On this day, 165 years ago, Vincent van Gogh was born! Van Gogh is one of our most famous and influential painters, who isn’t familiar the famous image of the sunflowers from Van Gogh? 

Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter and was very influential in the history of Western Art. His works are characterized by bold colors and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. In just over a decade he painted over 2000 artworks, including (oil)painting, drawings and letters.

Paintings by © Vincent van Gogh.

Vincent van Gogh was very unsuccessful during his life and struggled with mental health issues, like psychotic episodes and delusions. He was considered a madmen and a failure by the people who surrounded him. At age 37 Van Gogh committed suicide.

After his death Van Gogh eventually became famous, as elements of his painting style were incorporated in new styles and movements. Now Van Gogh is seen as the misunderstood genius.

Van Gogh’s collection of works was inherited by his brother Theo and several family members after him. Some works were sold during the years. In 1962 the whole collection was brought of the family for 15 million ‘gulden’. Now the Van Gogh museum preserves a collection of over 200 paintings, 500 drawings and over 700 letters.

Pictures by © Loving Vincent.

Last year a animated film was released on the life of Vincent van Gogh, and in particular his last days and final suicide. The movie, called Loving Vincent, is the world’s first fully painted feature film. Artists painted 65.000 frames in oil paintings and recreated Vincent’s life through his own art. A real special project and a wonderful film, definitely recommend it!

Of course Vincent’s birthday is the perfect reason for a real special edition of the ‘Vincent op Vrijdag’ event at the Van Gogh Museum. Check it out here: click.

Sincerely,
Mr. J.

Loving Vincent Trailer: