Art News Galore

Vincent Van Gogh

Filed under: Art News — Alan @ 9:24 am

The artist suffered many mental health problems including schizophrenia and those diseases he suffered from affected VanGogh artistic career. He did the renowned Starry Night while a resident of a Sanit-Remy insane asylum in France. There were a number of other disorders that plagued the talented artist his whole life and are able to be seen in some of his works.

He was a famed artist and an even more intelligent individual and Vincent Van Gogh knew when was enough and actually admitted himself a number of times into mental asylums throughout Europe. Once released from those self imposed recovery institutes increasing signs of improvement could be seen but were short term at best. After a bout with depression he committed suicide.

Today his sister-in-law is the one responsible for him being popular. Six months after the death of Vincent, his brother Theo passed away and Theo’s wife Johanna decided to devote her life to making sure Van Gogh received the recognition he rightfully deserved. Without her efforts the world would not have known of his mastery.

Vincent loved Theo and everyone knew that and that love for his brother extended to both life and death and time and space. He directly attributed all his accomplishments to his brother even if his brother had no nothing or very little to do with it. His words for his brother were always of the highest regard. He often said a finer brother no one could ever have.

Happiness obsessed Van Gogh and he was one that felt all he ever needed was wrapped up in happiness and then his world would be right. He always chased happiness his entire life and that craving is evident in all his works. In his entire lifetime he sold just one painting but he also created 2,000 pieces of art, 1,100 pencil drawing and sketches and more than 900 paintings.

Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear?

Filed under: Art News — Alan @ 3:57 am

UK scientist Martin Baily is claims that Vincent Van Gogh may have cut off a portion of his left ear due to the fact that he was afraid to lose the support of his brother Theo.

According to Baily, Vincent learned that Theo planned to get married shortly before he cut off his ear, which prompted him to do so out of fear that his brother may not support him after his marriage.

The scientist claims that the evidence is present in the 1889 painting Still Life with a Plate of Onions which was created shortly after Van Gogh hacked at his ear with the razor blade.  Within the painting is an envelope that Baily believes may have been the letter containing news about the impending nuptials.

The painting belongs to the Dutch Kroller Museum collection where Bailey studied it and noted that the envelop has a circle with the number 67 on it which is the official postal stamp of a post office located close to Theo’s Monmartre apartment.

The Parisian postal museum stated that the mark was only used on letters sent in December which confirms that Van Gogh received the letter around the time that he sliced off his ear on December 23^rd.

Baily was led to his conclusion also due to a letter that is still preserved that Theo wrote to his finance in which he mentions that after visiting Vincent his brother knew that he was talking about marriage and that he told Theo marriage should not be viewed as the most important part of life.