Running Head: A MAN OF MANY WALKS OF LIFE

Van Gogh: A Man of Many Walks of Life

Ryland Sloat
ART 1020

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Van Gogh: A Man of Many Walks of Life

Vincent Van Gogh was one of the most influential artists for his time, creating over 900
paintings and 1,100 drawings (The Art Story Contributors). He was born in Groot-Zundert, the
Netherlands on March 30, 1853. In his simple childhood, he didnt show the interest towards art
that you would expect from such a genius. He grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church and
attended two different boarding schools before breaking away from all of that and becoming an
intern for the international art dealer Groupil & Cie with his uncles and brother. It was seven
years later that Van Gogh ran into the first of his mental health obstacles and studied religion as a
means to turn to God for his depression (Amy E. Ciok).
In Vincents pursuit to become part of the clergy, he started drawing and decided that his
calling in life was to be an artist. He made it his personal mission to do the work of God through
his artwork. In 1881, his life as a struggling artist drove him to move back into his parents,
Theodorus and Anna Carbentus, home. After family troubles occurring, he moved to the Hague
and was introduced to Jean-Francois Millets work. Van Gogh was then convinced that he was
meant to portray the lives of laborers and those living in poverty such as himself.
Eventually, it wasnt enough, and he moved in once again with his brother, Theo, and his
artistic style began to evolve as he studied with the well-known impressionist painters of that
time such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. He also became interested in Japanese prints. It
was late 1887 that Vincent put together an exhibit to showcase both his pieces and his artist pals.
In 1889, he began to experience more struggles with his mental instability and committed
himself to a psychiatric institution and within a year at the clinic, he created Starry Night, one of
Van Goghs most iconic pieces still to this day, amongst others. Despite this productive period in

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his art career, it was only 70 days after he finally sold his first painting, Red Vineyard at Arles,
that he died tragically from suicide. His works were left to his brother, Theo.
After Van Goghs death, art styles such as fauvism (a type of painting that is revolved
around color rather than the realistic value of the piece) and abstract expressionism (a type of art
that serves the sole purpose of conveying and stirring emotion) began to make a big impression
on the art industry. Though Vincent wasnt successful in any way during his physical life, his
artwork later inspired many modern movements in art regarding expressing spirituality and deep
emotion.
During Van Goghs life, he was able to find purpose in channeling his extreme emotions
into his artwork and creating a spiritual message to share with his viewers. He was able to find
solace from his mental illnesses through compulsively painting piece after piece. This kind of
raw emotional art work impacted many up and coming artist from that time period on such as
Stefen Duncan, a neo-expressionist that seemed to revel in the same symbolic textures and colors
that Van Gogh was fixated upon. This artist coined the term squigilism which is a kind of
painting method in which colors are rarely blended in order to excite the eye and the mind
(Stefen Duncan Fine Art).
Not only did Van Goghs legacy inspire artists specifically, but it is indeed Vincent Van
Goghs struggles with his emotional and mental problems that really reaches people today. His
methods of coping with the extreme stress that he was under inspires everyone that struggles
with similar issues and circumstances to find an outlet to release the stresses in their life and seek
divine purpose.
My favorite piece by Vincent Van Gogh is, Blossoming Almond Tree, which is rumored to
have been inspired by his brother and sister-in-laws new born baby boy (The Van Gogh

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Gallery). I love this piece so much for three reasons, the craftsmanship, the mix of culture, and
because of the background story of the piece.
The colors are the result of a bright palette which gives off a hopeful and somewhat
divine ambiance. The piece is also very different from what he usually created both in
perspective and in technique. Van Goghs pieces always depicted nature in some way, but always
at a human view, whereas this piece is actually set up at an angle that isnt that of the perspective
of a human, but a divine one.
It was at this time, when Vincent began this piece, that he was exploring his love for
japanese art. The mixture of cultures conveys his ideals of all artists coming together and
creating beautiful things in a harmonious way. It definitely adds a whole other meaning to this
beautiful painting, knowing that in Van Goghs eyes, trees represented rebirth and growth
towards a whole being.
Vincent didnt have children of his own so its easy to infer that he was delighted by the
birth of his nephew and even more so to play a part in his life as his god-father. Knowing this
also adds quite a bit of meaning to the piece as viewers are finally able to see that Van Gogh had
a lot of hope in his life despite his struggles with his sanity. It is very fitting that this piece should
represent rebirth as he not only celebrates the new life of his baby nephew, but the hope of being
able to celebrate his own life and overcome his struggles.

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References
Ciok, Amy E. (2002). Vincent Van Gogh. Academic Medicine, 77(4), 298.
http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2002/04000/vincent_van_gogh.7.aspx
The Art Story Contributors (2016). Vincent Van Gogh: Dutch Draftsman and Painter.
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-van-gogh-vincent.htm

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The Van Gogh Gallery. 15 January 2013. Templeton Reid, LLC.

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/impact.html
Stefan Duncan Fine Art (2016)
http://stefanduncan.com