about "Red Vineyards in Arles" did not make the exhausted Van Gogh happy.

In 1890 he moved to Opère-sur-Urz, near Paris, where he saw his family for the first time in a long time. He continued to write, but his style became more and more gloomy and oppressive. A distinctive feature of that period was a curved and tearful contour, which can be traced in the following works:

• Street and Staircase at Auvers;
• "Rural road with cypresses";
• "Landscape at Auvers after the rain".

Last years

The last bright memory in the life of the great artist was his acquaintance with Dr. Paul Gachet, who also loved to write. Friendship with him supported Vincent in the most difficult periods of his life - apart from his brother, the postman Roulin and Dr. Gachet, by the end of his life he had no close friends.

In 1890, Vincent paints the canvas "Wheat Field with Crows", and a week later, tragedy occurs.

The circumstances of the artist's death look mysterious. Vincent was shot in the heart with his own revolver, which he carried with him to scare away birds. While dying, the artist admitted that he shot himself in the chest, but missed, hitting a little lower. He himself got to the hotel where he lived, a doctor was called for him. The doctor doubted the version with a suicide attempt - the angle of entry of the bullet was suspiciously low, and the bullet did not pass right through, which suggests that they were shooting from a distance - or, at least, from a distance of a couple of meters. The doctor immediately called Theo - he arrived the next day and was with his brother until his death.

There is a version that on the eve of Van Gogh's death, the artist had a serious argument with Dr. Gachet. He accused him of insolvency, while his brother Theo literally dies of a disease that eats him, but still sends him money for life. These words could greatly hurt Vincent - after all, he himself felt great guilt before his brother. In addition, in recent years, Vincent had feelings for the lady, which again did not lead to reciprocity. Being as depressed as possible, upset by a quarrel with a friend, recently leaving the hospital, Vincent could well decide to commit suicide.

Vincent died on July 30, 1890. Theo loved his brother endlessly and with great difficulty took this loss. He began organizing an exhibition of Vincent's posthumous works, but less than a year later, he died of a severe nervous shock on January 25, 1891. Years later, Theo's widow reburied his remains next to Vincent: she believed that inseparable brothers should be next to each other at least after death.

Confession

It is a common misconception that during his lifetime Van Gogh was able to sell only one of his paintings - "Red Vineyards in Arles". This work was only the first to be sold for a large sum - about 400 francs. Nevertheless, there are documents proving the sale of 14 more paintings.

Vincent Van Gogh received really wide recognition only after his death. His memorable exhibitions were organized in Paris, The Hague, Antwerp, Brussels. Interest in the artist began to grow, and at the beginning of the 20th century, retrospectives began in Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Cologne and Berlin. People became interested in his work, and his work began to influence the younger generation of artists.

Gradually, the prices for the painter's paintings began to increase until they became one of the most expensive paintings ever sold in the world, along with the works of Pablo Picasso. Among the most expensive of his works:

• "Portrait of Dr. Gachet";
• "Irises";
• "Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin";
• "Wheat field with cypresses";
• "A plowed field and a plowman."

Influence

In his last letter to Theo, Vincent wrote that, having no children of his own, the artist perceived the paintings as his continuation. To some extent, this was true: he did have children, and the first of them was Expressionism, which later began to have many heirs.

Many artists later adapted the features of Van Gogh's style for their work: Howart Hodgkin, Willem de Koening, Jackson Pollock. Fauvism soon came, which expanded the scope of color, expressionism became widespread.

The biography of Van Gogh and his work gave the expressionists a new language that helped the creators delve deeper into the essence of things and the world around them. Vincent became, in a sense, a pioneer in the art of modernity, having trod a new path in visual art.

It is almost impossible to tell a brief biography of Van Gogh: for his, unfortunately, short life, his work was influenced by so many different events that it would be a terrible injustice to omit at least one of them. A difficult life path led Vincent to the pinnacle of fame, but posthumous fame. During his lifetime, the great painter knew neither about his own genius, nor about the huge legacy that he left to the world of art, nor about how his family and friends yearned for him in the future. Vincent lived a lonely and sad life, rejected by everyone. He found salvation in art, but he could not be saved. But, one way or another, he presented the world with many amazing works that warm the hearts of people to this day, so many years later.

Vincent Van Gogh, who gave the world his Sunflowers and Starry Night, was one of the greatest creators of all time. A small grave in the countryside of France became his resting place. He fell asleep forever among those landscapes that Van Gogh left on his - an artist who will never be forgotten. For the sake of art, he sacrificed everything ...

A unique talent given by nature

"There is something of a delightful symphony in color." A creative genius was behind these words. Moreover, he was intelligent and sensitive. The depth and style of this person's life is often misunderstood. Van Gogh, whose biography has been carefully studied by many generations, is the most incomprehensible creator in the history of art.

First of all, the reader must understand that Vincent is not only the one who went insane and shot himself. Many people know that Van Gogh cut off his ear, and someone else - that he painted a whole cycle of paintings about sunflowers. But there are very few of those who really understand what talent Vincent had, what a unique gift nature gave him.

The sad birth of a great creator

On March 30, 1853, the cry of a newborn baby cut through the silence. The long-awaited baby was born into the family of Anna Cornelia and Pastor Theodore Van Gogh. It happened a year after the tragic death of their first child, who died in a matter of hours after birth. When registering this baby, identical data were indicated, and the long-awaited son was given the name of the lost child - Vincent William.

This is how the saga of one of the most famous artists in the world began in a rural wilderness in the south of the Netherlands. His birth was associated with sad events. It was a child, conceived after a bitter loss, born to people who still mourned their deceased firstborn.

Vincent's childhood

Every Sunday this red-haired, freckled boy went to church, where he listened to his parent's sermons. His father was a minister of the Dutch Protestant church, and Vincent Van Gogh grew up in accordance with the norms of upbringing adopted in religious families.

There was an unspoken rule in Vincent's time. The eldest son must follow in his father's footsteps. And so it should have happened. This placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of young Van Gogh. While the boy sat on the pew, listening to his father's sermons, he fully understood what was expected of him. And, of course, then Vincent Van Gogh, whose biography had nothing to do with art, did not know that in the future he would decorate his father's Bible with illustrations.

Between art and religion

The church played an important role in Vincent's life and had a tremendous influence on him. A sensitive and impressionable person, he was torn all his troubled life between religious zeal and craving for art.

His brother Theo was born in 1857. None of the boys then knew that Theo would play a big role in Vincent's life. They spent many happy days. We walked for a long time among the surrounding fields and knew all the paths around.

The giftedness of young Vincent

The nature in the rural outback, where Vincent Van Gogh was born and raised, would later become a red thread running through all his art. The hard work of the peasants left a deep impression on his soul. He developed a romantic perception of rural life, respected the inhabitants of this area and was proud of their neighborhood. After all, they earned their living by honest and hard work.

Vincent Van Gogh was a man who adored everything related to nature. He saw beauty in everything. The boy often drew and did so with the kind of feeling and attention to detail that are often found in more mature age. He demonstrated the skills and craftsmanship of an accomplished artist. Vincent was indeed gifted.

Communication with the mother and her love for art

Vincent's mother, Anna Cornelia, was a good artist and strongly supported her son's love for nature. He often took walks alone, enjoying the peace and quiet of endless fields and canals. When dusk deepened and fog fell, Van Gogh returned to a cozy house, where fire crackled pleasantly and his mother's needles knocked in time with him.

She loved art and corresponded extensively. This habit was adopted by Vincent. He wrote letters to the end of his days. Thanks to this, Van Gogh, whose biography began to be studied by specialists after his death, could not only reveal his feelings, but also recreate many events associated with his life.

Mother and son spent long hours together. They drew with pencil and paints, had lengthy conversations about their uniting love for art and nature. Father, meanwhile, was in the study, preparing for the Sunday sermon in the church.

Rural life away from politics

The imposing administration building of Zundert was directly opposite their house. One day Vincent drew buildings looking out of the window of his bedroom on the top floor. Later, he more than once depicted the scenes seen from this window. Looking at his talented drawings from that period, one can hardly believe that he was only nine years old.

Contrary to his father's expectations, a passion for painting and nature took root in the boy. He collected an impressive collection of insects and knew what they are all called in Latin. Very soon ivy and moss of the damp dense forest became his friends. At heart, he was a truly rural boy, explored the Zundert canals, caught tadpoles with a net.

Van Gogh's life passed away from politics, wars and all other events taking place in the world. His world was shaped around beautiful flowers, interesting and peaceful landscapes.

Peer interaction or home education?

Unfortunately, his special attitude to nature made him an outcast among other village children. He was not popular. The rest of the boys were mainly the sons of peasants, they loved the commotion of rural life. Sensitive and empathetic Vincent, who was interested in books and nature, did not fit into their society in any way.

Life for young Van Gogh was not easy. His parents were worried that other boys would badly influence his behavior. Then, unfortunately, Pastor Theodore found out that Vincent's teacher was too addicted to drinking, and then the parents decided that the child should be spared such influence. Until the age of eleven, the boy studied at home, and then his father decided that he needed to get a more serious education.

Further education: boarding school

Young Van Gogh, a biography, interesting facts and personal life of which today a huge number of people are interested, goes in 1864 to a boarding school in Zevenbergen. This is a small village located about twenty-five kilometers from his home. But for Vincent, she was like the other end of the world. The boy was sitting in a cart next to his parents, and the closer the walls of the orphanage approached, the harder it became on his heart. Soon he will part with his family.

Vincent will yearn for his home all his life. Isolation from relatives left a deep imprint on his life. Van Gogh was a smart child and was drawn to knowledge. During his studies at the boarding school, he showed great ability in languages, and this later came in handy in his life. Vincent spoke and wrote fluently French, English, Dutch and German. This is how Van Gogh spent his childhood. A short biography of a young age could not convey all those character traits that were laid down from childhood and later influenced the fate of the artist.

Training in Tilburg, or an incomprehensible story that happened to a boy

In 1866, the boy turned thirteen years old, and primary education came to an end. Vincent became a very serious youth, in whose gaze boundless longing was read. He is sent even further from home, to Tilburg. He begins his studies at a public boarding school. Here Vincent got his first taste of city life.

Four hours a week were allocated for the study of art, which was a rarity in those days. This subject was taught by Mr. Heismans. He was a successful artist and was ahead of his time. As models for the work of his students, he used figurines of people and stuffed animals. The teacher also encouraged the children to paint landscapes and even took the children to the countryside.

Everything went well, and Vincent passed his exams with ease in the first year. But over the next year, something went wrong. Van Gogh's attitude to study and work has changed dramatically. Therefore, in March 1868, he leaves school right in the middle of the school period and comes home. What did Vincent Van Gogh experience at Tilburg School? A brief biography of this period, unfortunately, does not provide any information about this. And nevertheless, these events left a deep imprint on the soul of the young man.

Choosing a life path

There was a long pause in Vincent's life. At home, he spent fifteen long months, not daring to choose one or another path in life. When he turned sixteen, he wanted to find his calling to devote his whole life to him. The days were useless, he needed to find a purpose. The parents understood that something needed to be done and turned to the father's brother, who lives in The Hague, for help. He ran an art trading firm and could get Vincent into his job. This idea turned out to be brilliant.

If the young man shows diligence, he will become the heir of his rich uncle, who did not have children of his own. Vincent, tired of the leisurely life of his native places, happily goes to The Hague, the administrative center of Holland. In the summer of 1869, Van Gogh, whose biography will now be directly related to art, begins his career.

Vincent became an employee at Gupil. His mentor lived in France and collected works of artists from the Barbizon school. At that time in this country they were fond of landscapes. Uncle Van Gogh dreamed of the appearance of such masters in Holland. He becomes the inspiration for the Hague School. Vincent got to know many artists.

Art is the main thing in life

Having become acquainted with the affairs of the company, Van Gogh had to learn how to negotiate with clients. And while Vincent was a junior employee, he picked up the clothes of people who came to the gallery, performed the functions of a porter. The young man was inspired by the art world around him. One of the artists of the Barbizon school was His painting "The Collectors of Wheat" found a response in the soul of Vincent. It became a kind of icon for the artist until the very end of his life. Millet portrayed peasants at work in a special manner that was close to Van Gogh.

In 1870, Vincent met Anton Mauve, who eventually became his close friend. Van Gogh was a laconic, reserved person prone to depression. He sincerely sympathized with people who were less fortunate in life than him. Vincent took his father's preaching very seriously. After a working day, he took private classes in theology.

Another passion of Van Gogh was books. He is fond of French history and poetry, and also becomes an admirer of English writers. In March 1871, Vincent turns eighteen. By this time, he had already realized that art is a very important component of his life. His younger brother Theo was fifteen at that time, and he came to Vincent for the holidays. Both were deeply impressed by this trip.

They even made a promise that they would take care of each other for the rest of their lives, no matter what happened. From this period, an active correspondence began between Theo and Van Gogh. The artist's biography will subsequently be replenished with important facts precisely thanks to these letters. Until today, 670 messages from Vincent have reached.

Trip to London. An important stage in life

Vincent spent four years in The Hague. It's time to move on. Saying goodbye to friends and colleagues, he prepared to leave for London. This stage of life will become very important for him. Vincent soon settled in the English capital. The Gupil branch was located in the heart of the business district. Chestnuts with branchy branches grew in the streets. Van Gogh loved these trees and often mentioned this in his letters to his family.

After a month, his knowledge of English expanded. The masters of art intrigued him, he liked Gainsborough and Turner, but he remained faithful to the art that he loved in The Hague. To save money, Vincent moves out of an apartment rented for him by Gupil in the market area and rents a room in a new Victorian house.

He enjoyed living with Mrs. Ursula. The owner of the house was a widow. She and her nineteen-year-old daughter Eugenia rented rooms and taught, so that somehow Over time, Vincent began to experience very deep feelings for Eugene, but did not betray them in any way. He could write about this only to his relatives.

Severe psychological shock

Dickens was one of Vincent's idols. He was deeply moved by the death of the writer, and he expressed all his pain in a symbolic drawing, made shortly after such a sad event. It was a picture of an empty chair. who became very famous, painted a large number of such chairs. For him, it became a symbol of a person's departure.

Vincent describes his first year in London as one of the happiest. He was in love with absolutely everything and still dreamed of Eugenia. She won his heart. Van Gogh tried in every possible way to please her, offering his help in various matters. After a while, Vincent nevertheless confessed his feelings to the girl and announced that they should get married. But Evgenia refused him, since she was already secretly engaged. Van Gogh was devastated. His dream of love was shattered.

He closed in on himself, spoke little at work and at home. I began to eat little. The realities of life inflicted a heavy psychological blow on Vincent. He begins to paint again, and this partly helps him find peace and distracts him from the heavy thoughts and shock that Van Gogh went through. Paintings gradually heal the soul of the artist. The mind was absorbed in creativity. He went into another dimension, which is typical of many creative people.

A change of scenery. Paris and the return home

Vincent became lonely again. He began to pay more attention to the street beggars and ragamuffins inhabiting the slums of London, and this only intensified his depression. He wanted to change something. At work, he showed apathy, which began to seriously concern his management.

It was decided to send him to the Paris office of the firm in order to change the situation and, possibly, dispel the depression. But even there, Van Gogh could not recover from loneliness and already in 1877 returned home to work as a priest in a church, abandoning his ambitions to become an artist.

A year later, Van Gogh is promoted to parish priest in a mining village. It was a thankless job. The life of the miners made a great impression on the artist. He decided to share their fate and even began to dress like them. Church representatives were concerned about his behavior and two years later he was removed from office. But the time spent in the village had a beneficial effect. Life among the miners awakened a special talent in Vincent, and he began to paint again. He created a huge number of sketches of men and women carrying sacks of coal. Van Gogh finally decided for himself to become an artist. It was from this moment that a new period began in his life.

Another bouts of depression and returning home

The artist Van Gogh, whose biography repeatedly mentions that his parents refused to supply him with money due to the instability in his career, was a beggar. He was helped by his younger brother Theo, who was selling paintings in Paris. Over the next five years, Vincent improves his technique. Supported by his brother's money, he sets out on a trip to the Netherlands. Sketches, paints in oils and watercolors.

Wanting to find his own pictorial style, in 1881 Van Gogh went to The Hague. Here he rents an apartment near the sea. This was the beginning of the artist's long relationship with his environment. In times of despair and depression, nature was a part of Vincent's life. She was for him the personification of the struggle for existence. He had no money, he often starved. Parents, who did not approve of the artist's lifestyle, completely turned their backs on him.

Theo arrives in The Hague and convinces his brother to return home. At the age of thirty, a beggar and desperate Van Gogh arrives at his parents' house. There he sets up a small workshop for himself and begins to draw sketches of local residents and buildings. During this period, his palette becomes muted. Van Gogh's canvases all come out in gray-brown tones. In winter, people have more time, and the artist uses them as his models.

It was at this time that sketches of the hands of farmers and people collecting potatoes appeared in Vincent's work. - the first significant painting by Van Gogh, which he painted in 1885, at the age of thirty-two. The most important part of a piece is the hands of people. Strong, used to working in the field, harvesting. The artist's talent has finally burst out.

Impressionism and Van Gogh. Self-portrait photo

In 1886 Vincent came to Paris. Financially, he also continues to depend on his brother. Here, in the capital of world art, Van Gogh is struck by a new trend - the Impressionists. A new artist is born. He creates a huge number of self-portraits, landscapes and sketches of everyday life. His palette is also changing, but the main changes affected the writing technique. Now he draws with broken lines, short strokes and dots.

The cold and gloomy winter of 1887 affected the artist's condition, and he again fell into depression. The time spent in Paris had a huge impact on Vincent, but he felt that it was time to get ready to go again. He went to the south of France, to the province. Here Vincent begins to write like a man possessed. His palette is full of vibrant colors. Sky blue, bright yellow and orange. As a result, canvases with rich colors appeared, thanks to which the artist became famous.

Van Gogh suffered from violent attacks of hallucinations. He felt himself going crazy. The disease increasingly influenced his work. In 1888, Theo persuaded Gauguin, with whom Van Gogh was on very friendly terms, to go visit his brother. Paul lived with Vincent for two grueling months. They often quarreled, and once Van Gogh even attacked Paul with a blade in his hand. Vincent soon injured himself by cutting off his own ear. He was sent to the hospital. It was one of the most violent attacks of madness.

Soon, on July 29, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh died, committing suicide. He lived a life of poverty, obscurity and isolation, and remained an unrecognized artist. But now he is revered all over the world. Vincent became a legend, and his work influenced subsequent generations of artists.

Vincent van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter of exceptional talent. Perceiving the influence of the Impressionists of that period, he nevertheless developed his own, spontaneous style. He became one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century and played a key role in the development of contemporary art. Vincent was born in Groot-Zundert, a small Dutch village, on March 30, 1853. His father was a Protestant pastor. Vincent showed an interest in drawing as a child: his early works are distinguished by realism and expressiveness. The artist's youth became a period of searching. For a short time he worked as an art dealer, then as a teacher at a boarding school, and then, deeply interested in Christianity, became a preacher in a mining town in southern Belgium. He preached in poor areas of Brabant, empathizing with the poverty of the locals and the harshness of their living conditions. He slept on straw in a dilapidated hut, and his face turned black with coal dust. The church authorities were unhappy with this outrageous act, and Van Gogh was dismissed from his post. In 1880, when he was already 27 years old, Van Gogh turned his interest in art. He began painting in earnest, and, while in Paris in 1886, was deeply impressed by the work of the Impressionist painters. During this important period in his life, Van Gogh met many artists, including Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Gauguin. His style has changed significantly under the influence of the work of the Impressionists, becoming lighter and brighter. During this time, the artist painted a large number of self-portraits. With the financial help of his brother Theo, in 1888 he went to live in picturesque Provence, a region in the south of France. There he created his famous series "Sunflowers".
After a while, Van Gogh invited his friend Gauguin to stay, but soon the artists began to quarrel. According to one of the versions, one fine day Van Gogh began to threaten his guest with a razor, after which he hurriedly left. Deeply regretting what he had done, Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear. This episode was the first serious symptom of an increase in the artist's mental imbalance. Subsequently, he repeatedly underwent treatment in psychiatric hospitals. In his life, periods of inertia, depression and stunningly concentrated creative activity alternated. The last two years of Van Gogh's life became the most fruitful in terms of painting. The artist felt an irresistible urge to paint. “Work is an absolute must for me. I can’t put off, I don’t give a damn about anything except work, ”Van Gogh said about himself. He developed a style that was quick and impetuous, leaving the artist no time for contemplation and reflection. He painted with quick brush strokes, more and more abstract figures appeared on his canvases - the forerunners of modern art.
On July 27, 1890, under the influence of yet another depression, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest. However, no witnesses to this incident, like a pistol, were found, so the version of the murder is still not ruled out. One way or another, the artist died two days later.