He is one of the most popular artists of the western cultural tradition.
His paintings are some of the most treasured pieces of art and have sold for hundreds of millions, but during his lifetime he was shunned and his works were ignored. He was a shy and introverted, he spoke 4 languages and was well read but he lived and worked as a peasant.
He was born march 30, 1853 in Groot-Zunbert which is a small Dutch village.
His full birth name was Vincent Willem van Gogh
He was the oldest child of 6.
Little is known about his early education
At the age of 15 with his family facing financial hardship,
The museum thing did not work out, as I found out most of his jobs
Van Gogh’s father was a pastor so leaning on his religious upbringing he decided
He failed at romance, failed at finances and finally committed suicide.
So why is he so important?
Vincent was a self taught artist that used the early inspirations from the museum and the surrounds of his life.
Putting aside his mental state Van Gogh saw and felt passion in his art. He created images of desire and inhumane experiences. Images of the evil that men succumb to and when viewing these images you really can’t help having a compassionate response to them.
Van Gogh also lived out the stereotype of the crazy artist. So I think he satisfies some stereotypical expectations that our culture has imposed on artist.
* Pointillism - is a technique of applying paint in a pattern of different colored dots. From a distance the eye does not see the dots individually and the colors blend together to form an image. Van Gogh painted a "Self Portrait" in 1887 using this method. The lively effect of the dots and color in this image contrast sharply with his dour expression. * Impasto - The word "'impasto'" is Italian "dough" or "mixtureis a technique of spreading paint thickly onto the canvas with a palette knife or brush so that the strokes are visible. Van Gogh used this technique often, but it is notably effective in his painting "Starry Starry Night" where the swirling brushstrokes of the stars and clouds in the sky create a sense of rapid movement. Van Gogh worked instinctively and quickly and this distinctive brushwork is a recurring theme in his paintings. First, it makes the light reflect in a particular way, giving the artist additional control over the play of light on the painting. Second, it can add expressiveness to the painting, the viewer being able to notice the strength and speed applied by the artist. Third, impasto can push a painting into a three dimensional sculptural rendering
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Vincent van Gogh was an artist Ahead of his time creating paintings with interesting brushstroke that no one of his era was familiar with. Van Goph had a unique view of the world and thus had a unique art style. This made van Goph painting undesirable to those living in his active era.…
- 238 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
As such, he used many bright colors, loosened his brush strokes, and emphasized the application of paint on canvas. Thus, his style is quite consistent with the time period, yet Van Gogh did have an iconic signature to his works. This signature is his thick application of paint, called impasto. Impasto is a word of Italian origin, and means “paste” or “mixture.” It is frequently used in describing paintings where the paint is so thickly applied that brush strokes or palette knife are clearly visible, and this is clearly seen in Van Gogh’s work. The lasting effect is a painting that almost looks three dimensional, which I saw in the Wheat Fields after the Rain (The Plain of Auvers). This use of impasto allows for the painting to have more depth because of lighting and shadows that can influence the over all composition. Therefore, with this technique we can see the emotions that Van Gogh wishes to convey in the way he paints his clouds or the fields themselves. Gustav Klimt’s piece, Orchard, has many artistic techniques that were used during the Art Nouveau period. Klimt painted the piece on a large square canvas, with an elevated viewpoint, with employed elongated parallel brush strokes, which contrast with the lozenge-like strokes and blotches of flowers and foliage, overall creating a patterned effect that can be seen in…
- 1171 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Max Nordau creates an well written and interesting essay asking the question: what makes art appealing? What is considered beautiful, and what is considered heinous?…
- 506 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Likewise McLean has utilised particular metaphors to broaden reader’s minds upon the personal experiences of Vincent Van Gogh. The metaphor ‘Portraits hung in empty halls’ proves that Van Gogh’s paintings were unappreciated whilst he was alive. This metaphorical language therefore depicts an image of emptiness towards Van Gogh proving the defining statement that McLean comments on historical and emotional values through the use of imagery.…
- 1138 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
However most of his major work were focus on self- portraits and describe the feeling of the characters’ feeling. Rembrandt was also famous by oil painting and carvings. Rembrandt Van Rijn said “choose only one master- nature” or he also said “I cannot paint the way they want me to paint and they know that too.” Basic on the two quotes that he had said, we can tell that he tried to make his works as naturalistic as he can. He would draw what he saw, the way he feel and understand. He could not paint what people what people expected him to do. To me, that is a reason all of his works considered to be very…
- 687 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Vincent Van Gogh had a depressing first start of his life. Van Gogh was constantly getting rejected by girls, he even got rejected by his own cousin. Eventually, Van Gogh decided to stop chasing girls, therefore he devoted his life to his art. Van Gogh was one of the best artists ever. His devotion to art and to being so different was why he was so good, Even though he suffered from mental illness and poverty, he overcame it and achieved his goal of being known as one of the best artists…
- 346 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
He laid the groundwork for future impressionist and is considered by some to be the godfather of the movement.. Impressionist is a painting technique where the painter creates a fleeting impression of his subject matter by capturing how the light moves around the scene. The subject matter in Impressionist paintings is often not as important of the fleeting feeling put onto canvas. The movement was a departure for traditional European painting because of its short strokes of broken color instead of long stead strokes. Camille later temporarily joined a sub group of Impressionism called Neo-Impressionist. Neo-Impressionism was a lot like a more organized impressionist painting. The small swaths of color where often orderly and in line instead of all over the painting over lapping each other. Pointillism and divisionism are painting techniques that were popularized by Neo-Impressionism. Camille would later turn away from Neo-Impressionism and go back to making impressionist paintings, although his later paintings had a much more subdued and calm…
- 875 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889), he depicts himself in three-quarter profile with closed coat, fur cap, and bandaged ear. This painting is a good example of how his illnesses dictated what he painted. After cutting off his ear, he painted this picture, depicting an open window for fresh air and bandage probably soaked in camphor, to communicate that he is able to care for himself and does not need to be taken to an asylum. He used his art to convey his inner thoughts and emotions and as a post-impressionist, he made sure to capture all of his memories and emotions in each painting. Van Gogh had an eccentric personality, multiple moods and suffered from recurrent psychotic episodes, in which those affected experience altered thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors (Tsuang). Both use their paintings to alter their present states and create an alternate reality that challenges their…
- 799 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The term Post-impressionism is used to describe late 19th century art that rejects the “capture-the-fleeting-moment” attitude of Impressionism and is characterized by bright colors and defined brushstrokes as opposed to the impasto approach of impressionists. Impasto is a technique in which paint is applied so thick onto the canvas that it stands out from the surface, creating a 3-D texture effect. The paint can be mixed on the canvas to achieve a desired color.…
- 1035 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
He became famously known for his innovative style, which people found fresh and interesting. His unique style was new, modern, and the definition of pop culture, but sadly it later became a little too commercialized. Some people found this irritating, but however you look at it, it was great publicity for this young, fresh, different, artist.…
- 257 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
During his artistic career, which lasted more than 75 years, he created thousands of works, not only paintings but also sculptures, prints, and ceramics, using all kinds of materials. He almost single-handedly created modern art. He changed art more profoundly than any other artist of this century because he was an inspiration.…
- 4161 Words
- 17 Pages
Better Essays -
Van Gogh is a widely famous artist of the late 1880s. He is most famous for his work Starry Night. Born in 1853, Vincent’s artistic career started in his twenties after having many different types of careers (Living with Art 11). From being a student to a preacher to a bookseller, he finally found a life of art (Van Gogh Museum). He seemed to have struggled greatly with self-esteem and self-worth, as he struggled with many women in his short time and, as his work shows, his art follows his path of self- pity and sorrow.…
- 701 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
One notorious visual artist from the Renaissance era is Leonardo Da Vinci. Interestingly enough, Da Vinci was more than just a painter and sculptor; he was also an architect, inventor, thinker, scientist and mathematician (History.com, 2009). He was a very interesting man and it is easy to understand his influence on art. His early life biography, experience of the French invasion and paintings depict Leonard Da Vinci as a much more interesting individual than the typical person would understand him to be.…
- 638 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
it as an artist but his style was not popular in the contemporary art scene and…
- 1756 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
His works of art are some of the most well-known and inspiring to all who see them. Although he influenced kings and common men alike his life was much of a mystery. He was not only and artist he was also a philosopher, architect, and help to lay the foundation for the discovery of human anatomy. He invented the smoky style of painting that you see in the background of the Mona Lisa and many of his other works of art. The secrets of his life and the discoveries that he made are one of the many reasons that the painting is constantly scrutinized.…
- 825 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays