Van Gogh was seeking respite from plaguing depression at the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-Rémy in southern France when he painted The Starry Night. It reflects his direct observations of his view of the countryside from his window as well as the memories and emotions this view evoked in him.
On 23 December 1888, after cutting off part of his ear and giving it to a prostitute in a fit of madness, Vincent was admitted to hospital in Arles. He was treated by Dr Félix Rey (1865–1932).
On 27 July 1890, in a field near Auvers, Vincent shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He died two days later, with his brother Theo at his bedside. Why did he choose to end his life? He was also exhausted from working hard and the high standards he set for himself.
The death of Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch post-Impressionist painter, occurred in the early morning of 29 July 1890, in his room at the Auberge Ravoux in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise in northern France.
1889 - 1890
Vincent van Gogh spent one year in the mental hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Despite his unstable mental health, he was very productive: he made about 150 paintings in a year, including Almond Blossom.
Van Gogh expresses the night sky's haunting beauty as seen from his window at the psychiatric facility, and, in my mind, incorporates and communicates his intense interior state (both emotional and mental), most likely due to a bipolar condition.
Van Gogh was released on 16 May 1890, at his own request, despite evidence of mental collapse following his previous brief breaks from the asylum. He yearned for new spring landscapes to paint, blamed the company of his fellow patients for his previous and longest collapse, and wrote “the prison was crushing me”.
As he lay on his death bed, having apparently shot himself, Vincent Van Gogh is said to have uttered the final words, "The sadness will last forever". It's hard to imagine a bleaker prophecy from the famed and deeply troubled Dutch artist.
Born in 1853, Van Gogh struggled with mental illness throughout his life. He suffered from depression, anxiety, and eventually developed epilepsy. These conditions made it difficult for him to maintain stable relationships, and he often felt isolated and alone.
Van Gogh was initially confined to the immediate asylum grounds and painted (without the bars) the world he saw from his room, such as ivy covered trees, lilacs, and irises of the garden. Through the open bars Van Gogh could also see an enclosed wheat field, subject of many paintings at Saint-Rémy.
The circumstances in which Van Gogh cut off his ear are not exactly known, but many experts believe that it was following a furious row with Gauguin at the Yellow House. Afterwards, Van Gogh allegedly packaged up the ear and gave it to a prostitute in a nearby brothel. He was then admitted to a hospital in Arles.
This one's easy: no, Vincent didn't have any children.
The Starry Night symbolizes Van Gogh's deteriorating mental state. It also symbolizes his connection to nature and his interest in traveling to the stars through death.
Struggles with his mental health led Van Gogh to admit himself to the psychiatric hospital of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, located in the Romanesque monastery of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. Throughout his twelve-month confinement, he continued to paint.
It is good to love many things, for therein lies strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done with love is well done. ”
Vincent van Gogh is known as an artist who didn't have much money. Is that correct? Van Gogh was not poor. From 1882, he received financial support from his brother Theo, who had been appointed manager of the Parisian branch of the Goupil art dealership.
In van Gogh's case, an early childhood trauma initiated a life-long suicidal process. His difficulties as regards attachment to and separation from his parents continued throughout his life and his emotional instability, intensity and lowered tolerance to frustration seem to portray a borderline personality.
He never married or had children.
Next, he became involved with a woman named Sien Hoornik, a former prostitute who served as his model and also had young children. Van Gogh's family disapproved of Hoornik and the relationship eventually ended.
The Starry Night painting has been highly esteemed for decades and its value has reached $100 million, following its $50 million sale in 1990. The painting has fetched high prices in the past, with numerous auction house sales reaching millions of dollars.
The sunflower paintings had a special significance for Van Gogh: they communicated 'gratitude', he wrote.
n. formerly, an institution for the treatment and convalescence of individuals with chronic diseases, such as rheumatism, tuberculosis, neurological disorders, or mental disorders. Also called sanitarium.
The painting features short, painterly brushstrokes, an artificial color palette and a focus on luminescence. It's this treatment that helps explain why it became so famous and why it's considered a great piece of art.