Van Gogh Paintings

Van Gogh Paintings tell a story. A story of a sad, misunderstood and tortured man. A story of a man way ahead of his time. A story, which would have remained untold, had the droopy sunflowers and the swirling clouds not told tale. The story of Vincent Van Gogh, the painter.

Son of Anna Cornelia Carbentus and Protestant Minister, Theodorus van Gogh, Vincent Willem Van Gogh,spent most of his early life in Holland.At one point of time he became a preacher until he was dismissed by the church for his excessive zeal in living a Christ-like life of poverty.

His zeal and lust for life took him through a roller coaster journey which ended tragically when he shot himself on July 27 1890.

His period as an artist lasted for the last 10 yrs of his life. He produced all of his work, some 900 paintings and 1100 drawings, during these ten years. He painted his best-known works in the last two years of his life.

His earlier works were charcterized by sombre colors and then he discovered the impressionists (the works of Monet). The mature style of his later works is definitely the influence of impressionism. In fact he is classified as a true Post –Impressionist. In his paintings we see the seeds of the school that lead to abstract painting.

Van Gogh took the concept of impressionism a step further in his works. His striking depiction of landscapes, portraiture and still life using often irreverent techniques and style makes his work stand out. His swirling brush strokes and other innovative techniques ensured that his paintings achieved the status of “visual metaphors”.

His painful yet significant friendship with fellow artist Paul Gauguin produced such works such as The Red Vineyard .

He was acknowledged as the pioneer of what was later to be called expressionism, a style that had incredible influence on 20 th century art, his works are valued at hundreds of millions today. Ironically, he led a life of virtual penury and died unrecognized and uncelebrated.