Vincent van Gogh Quick Facts - Quick Facts

Birth

March 30, 1853

Death

July 29, 1890

Place of Birth

Groot Zundert, the Netherlands

Known for

Creating expressive paintings characterized by intense color and turbulent brush strokes

Milestone

1869 Left school to become an apprentice at Goupil & Co., an art dealership in The Hague

1876 After transfers to London (1873) and Paris (1875), quit the art dealership, opposing the commercialization of art

1878-1880 Worked as an evangelist in Belgium, presiding over a congregation of impoverished miners whose rough existence inspired later works including Potato Eaters (1885)

1885 Actively pursued the study of color theory after Potato Eaters, painted in a palette of earth tones, received a lukewarm reception in Paris, where the art community was enraptured by the vivid colors of the impressionists

1886-1888 Lived with his brother Théo, an art dealer in Paris, and became acquainted with influential French impressionist artists including Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro

1888-1889 Lived in Arles, in southern France, and incorporated impressionism into his unique personal style, executing paintings of swirling yellows, greens, and blues

1888 Was joined by French painter Paul Gauguin in Arles; after a violent argument on Christmas of that year, van Gogh threatened Gauguin with a razor then cut off his own ear in remorse

1889-1890 Voluntarily institutionalized himself at Saint Rémy, near Arles, where he painted Starry Night (1889)

1890 Moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, nearer his brother in Paris, and in July committed suicide soon after completing Crows in the Wheatfields

Did You Know

Van Gogh's life and approach to art are unusually well documented in his extensive correspondence with his brother, Théo.

Van Gogh actively painted only during the last ten years of his life, but produced over 1000 paintings.

Van Gogh's distinctive use of line, space, and color were influenced by a Japanese style of woodblock printmaking known as Ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world).

Van Gogh executed some of his portraits three times, intending one copy for himself, one for his brother, Théo, and one for the subject.

Théo van Gogh was devastated by Vincent's suicide, and died just six months after his brother.