Starry Starry Night
To say that I am currently fixated on Vincent Van Gogh (VVG) would be an understatement. I’m not sure what started the craze, but I’m glad on many levels. I can relate to Vincent’s melancholy, I’m inspired by his persistence, and I’m awed by the friendship between the Van Gogh brothers, Vincent and Theo. In the last month, I’ve read Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman, watched Loving Vincent, viewed Vincent’s paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, attended the Van Gogh Immersive Experience, and I have Don McClean’s Vincent on continuous loop. (I would add that I sit on a Vincent seat cushion, but that tidbit might be a bit creepy.)
You probably already know all this, but I’ll give a thumbnail VVG summary. Britannica starts with, “Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter, generally considered to be the greatest after Rembrandt van Rijn, and one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionists. He sold only one artwork during his life, but in the century after his death he became perhaps the most recognized painter of all time.”
Per biography.com, VVG left school at 15 to support his struggling family, selling art. He was fluent in French, German, Dutch and English. A love-gone-bad caused an emotional spiral, resulting in the art salesman telling his customers to “not buy the worthless art.” Not surprisingly, he was fired.
VVG moved from art sales to God, hoping to become a minister. After a year of study, he refused to take the Latin exams, calling Latin a “dead language”, and was denied entrance to the seminary.
At 28, VVG decided to become an artist! An artist - with no training and no money! Inspiring? Stupid? Delusional? Gutsy move no doubt! Thankfully, he had a loving brother (Theo) who believed in him.
Amazon summarizes Vincent and Theo as, “The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers' lives. Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend―Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions.” The book is based on 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo.
VVG was a tireless art student, completing more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings and sketches. In the evenings, he read thick books on technique, color, etc.
On July 27, 1890, at 37, Vincent van Gogh went out to paint in the morning carrying a loaded pistol and shot himself in the chest, but the bullet did not kill him. He was found bleeding in his room.
Van Gogh was distraught about his future because, in May of that year, his brother Theo had visited and spoke to him about needing to be stricter with his finances. Van Gogh took that to mean Theo was no longer interested in selling his art. Two days later, VVG died in Theo’s arms.
Vangoghgallery.com sums VVG this way,
During his brief career, he did not experience much success, he sold only one painting, lived in poverty, malnourished and overworked. The money he had was supplied by his brother, Theo, and was used primarily for art supplies, coffee and cigarettes.
Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brush stroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature. (Bolding is mine.)
In spite of his lack of success during his lifetime, van Gogh’s legacy lives on having left a lasting impact on the world of art. Van Gogh is now viewed as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of modern art.
I’m curious if there is part of VVG that resonates with you?
For me, I relate to “completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness...” As someone who tends to be melancholy, I need something to pursue to keep my mind from spiraling.
I am also inspired by his persistence. It is “easy” for me to look at a great painting and be both inspired and discouraged at the same time. VVG worked tirelessly, relentlessly for 10 years to develop his technique.