The Tragic Life of Gogh

 Named after his great grandfather and stillborn brother, Vincent Willem van Gogh, born on 30th March 1853 in the Netherlands,  is one of the greatest post-impressionist painters but people commonly know him as the “tortured artist”. 

“It’s a rather sad prospect to have to say to myself that the paintings I do will perhaps never have any value.” wrote Vincent in one of his letters to Theo, his brother and confidant throughout life. 

The melancholy that he carried with him was a childhood friend. One who was by his side in both life and death. 

In 1869, Vincent started working at Goupil Art Gallery in London. Enjoyment from work, and living his life with fanaticism to grow didn't last long. He fell in love with his landlady's daughter who rejected him. Following this, he kept his own company and lost joy in life. This marked the first depressive episode in Vincent’s life. On his parents’ request, he went to Paris in 1875. Feeling displaced he tried working for the Evangelic Committee but was rejected.

He compared himself with a bird in a cage. To get freedom he had to change his plumes. He began to draw again— the beginning of his professional career—with Theo assisting him financially.  Having found an occupation which liberated his spirit, he grew constantly, despite his difficulties. He was once again rejected at the chance of being loved by his cousin which broke Gogh.

Hague marked Vincent’s first great period of creation but as life intended, his meeting with misery was scheduled again. The gulf between Vincent and those who cared about him deepened when he began living with a lady he met on the street. Vincent worked hard, but the fantasy of having his own home and family could not continue. 

Vincent spent most of his money on models and paint, entirely ignoring his food which caused him to be malnourished. This, combined with the hard job, left him exhausted.

In February 1888, Vincent moved to Arles, in the South of France. He produced some of his best-known works. “The Sunflowers, ” “ The Yellow House, ” and “The Harvest, ” to name a few.

                                       

The Sunflower                                                              The Harvest

He was proud of having his own modest home and hoped to form a painters' cooperative association.

“I live in a little yellow house with a green door and shutters whitewashed inside.” wrote Vincent to his sister Will in a letter. 

With the help of Theo, Vincent was introduced to Paul Gauguin. They indulged in clever discussions and heated arguments about various topics and frequently drank absinthe. It was logical that this wasn’t going to end well and so it didn’t. On the 23rd of December 1888, a violent fight broke off. Gogh was left alone once again and in a fit of madness, he used a razor to cut off his ear. 

Vincent’s constant habit of getting into difficulties with the neighbours and the authorities caused trouble. He decided it would be wise to be cared for, and entered the Asylum St. Paul at St. Remy-en-Provence.

 Around the time of Theo’s marriage, Vincent passed through serious crises where he unconsciously feared losing his support. This was his last straw. On July 27th while painting in the fields Vincent attempted to end his life with a gun. He died two days later due to an untreated bullet wound in his abdomen.

“If I could have worked without this accursed disease, what things I might have done,” he wrote in one of his last letters.

One could argue that Van Gogh's prodigious work came at the cost of his sanity. “My head is sometimes numb and is often burning hot, and my thoughts are confused.” wrote Vincent to Theo in 1877. It has been speculated that Vincent suffered from comorbid illnesses. “He always has the inclination to melancholy.” wrote his father.  Mental illness was common in his family. His brother Cornelius died by suicide and his sister Wilhelmina spent the last of her years in a mental institution.  He most likely developed a mood disorder in combination with a borderline personality disorder from an early age. He frequently had hallucinations and manic episodes, isolating himself for weeks or even months at a time when absorbed in his work. When he did venture into town it was mostly to look for more alcohol. His condition worsened due to alcohol withdrawal and the occurrence of severe depressive episodes and he was unable to make a long-term recovery and therefore died. A tragic end to a tragic man.

   Vincent’s room 

About the Author

Muskaan Kalaria is a second-year student pursuing a BSc in Psychology at NMIMS SDSOS. She is passionate about creating art which is expressed in the form of painting, graphic designing and writing. Her passion for writing started as a method of expressing herself which later progressed into devotion towards scientific reading and writing. She enjoys her free time listening to music along with exploring and reading about topics that fascinate her.

References

Amalfard, N. (2019, June 10). Van Gogh Case Study: Is Creativity Linked to Mood Disorders? NBB in Paris. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/nbbparis/2019/06/10/van-gogh-case-study-is-creativity-linked-to-mood-disorders/ 

Auden, W. H. (1961). Van Gogh, A Self Portrait. New York Graphic Society. 

Nolen, W. A. (2022, November 14). New vision on the mental problems of Vincent van Gogh; results from a bottom-up approach using (semi-)structured diagnostic interviews - International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. SpringerOpen.  https://journalbipolardisorders.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40345-020-00196-z

The Editors. (2018, February 8). Artists and their Physicians: Vincent van Gogh and Doctor Paul Gachet. The Fortnightly Review. https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2018/01/van-gogh-gachet/

Van Gogh’s Letters. (n.d.). Van Gogh Museum. https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/stories/van-goghs-letters