Who Was Vincent Van Gogh?641434

In high school and even college, we were all taught what art is about and who the proponents of modern art are. One of the most popular among them, of course, is the artist who cut his ear: Vincent Van Gogh.

Born to a family that is heavily involved in art dealing, Vincent Willem Van Gogh was named after his older stillborn brother in 1853. The name Vincent was very much common in the family as evidenced by the names of his uncles, grandfathers, and other male relatives. It was not until 1880, when he was 27 years old, that Van Gogh decided to be an artist. He originally intended to become a minister but he failed theology school in 1878. This was a breakdown on his part as he was known to be deeply fervent about religion and he really wanted to become a preacher.

In 1881, a year after his failure in his quest to be a man of God, he went back to his parents in Etten and continued to draw. He sketched a lot of drawings but majority of these are now lost. While there, he was able to develop a warm relationship with his recently widowed cousin, Kee.

He proposed marriage to his cousin Kee while he was in Etten but he was refused. Kee's father argued that Van Gogh was not financially stable to support a family. This led to Van Gogh's flight in Hague in 1882 where he will be introduced to painting by his cousin Mauve. Van Gogh developed a relationship with a prostitute named Sien in Hague and this prostitute was also an alcoholic. In the same year, Sien would give birth to a baby boy and this relationship would be opposed by Van Gogh 's family, to which he would be defiant. Sien claimed that one of her sons is Van Gogh's, but the timing of the pregnancy is questionable if studied carefully.

Van Gogh 's life may have been dark, as such with many other famous artists. He was diagnosed by several psychiatrists-over 150 of them-and several diagnoses were provided and suggested. Among these diagnoses are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, acute intermittent porphyria and many more. People who study Van Gogh's illness attribute his mental illness to overwork, insomnia, malnutrition, and other conditions that may aggravate physical and mental conditions.

Another fascination with Van Gogh is his prominent use of yellow in his paintings. Scientists believe that this is caused by his love for the liquor absinthe, which has a chemical content that produces an illness in which one sees things in yellow. It was also proposed that he was a victim of lead poisoning, which was a main substance found in his paints. Lead poisoning can cause damage to the retina, which was evidenced in the halo effect in most of his paintings.

Just like many artists, Van Gogh did not live a happy life as it is based on community standards. His inability to maintain harmony with the people around him cause him to be secluded and alone most of his life.