MODERN MASTERS
VICENT van GOGH
A “tormented artist” in his life was hardly known, but today, when people think of a “tormented
artist”, they think in Vincent van Gogh. His life was poor ,lonley and hard .But in the ten short years
he painted, Van Gogh created an unforgettable art. Today many people think that his paintings are
the most powerful and beautiful ever created, Van Gogh died on March 30,1853 in Groot-Zindert , a
village in the south of the Netherlands. His father was a prostestant pastor and three of his uncles
were art dealers. From a young age, Vincent loved to draw. At 1, whit the help his uncle Cent, he got
a job at the Goupil Gallery in The Hague .As an assistant art dealer. For several years, he traveled to
Brussels , London and Paris ,selling paintings .He earned more money than his father ,but he wasn’t
satisfied to sell paintings. At age 20,Vincent fell in love with his landlady’s daughter. His bosses didn’t
like this ,so they fired Vincent. Then he returned home, sure he didn’t want to be an art dealer,
Finally ,he wanted to follow his father’s steps, become a pastor and teach the gospel everywhere.
Vincent was desolated. Being a pastor didn’t convince him. He had good intentions, but poor people
didn’t take it seriously. They told him that to understand them first he hadn’tlive like them. Vincent
has agreed whit that, so he went down to the mines with the woorkers and saw his battle to survive.
At first, he copied other works of art, for example Jean-FranÇois Millet or Joseph Israels Gradually.
Vincent began to draw original images, as “The Potato Eaters”, “Peasant Whit A Pipe” and “At The
End Of The Day”; Van Gogh shows the life of the peasants, full of hunger and sadness. Vincent’s
brother, Theo, lived in Paris and worked as an art dealer. But clerics didn’t like it. The saw him living
in a poor hut and drawing. Vincent took his paints and his brushes and left.
It was not a long time before Vincent was returning home was a mistake. His relationship with his
father was not good and Thbey was constantly arguing. Vincent had a bad temper. After a fight, his
father wanted to put Vincent in a mental state. Vincent fell in love again, this time with his cousin,
Kees Vos-Stricker. In the 1880s, Paris was the “jewel of Europe”, the center of culture. The artists
were attracted to Paris by fame, fortune, inspiration and emotion. The style of realistic paintings was
disappearing. Impressionism was new and different. Artists like Cézanne, Pissarro, Renoir and Mone
were fascinating people whit their revolutionary masterpieces.
Vincent was unstoppable. In 18 months, he painted 200 canvases. Realism and precision weren’t
important, only strong colors and violent strokes. Van Gogh thought carefully about each stroke and
each color. It wasn’t just the place or the color that made the paintings so rich. He was also Vincent’s
character and his stormy personality. For example, Cézzane also painted the same landscapes in
south of France. But while Cézanne saw peace and beauty in the countryside, Van Gogh saw fields
burned by the sun and destroyed by the intense wind. He came to the south looking for harmony
and tranquility, but instead found wild nature. In Vincent van Gogh’s universe, life was constantly
changing. Van Gogh dreamed of forming a community of artists in Arles, and invited Gauguin to join
him. Gauguin came to visit Van Gogh and they moved.
Van Gogh’s final self-portrait shows the many sides of his personality. His expression is serious, but
his suit is blue and happy. A turquoise sky revolves chaotically around it. Although he was finally
released from asylum, Vincent’s depression worsened. One of his last pintings is his famous “ Wheat
Field Whit Crows”. The painting shows black crows flying into the night sky that many people believe
showed the depth of their depression. Shortly after finishing it, Vincent entered a field and shot
himself. He died a few days later, on July 29. It was 1890 and he was only 37 years old.
