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Vincent van Gogh facts for kids

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In this article, the family name is van Gogh, not Gogh.
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Vincent van Gogh
A head and shoulders portrait of a thirty something man, with a red beard, facing to the left
Self-Portrait, 1887, Art Institute of Chicago
Born
Vincent Willem van Gogh

(1853-03-30)March 30, 1853
Zundert, Netherlands
Died July 29, 1890(1890-07-29) (aged 37)
Auvers-sur-Oise, France
Education
  • Royal Academy of Fine Arts
  • Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
Notable work
Movement Post-Impressionism
Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers - VGM F458
Sunflowers (F.458), repetition of the 4th version (yellow background), August 1889. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Vincent van Gogh - Wheatfield with crows - Google Art Project
Wheatfield with Crows, 1890. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who did not become famous until after his death. He struggled with severe depression and poverty, which contributed to his early death in 1890 at thirty-seven years old. He is no considered one of the most famous artists in Western art history.

Early years

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, in the mostly Catholic province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. He was the oldest surviving child of Theodorus van Gogh (1822–1885), a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, and his wife, Anna Cornelia Carbentus (1819–1907), who came from a prosperous family in The Hague.

Van Gogh's parents married in May 1851 and moved to Zundert. His father did not make much money, but the church supplied the family with a house, a maid, two cooks, a gardener, a carriage, and a horse. These things gave the family a high social position. Vincent had two brothers and three sisters. In later life, he only remained in touch with his sister Willemina (known as "Wil") and his brother Theo.

Van Gogh was a serious and thoughtful child. He became interested in art at a young age, and his mother encouraged him to draw. In 1860, his parents sent Vincent to the village school. In 1864, they sent him to a boarding school, where he felt abandoned, and a middle school in 1866, where he was also unhappy.

Early career

In March 1868, van Gogh returned home. In July 1869, van Gogh's uncle Cent got him a position at the art dealers Goupil & Cie in The Hague. After completing his training in 1873, van Gogh was transferred to Goupil's London branch on Southampton Street. This was a happy time for van Gogh; he was successful at work and, at 20, was earning more than his father.

Head shot photo of the artist as a clean-shaven young man. He has thick, ill-kept, wavy hair, a high forehead, and deep-set eyes with a wary, watchful expression.
Head shot photo of a young man, similar in appearance to his brother, but neat, well-groomed and calm.
Vincent van Gogh in 1873, when he worked at the Goupil & Cie gallery in The Hague; His brother, Theo (pictured right, in 1878), was a life-long supporter and friend.

Before taking up art professionally, van Gogh had changed jobs and interests. He worked as a supply teacher in a small boarding school in Ramsgate, was a Methodist minister's assistant, and wanted to become a pastor. In 1878, van Gogh prepared for the University of Amsterdam theology entrance examination but failed it.

In January 1879, he became a missionary in the working class, coal-mining district of Borinage in Belgium. To show support for his poor congregation, he gave up his comfortable lodgings at a bakery to a homeless person and moved to a small hut, where he slept on straw. His parents were worried about him and even considered sending him to an asylum.

Cuesmes JPG001
Van Gogh's home in Cuesmes; while there he decided to become an artist

Artistic education

In 1880, his brother Theo advised him to take up art seriously. At age twenty-seven, he registered at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, where he studied anatomy and the standard rules of modeling and perspective. He continued his formal education in 1886 at Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. His professors at Antwerp did not like his unconventional style of painting. He left the academy after becoming ill and run down by overwork, poor diet, and too much smoking.

Artistic breakthrough

Vincent van Gogh - The yellow house ('The street')
The Yellow House, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

In February 1888, van Gogh, suffering from smoker's cough, moved to Arles. He was enchanted by the local countryside and light; his works from this period are rich in yellow, ultramarine, and mauve. They include harvests, wheat fields, and general rural landmarks from the area, including The Old Mill (1888). He completed 200 paintings and more than 100 drawings and watercolors while living in Arles.

On May 1, 1888, he signed a lease for the eastern wing of the Yellow House at 2 place Lamartine for 15 francs per month. The Yellow House had to be furnished before he could fully move in, but he was able to use it as a studio. He wanted a gallery to display his work and started a series of paintings that eventually included Van Gogh's Chair (1888), Bedroom in Arles (1888), The Night Café (1888), Café Terrace at Night (September 1888), Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888), and Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers (1888). He intended to decorate the Yellow House with them.

  • A billiard table in the centre of a room of a café surrounded by tables. Patrons are seated at several tables, and a man dressed in white stands behind the billiard table.

    The Night Café, 1888. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut

  • A man sowing seeds in front of a giant sun going down near a large tree

    The Sower with Setting Sun, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • On the edge of the sea four boats on the water in the distance; closer, four boats are on the dry sand on the beach

    Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries, June 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A small room with paintings on the wall, two chairs, a single bed and a table

    Bedroom in Arles, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Friendship with Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin - Vincent van Gogh painting sunflowers - Google Art Project
Paul Gauguin, The Painter of Sunflowers: Portrait of Vincent van Gogh, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

When living in Paris in 1886-1888, van Gogh met many impressionists, including Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh invited Gauguin to stay and to work with him in Arles. Van Gogh admired Gauguin and wanted to be treated as his equal, but Gauguin was arrogant and domineering, which frustrated van Gogh. Their relationship began to deteriorate. They often quarreled.

After one quarrel, van Gogh's left ear was cut off. Some art historians believe van Gogh did this himself, while others believe Gauguin cut off van Gogh's ear. A policeman found van Gogh the next morning, and van Gogh was sent to the hospital. The doctor did not reattach the ear because too much time had passed since it had been cut off. Gauguin fled Arles, never to see Van Gogh again. However, they continued to correspond.

Deteriorating health and recognition

Van Gogh often neglected his physical health. He suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions. After the incident with the cut-off ear, he spent time in psychiatric hospitals, including some time at Saint-Rémy. He was allowed short supervised walks, during which time he painted cypress trees and olive trees. He made several paintings of the hospital's interiors and gardens. Some of his works from this time are characterized by swirls, such as The Starry Night. In September 1889, he produced two more versions of Bedroom in Arles and The Gardener.

From March 20 to April 27, 1890, van Gogh exhibited ten paintings the Pavillon de la Ville de Paris on the Champs-Elysées. Claude Monet said that his work was the best in the show.

  • In an indoor prison yard a large group of men walk in a circle, one behind the other. The face of the prisoner in the centre of the painting and looking toward the viewer looks like Van Gogh.

    Prisoners' Round (after Gustave Doré), 1890. Pushkin Museum, Moscow

  • A man is scattering seeds in a ploughed field. The figure is represented as small and is set in the upper right and walking out of the picture. He carries a bag of seed over one shoulder. The ploughed soil is grey; behind it rises a standing crop and, in the left distance, a farmhouse. In the centre of the horizon is a giant yellow rising sun with emanating yellow rays. A path leads into the picture, and birds are swooping down.

    The Sower (after Jean-François Millet), 1888. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

  • Two women are digging in a snowy field, covered in white, houses off in the distance, while the sun rises.

    Two Peasant Women Digging in a Snow-Covered Field at Sunset (after Jean-François Millet), 1890. Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich, Switzerland

  • A painting of an old man who sits on a chair with his head in his hands.

    Sorrowing Old Man ('At Eternity's Gate'), 1890. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

Death

In May 1890, van Gogh left the clinic in Saint-Rémy to move closer to Theo and Dr. Paul Gachet. Gachet was an amateur painter who had treated several other artists.

His depression continued, and on July 27, 1890, van Gogh is believed to have shot himself in the chest with a revolver, dying from his injuries two days later. He was buried on July 30 in the municipal cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise.

Personal life

Van Gogh proposed to several women but was rejected. Unlucky in love, he never married or had children.

Vincent van Gogh quotes

  • “It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.”
  • “I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”
  • “A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”
  • “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”
  • “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

Interesting facts about Vincent van Gogh

  • Van Gogh was given the name of his grandfather and of a brother stillborn exactly a year before his birth. Vincent was a common name in the van Gogh family.
  • His grandfather, also Vincent (1789–1874), was a prominent art dealer, and a theology graduate at the University of Leiden in 1811. This Vincent had six sons, three of whom became art dealers, and may have been named after his great-uncle, a sculptor (1729–1802).
  • In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life.
  • He sold only one painting while he was alive: The Red Vineyard sold for 400 francs in Belgium seven months before his death.
  • The Starry Night, his most famous work, was painted in an asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France.
  • Van Gogh wrote nearly 800 letters in his lifetime, mainly to his brother and closest friend Theo who was an art dealer.
  • Theo van Gogh provided his brother with financial and emotional support as well as access to influential people on the contemporary art scene.
  • Theo named his son Vincent, after his brother.
  • Theo’s wife dedicated herself to collecting her late brother-in-law’s work, and thanks to her diligence, van Gogh's work began to receive recognition eleven years after his death.
  • Minor planet 4457 van Gogh is named in his honor.

Major series

Van Gogh loved to paint the beautiful scenery around him. Following are the kinds of art he created.

Portraits

Van Gogh said he was most interested in painting portraits.

Self-portraits

Self-Portrait (Van Gogh September 1889)
Self-Portrait, September 1889. Musée d'Orsay

Van Gogh created more than 43 self-portraits between 1885 and 1889. They were usually completed in series. His portraits vary stylistically. Sometimes he painted himself reflected in his mirror.

  • A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left, with an extreme intense, intent look, and a red beard.

    Self-Portrait, September 1889. Musée d'Orsay

  • A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left, with a relaxed but intent look, a red beard and wearing a grey hat.

    Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, Winter 1887–88. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left, with a relaxed look, a red beard and wearing a straw hat.

    Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, Paris, Winter 1887–88. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

  • A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left (good ear) holding a palette with brushes. He is wearing a blue cloak and has yellow hair and beard. The background is a deep violet.

    Self-Portrait, 1889. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. His Saint-Rémy self-portraits show his side with the unmutilated ear, as he saw himself in the mirror

  • A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left (good ear), with no beard.

    Self-Portrait Without Beard, c. September 1889. This painting may have been Van Gogh's last self-portrait. He gave it to his mother as a birthday gift.

Flowers

Van Gogh painted several landscapes with flowers, including roses, lilacs, irises, and sunflowers. His more famous paintings are of sunflowers.

  • A ceramic vase with sunflowers on a yellow surface against a bright yellow background.

    Still Life: Vase with Fourteen Sunflowers, August 1888. National Gallery, London

  • A ceramic vase with sunflowers on a yellow surface against a pale blue background.

    Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, August 1888. Neue Pinakothek, Munich

  • Irises growing in a garden. There is bare soil visible and orange flowers in the background.

    Irises, May 1889. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

  • Pale pink blossoms on the branches of a tree against a pale blue sky.

    Almond Blossom, February 1890. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • Iris flowers and some green leaves in a yellow vase.

    Still Life: Vase with Irises Against a Yellow Background, May 1890, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • Pale pink roses in a green vase, against a pale green background.

    Still Life: Pink Roses in a Vase, May 1890, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Cypresses and olives

He became fascinated with cypress trees while he lived in Arles. While in Saint-Rémy, van Gogh spent time outside the asylum, where he painted trees in the olive groves.

  • A painting of a large cypress tree, on the side of a road, with two people walking, a wagon and horse behind them, and a green house in the background, under an intense starry sky.

    Road with Cypress and Star, May 1890, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

  • A drawing of a landscape in which the starry night sky takes up two-thirds of the picture. In the left foreground a cypress tree extends from the bottom to the top of the picture. To the left, village houses and a church with a tall steeple are clustered at the foot of a mountain range. In the upper right is a crescent moon surrounded by a halo of light. There are many bright stars large and small, each surrounded by swirling halos. Across the centre of the sky the Milky Way is represented as a double swirling vortex

    Cypresses in Starry Night, a reed pen drawing executed by Van Gogh after the painting in 1889.

  • A painting of a large group of cypress trees, beside which two young women are walking, a large house in the background, under a cloudy blue sky.

    Cypresses and Two Women, February 1890. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

  • A painting of two large cypress trees under a bright afternoon sky, next to a wheat field in a landscape of hills, bushes, flowers and trees

    Wheat Field with Cypresses, September 1889. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

  • A painting of two large cypress trees, under a late afternoon sky, with a crescent moon

    Cypresses, 1889. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Orchards

The Flowering Orchards (also the Orchards in Blossom) are among the first groups of work completed after van Gogh's arrival in Arles in February 1888. The 14 paintings are optimistic, joyous, and visually expressive of spring.

  • A watercolour of two pink peach trees in a blossoming orchard of trees near a wooden fence under a bright blue sky

    Pink Peach Tree in Blossom (Reminiscence of Mauve), watercolour, March 1888. Kröller-Müller Museum

  • A painting of a blossoming orchard of trees under a bright blue sky.

    The Pink Orchard also Orchard with Blossoming Apricot Trees, March 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A painting of a blossoming orchard of many trees near wooden fences bordered by large cypress trees under a bright blue sky.

    Orchard in Blossom, Bordered by Cypresses, April 1888. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

  • A close view of three blossoming trees behind which can be seen a large orchard and field in which a man is working, a village filled with buildings and houses in the background, under a bright sky

    View of Arles, Flowering Orchards, April 1889. Neue Pinakothek, Munich

Wheat fields

Van Gogh went outside the city of Arles to paint harvests. He was captivated by wheat fields and painted several scenes of them.

  • An expansive painting of a wheatfield, with green hills through the centre underneath dark and forbidding skies.

    Wheatfield Under Thunderclouds, 1890, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

  • A bright squarish painting of a wheatfield, a river, houses, mountains and the rising sun.

    Enclosed Wheat Field with Rising Sun, May 1889, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

  • A squarish painting of a wheatfield in a dense pouring rain.

    Rain or Enclosed Wheat Field in the Rain, November 1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia

  • A squarish painting of a darkened wheatfield of stacks, with a river and mountains in the background under a rising full moon.

    Wheat Fields, early June 1889. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

  • A squarish painting of a wheatfield, in the afternoon, with landscape and a white house in the background.

    Wheat Field at Auvers with White House, June 1890, The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.

Van Gogh Museum

Weesp and Amsterdam (Netherland, June 2020) - 7 (50550627911)
The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Van Gogh's nephew and namesake, Vincent Willem van Gogh (1890–1978), began work on making a museum in 1963. The Van Gogh Museum opened in the Museumplein in Amsterdam in 1973. It became the second most popular museum in the Netherlands, after the Rijksmuseum, regularly receiving more than 1.5 million visitors a year. In 2015, it had a record 1.9 million. Eighty-five percent of the visitors come from other countries.

Images for kids

  • A view from a window of pale red rooftops. A bird flies in the blue sky; in the near distance there are fields and to the right, the town and other buildings can be seen. On the distant horizon are chimneys.

    Rooftops, View from the Atelier The Hague, 1882, private collection

  • Vincent van Gogh - Farm with stacks of peat - Google Art Project

    Farm with Stacks of Peat, 1883

  • Van-willem-vincent-gogh-die-kartoffelesser-03850

    The Potato Eaters, 1885. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A drawing of an old man who sits on a chair with his head in his hands

    Worn Out, pencil on watercolour paper, 1882. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • An image of a large opened bible on a table top

    Still Life with Open Bible, Extinguished Candle and Novel, also Still Life with Bible, 1885. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A skull smoking a cigarette

    Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette, 1885–86. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A woman facing away working with a spade

    Peasant Woman Digging, or Woman with a Spade, Seen from Behind, 1885. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

  • Toulouse-Lautrec de Henri Vincent van Gogh Sun

    Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Portrait of Vincent van Gogh, 1887, pastel drawing, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • John Peter Russell Van Gogh drawings

    John Russell drew these five studies of Van Gogh a year or so after painting his 1886 portrait (studies, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney)

  • Vincent van Gogh - Windmills on Montmartre - Google Art Project

    Le Moulin de Blute-Fin (1886) from the Le Moulin de la Galette and Montmartre series'. Bridgestone Museum of Art, Tokyo (F273)

  • A Japanese woman looks to the left in a Ukiyo-e style painting

    Courtesan (after Eisen), 1887. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • A bearded old man sits gazing directly at the viewer

    Portrait of Père Tanguy, 1887. Musée Rodin, Paris

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vincent van Gogh para niños

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