Vincent van Gogh (Mini-lecture)
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter. His works are sometimes described as “Post-Impressionism.” That is, his style of painting was similar to the “Impressionist” paintings. But he added his own ideas that were different from them. His style was very personal. Though he was influenced by many kinds of artists, he made few lasting friendships with any of them and was almost always alone.
Van Gogh lived a troubled life, and his paintings are some of the best on records so far. Only one of his paintings was sold in his lifetime, and he was never able to financially support himself. His brother, Theo, often helped him, and the few friends he had would help him from time to time as well. People often described him as a difficult person to get along with and very rarely happy. His paintings, however, use very bright colours and sometimes seem joyful.
It was in his paintings that van Gogh was able to express himself clearly. Most of his relationships in life fell apart quickly. The famous painter, Gauguin, went to visit van Gogh once, after van Gogh had written to him constantly, asking for a visit. When Gauguin arrived, van Gogh was very excited. He had painted several pictures of sunflowers in anticipation of his guest. Gauguin respected van Gogh’s talent, but the friendship only lasted a few months. The two had constant arguments and their friendship ended when van Gogh threatened him with a shaver.
No one else had ever painted the way van Gogh did. His colours were bright and the shapes were strange and dream-like. His life was just as unpredictable and strange as his art, and it ended very early. However, since his death, his paintings have become some of the most famous in the world, and he has been a huge inspiration to other artists after him.