Portrait of Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh Painting Reproductions 8 of 18

1853-1890

Dutch Post-Impressionist Painter

Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch painter (Groot Zundert, Brabant, 1853-Auvers-sur-Oise 1890).

Vincent Van Gogh embodied the myth of the misunderstood genius of his time, so much so that his works were ignored in his own time and are today among the most sought-after in the world. He tried to exorcise his inner turmoil through painting. His research into form and color had a lasting influence on the avant-gardes to come.

A pastor's son, Vincent Van Gogh was named after a brother who was stillborn the year before he was born. Four years after his birth, he had another brother, Theodorus (1857-1891), whom he called Theo - and who supported him morally and financially throughout his life.

An unstable child with a talent for drawing, Vincent's uncles included the founder of the Goupil art gallery in Paris, which had numerous branches throughout Europe. He was sent successively to the Hague branch (1869), then to the Brussels and London branches (1873-1876), to learn the art business. Following setbacks in love, he took refuge in mysticism, writing letters to Theo as an outlet for his troubled soul.

After a brief stay in Paris, Van Gogh returned to London and became a schoolteacher in the working-class district of Isleworth. He sensed a true religious vocation, which led him to evangelize the miners of the Borinage region in Belgium. His zeal for evangelism offended the ecclesiastical authorities, who put a stop to it after a year (1879). After several years of solitary wandering, painting took precedence over preaching.

A devotee of Jean-François Millet, Van Gogh devoted himself to the study of landscapes and peasant scenes when he took up oil painting in 1882, on the advice of his cousin by marriage, Anton Mauve (1838-1888).

In Nuenen, near Eindhoven, where he lived for almost two years (December 1883-November 1885), he became familiar with Dutch realism (Potato Eaters, 1885). He then moved to Antwerp to attend the École des Beaux-Arts, where he discovered the work of Peter Paul Rubens. But, put off by the teaching he received, he left again in February 1886 to join his brother in Paris, who took him in at a studio in Montmartre.

Van Gogh frequented the milieu of Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painters (Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac). He joined the studio of Cormon (1845-1924), where he became friends with Émile Bernard and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who were to exert a clear influence on him. The three friends organized their first exhibition in 1887. They didn't sell any paintings, but they knew that their time had not yet come.

In contact with Gauguin, but also under the influence of Japanese prints, Van Gogh refined his research into color; his palette became lighter and more diversified, his style more flexible, giving rise to experiments in still lifes, landscapes and portraits (Père Tanguy, 1887). To perfect his work, he needed to find skies other than those of Paris. So, in February 1888, he moved to Arles. Dazzled by the light of the Midi, Van Gogh made color the very object of his work, rather than just a component of it. He sought the greatest possible intensity in both tones (such as the yellows in the Sunflower series) and chromatic relationships (yellow/blue, yellow/green, blue/green, red/green): flowers (Peach in bloom, "Souvenir de Mauve", 1888), landscapes (the Crau Plain with the ruins of Montmajour), interiors (the Night Café), portraits (Mousmée in the armchair) are charged with great expressivity.

Living alone among the people of Arles, who were suspicious of this strange outsider, Van Gogh sank into depression. Yet he did not abandon his dream of forming a community of painters. He finally persuaded Gauguin to join him. The master of Pont-Aven arrived in Arles in November 1888 and took up residence in the "Yellow House" - his host's studio.

But he couldn't stand Gauguin's inexpressive nature, and on the evening of December 23, 1888, after a more violent argument than the previous ones, he left for the house. Shortly afterwards, Van Gogh took a knife and cut off part of his left ear, which he then took to a prostitute. Two self-portraits bear witness to this gesture.

Admitted to the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence asylum, where he remained for a year (May 1889-May 1890), Van Gogh devoted himself to a style of painting in which elongated brushstrokes and twisted forms convey the force of his torments (Starry night, 1889). As soon as he was discharged, he had to leave Arles under pressure from the locals, whom he frightened.

Terribly weakened, Van Gogh agreed to go to Auvers-sur-Oise, where Dr. Paul Gachet lived. A doctor, but also an art lover and himself a painter in his spare time, Gachet was a friend of Paul Cézanne, Édouard Manet, Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas. Through Théo Van Gogh, he became aware of Vincent's work, the importance of which he immediately sensed, at the same time as his illness. From then on, he never stopped trying to get him to come to Auvers-sur-Oise, drawing criticism - unfounded at the time - from those who accused him of acting out of self-interest.

A real friendship developed between the two men. Gachet succeeded in establishing a climate of trust around Van Gogh, which had a beneficial effect. The painter painted a first portrait of his benefactor, who, filled with admiration, commissioned a second. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Van Gogh was aware that his talent was recognized and his art understood by a man of quality.

Picking up his brushes again, he spent whole days at his easel, executing several of his masterpieces: "The Church of Auvers-sur-Oise", "View from the bedside" (1890), "Cottages at Cordeville", "Wheatfield with Crows". Here again, color is crucial, but it becomes darker, and forms more tortured, like the painter's mind. His inner pain is the strongest: "There's something inside me: what is it?" he desperately wants to know. He only benefited from the help Gachet was able to give him for three months, and ended up quarrelling with Gachet as well.

On July 27, 1890, while out for a walk, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest and, despite Gachet's care, died two days later. This was the end of an artist who had signed over eight hundred canvases, but who, during his lifetime, sold only one, the "The Red Vineyard", bought in Brussels in 1890.

412 Vincent van Gogh Paintings

Sunny Lawn in a Public Park, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Sunny Lawn in a Public Park 1888

Oil Painting
$550
Canvas Print
$53.76
SKU: VVG-1270
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 60.5 x 73.5 cm
Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland

Flowering Garden with Path, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Flowering Garden with Path 1888

Oil Painting
$634
Canvas Print
$61.71
SKU: VVG-1271
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 72 x 91 cm
Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands

Flowering Garden, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Flowering Garden 1888

Oil Painting
$614
Canvas Print
$51.58
SKU: VVG-1272
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 92 x 73 cm
Private Collection

Rocks with Oak Tree, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Rocks with Oak Tree 1888

Oil Painting
$431
Canvas Print
$54.67
SKU: VVG-1273
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 54.9 x 65.7 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA

Wheat Field with the Alpilles Foothills, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Wheat Field with the Alpilles Foothills 1888

Oil Painting
$431
Canvas Print
$62.41
SKU: VVG-1274
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 54 x 65 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Corn Fields and Poppies, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Corn Fields and Poppies 1888

Oil Painting
$431
Canvas Print
$88.04
SKU: VVG-1275
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 54 x 64.8 cm
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

Wheat Field, June 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Wheat Field June 1888

Oil Painting
$383
SKU: VVG-1276
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: unknown
P. & N. de Boer Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sunset: Wheat Fields Near Arles, June 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Sunset: Wheat Fields Near Arles June 1888

Oil Painting
$603
SKU: VVG-1277
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 73.5 x 92 cm
Kunstmuseum, Winterthur, Switzerland

Wheat Stacks with Reaper, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Wheat Stacks with Reaper 1888

Oil Painting
$595
Canvas Print
$59.92
SKU: VVG-1278
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 73.6 x 92.7 cm
Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, USA

Wheat Stacks with Reaper, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Wheat Stacks with Reaper 1888

Oil Painting
$514
Canvas Print
$59.36
SKU: VVG-1279
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 53 x 66.5 cm
National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

Farmhouse in Provence, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Farmhouse in Provence 1888

Oil Painting
$351
Canvas Print
$57.43
SKU: VVG-1280
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 46 x 61 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA

Wheat Field with Sheaves, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Wheat Field with Sheaves 1888

Oil Painting
$499
Canvas Print
$63.24
SKU: VVG-1281
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 55.2 x 66.6 cm
Bavarian National Museum, Munich, Germany

Harvest in Provence, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Harvest in Provence 1888

Oil Painting
$368
Canvas Print
$75.48
SKU: VVG-1282
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 50 x 60 cm
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

Street in Saintes-Maries, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Street in Saintes-Maries 1888

Oil Painting
$327
Canvas Print
$50.22
SKU: VVG-1283
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 38 x 46 cm
Private Collection

Three White Cottages in Saintes-Maries, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Three White Cottages in Saintes-Maries 1888

Oil Painting
$333
Canvas Print
$50.22
SKU: VVG-1284
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 33.5 x 41.5 cm
Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland

Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries 1888

Oil Painting
$591
Canvas Print
$60.47
SKU: VVG-1285
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 65 x 81.5 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Seascape at Saintes-Maries, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Seascape at Saintes-Maries 1888

Oil Painting
$323
Canvas Print
$58.68
SKU: VVG-1286
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 44 x 53 cm
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia

Seascape at Saintes-Maries, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Seascape at Saintes-Maries 1888

Oil Painting
$405
Canvas Print
$58.68
SKU: VVG-1287
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 50.5 x 64.3 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Haystacks in Provence, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Haystacks in Provence 1888

Oil Painting
$631
Canvas Print
$58.68
SKU: VVG-1288
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 73 x 92.5 cm
Kroller-Mueller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

The Sower, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

The Sower 1888

Oil Painting
$635
Canvas Print
$60.61
SKU: VVG-1289
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 64.2 x 80.3 cm
Kroller-Mueller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

Harvest at La Crau with Montmajour, June 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Harvest at La Crau with Montmajour June 1888

Oil Painting
$550
Canvas Print
$59.92
SKU: VVG-1290
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 73 x 92 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Langlois Bridge at Arles, May 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

The Langlois Bridge at Arles May 1888

Oil Painting
$479
Canvas Print
$58.53
SKU: VVG-1291
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 49.5 x 64.5 cm
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne, Germany

View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground 1888

Oil Painting
$445
Canvas Print
$64.21
SKU: VVG-1292
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 54 x 65 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Blue Enamel Coffeepot, Earthenware and Fruit, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction

Blue Enamel Coffeepot, Earthenware and Fruit 1888

Oil Painting
$630
Canvas Print
$52.23
SKU: VVG-1293
Vincent van Gogh
Original Size: 65 x 81 cm
Private Collection

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