- Childhood
- Teens
- Adulthood II.The Legacy
- Career
- Goal
- InfluenceIII.The Legend
- Popular Misunderstanding
- Cultural Image
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most well known and easily recognizable artists in Western art history and also one of the most misunderstood artistic figures. He remains a major influence on other artists and the history of art in general. Furthermore, he was a unique and sensitive individual who was articulate and intelligent as a man and an artist. Yet, he is remembered by many as simply a mentally ill man who painted the few striking works that have entered pop culture and ultimately committed suicide. When we look at his life, we can better understand the legacy of his work and also evaluate the legend that he has become.
Van Gogh was born in 1853, (Van Gogh Museum) in the Netherlands. Growing up as a minister’s son in the country shaped the sensitivity that would later become his trademark. In his teens, his job at an art dealership exposed him to new art, literature and life experience. Afterwards, he floated among professions. His parents began to worry about his lack of direction so he studied to go into the ministry. Although he was deeply spiritual, this path soon proved too studied and disciplined for him, and he became a missionary among the poor instead. Though this work suited him better and he was well loved, his lack of orthodoxy and ‘success’ resulted in
his dismissal (Schapiro 4-6). However, during this time he began sketching and realized that perhaps he was meant for another path.
His career began in tentative steps as he began exploring artistically. He studied, practiced and improved (Schapiro 6). He knew what he wanted to achieve- what remained was to see if he was capable. Before long, he realized that he was. Although his style and vision evolved over the years, his goal shines through in all of his work. His goal was simply to touch others and express his deepest values and feelings through his paintings. Through his career and gradual torment by mental health problems, we can trace his urgent need to find his voice(Schapiro 4). He did, but very few could, or can, understand what he was saying. Artists of all fields remain influenced by Van Gogh (Wikipedia). Most harbor within their hearts a hope to approach the vivid expression that has made him into an icon- those sweeping strokes on canvas that seem, in their flashes of unexpected color, to brush the universal human heart.
What of his legend, the myth we have created to surround this man that simultaneously glamorizes and marginalizes his troubles and triumphs? The problem is that not many know who he really was. Being separated by a gulf of time inevitably creates a disconnection from any historical figure. Van Gogh is no different. Films, books, and general misinformation have created a sensationalized image (Wikipedia), but when we study him through the lens of his own letters and the writings of those who were close to him, we find a more holistic, realistic picture (Van Gogh Museum). We meet a troubled but brilliant man, who even through the disappointments of life held desperately to his task of creating beauty that expressed his pain and his hope.
Works Cited
“‘Cultural Depictions of Van Gogh’” Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation. Web. Nov. 8, 2016
Schapiro, Meyer. Vincent Van Gogh Portfolio Edition, Harry N. Abrams, New York. 1969. Out of Print
"Van Gogh's Life, 1853–1890 - Van Gogh Museum." Van Gogh's Life, 1853–1890 - Van Gogh Museum. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
(Written for English class)
