Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 into an upper middle class family, in southern Netherlands. He was the oldest of six children and very close with his brother Theo and sister Willemina. Van Gogh drew frequently as a child and was serious, quiet and introspective. These personality traits along with a fierce temper about his art and depression and alcoholism would make it hard for Vincent to succeed in an academic setting. He struggled through a few attempts at art school, but was known to battle with professors that did not understand his vision or tried to get him to conform to theirs. There is wide speculation on what mental and emotional disorders Vincent may have had, including severe depression, epilepsy and schizophrenia. Many think that he may have been autistic based on accounts from friends and family. Whatever conditions he struggled with, it was certainly made worse by severe alcoholism, smoking, lack of sleep and malnutrition. In his letters, he often described going days without eating and sleeping. He is the archetype of the tortured artist. Although he was never well appreciated for his work during his life (he only sold one painting) he is now one of the most recognizable and loved artists in history.
Vincent relied heavily on his brother Theo. After several failed career attempts that varied from mining to ministry work, Theo encouraged Vincent to pursue art full time. Theo Van Gogh was an art dealer, as were several others in the Van Gogh family; and he provided his brother with financial and emotional support throughout his life. For two years the bothers lived together in Paris; this was the time that Vincent remembered as the happiest in his life. The brothers also corresponded avidly. There are more than 600 letters from Vincent to Theo (who saved all of his letters) and around 40 from Theo to Vincent (who did not keep his.) Vincent did not seriously pursue art until he was 27 years old. Impressively, in the next ten years he would create over 2100 paintings, watercolors, and sketches.
Citing exhaustion from the busy pace of Paris, Vincent moved to Southern France, hoping to start an artists’ colony. It was during this time that he lived with the artist Paul Gauguin. The pair had a complicated and very intense friendship. Many heated debates led to the argument that ended in Van Gough slicing off a part of his ear with a razor. There are many conflicting accounts of how the incident played out; but none from Vincent, who could not remember the event afterward. He was diagnosed with an acute mental breakdown and checked into a mental hospital. He spent the next year in hospitals until he passed away from an infection after shooting himself in the chest.
Today we will paint like Vincent Van Gogh. Usually, I recommend starting with the background and working in layers, to the little details at the front. However, using Van Gogh’s style, we work directly, all prima. (Which means that we will finish the painting in one sitting working in one layer.)
1. Start by lightly sketching out your design on the canvas. You want to make the lines barely visible so that you don’t end up with graphite in your paint.
2. Using, thick strokes, paint several colors close together. Look closely at Van Gogh’s paintings. You will see trees that are green, but have yellow and purple brushstrokes side by side. The combination of colors will make your painting more interesting. Areas where you put similar colors will harmonize. If you want to make something in your painting really stand out, you can mix contrasting colors, (Red/green, blue/orange, purple/yellow, etc.) These areas will really catch the viewer’s eye.
3. Before finishing, go back and look at your piece. Are there areas that need a little refining? You might especially want to outline objects to make sure they stand out against the background and have a solid form.
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