Vincent Van Gogh: The Misunderstood Genius

Who was Van Gogh? 

Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who became one of the most prominent and influential figures in Western art history after his death. He produced about 2,100 artworks over the course of a decade, including about 860 oil paintings, the majority of which date from the last two years of his life. Landscapes, still lives, portraits, and self-portraits are among the works that are known for their bright colours and dramatic, impulsive, and expressive brushwork, which helped to lay the groundwork for modern art. He was not a commercial success, and after years of mental illness, depression, and poverty, he committed suicide at the age of 37.

Van Gogh was a serious, quiet, and reflective boy who drew. He worked as an art dealer as a young man, often travelling. He was dispatched to London. He became a Protestant missionary in southern Belgium after turning to faith. Before turning to art in 1881, he struggled with illness and isolation. Van Gogh had psychotic spells and delusions, and despite his concern for his mental well-being, he also ignored his physical well-being, did not eat properly, and drank excessively. Van Gogh's depression worsened, and he shot himself in the chest with a revolver on July 27, 1890. He died two days later as a result of his injuries.

His rise to fame after his Death: Van Gogh was considered a madman and a failure during his lifetime because of his failures. After his suicide, he became famous, and he is remembered as a misunderstood genius, the artist "where discourses on madness and innovation converge." In the early twentieth century, his popularity began to rise.Over the next few decades, he achieved widespread critical, commercial, and cultural acclaim, and he is remembered as a significant but tragic painter, whose troubled personality epitomises the romantic ideal of the tortured artist. Van Gogh's paintings are still among the world's most valuable paintings, and his legacy is commemorated by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which houses the world's largest collection of his paintings and drawings.

In this article, we are going to explain his view and a small brief about his paintings. 

Self Portraits:

Between 1885 and 1889, Van Gogh painted more than 43 self-portraits. They were typically painted in sequence, such as those in Paris in mid-1887, and continued until his death. Heavy paint strains scatter outwards over the canvas in Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat. "With its highly ordered rhythmic brushstrokes, and the novel halo derived from the Neo-impressionist repertoire, it was what Van Gogh himself called a 'purposeful' canvas," according to the painter.

Flowers:

The two series are intended to demonstrate Van Gogh's technical ability and working techniques, rather than his typical interest in filling his paintings with subjectivity and emotion. The paintings from 1888 were created during a period of great optimism for the artist. Vincent wrote to Theo in August 1888: "I'm painting with the gusto of a Marseillais eating bouillabaisse, which won't surprise you when it's a question of painting large sunflowers ... If I carry out this plan there'll be a dozen or so panels. The whole thing will therefore be a symphony in blue and yellow. I work on it all these mornings, from sunrise. Because the flowers wilt quickly and it's a matter of doing the whole thing in one go."

Orchards:

The Flowering Orchards (also known as Orchards in Blossom) was one of Van Gogh's first major works since his arrival in Arles in February 1888. The 14 paintings are upbeat, joyful, and visually symbolic of spring's arrival. They are both delicately sensitive and devoid of people. He painted quickly, and despite bringing a version of Impressionism to this series, a clear sense of personal style emerged during this period. The passing of the season and the impermanence of the blossoming trees seemed to correspond to his sense of impermanence and belief in a new beginning. During the blossoming of the trees that spring, he found "a world of motifs that could not have been more Japanese". Vincent wrote to Theo on 21 April 1888 that he had 10 orchards and "one big [painting] of a cherry tree, which I've spoiled".

We hope you enjoyed reading and learning about interesting artists like Van Gogh. View our collection of paintings and comment the names of the paintings similar to the ones of Vincent Van Gogh.