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Veronica Pena

Ms. Figueroa

World Literature: Block E.

March 30, 2015

Vincent van Gogh

By- Victoria Charles

In Vincent van Gogh by Victoria Charles the life of the famous artist Vincent van Gogh is
written about. Charles is able to include letters that can Gogh wrote to his brother, letters to
peers, as well as letters he received. The story opens with short biographical information about
the artist as well as that of his family.
In the first chapter: Holland, England, and Belgium 1853-1886 van Goghs early life is
shared including family life, education, and his job at the gallery of Goupil & Co. The chapter
goes on to discuss van Goghs several love interests and concludes with the story of the one
woman who fell in love with him, Margot Begemann. After the 31-year-old van Gogh rejected
the 41-year-old Margot , since he claimed he had felt nothing but respect for her, he later rescued
the woman and made her vomit the poison she had taken with the intentions of suicide. Paris
1886-1888 opens after van Goghs arrival in Paris in March 1886 which was extremely eye
opening to new painters, paintings, and music to both himself and his brother. Van Gogh was
able to find his identity as a new artist throughout his stay at Paris until his departure on February
19th, 1888 and arrival in Arles. Arles 1888-1889 is a highlight in the book, as well as van
Gogh, since during his stay he was able to live with, Paul Gaugin, an artist whom Vincent highly
regarded. He also suffered from a stomach disorder as well as violent mental breakdowns were
he beat himself with a stick and were the famous act of cutting a portion of his ear occurred.
After the outbursts in Arles van Gogh a pastor took van Gogh to a mental hospital thirty
kilometers away. Saint- Remy 1889-1890 opens with van Goghs self admission into Saint
Remy Mental Hospital after saw the reality of the life of the various madmen and lunatics in
this menagerie, I am losing the vague dread, the fear of the thing (Charles 201). During his stay
van Gogh led his doctor to believe that there had been a history of epileptic attacks in his family
but after recent studies, no indication of any relatives being epileptic came up.(Charles 202).
Despite the supposed diagnoses of his doctor, the treat ment for every patient was the same
despite their condition, so needless to say, van gogh did not recover, however his fits of
depression and bouts of depression was crucial in giving him an artistic point of view which
allowed him to create some of his most notable pieces.
Conclusion addresses the aftermath of his stay in the mental hospital as well as his
move to Auvers- sur-Oise where was treated by a physician and fellow painter, and where he
stayed in Ravoux Inn. This last move is depicted to be extremely hard for van gogh since he feels
useless and like a burden to which he grows once again troublesome resulting in his suicide on
July 27th and death on July 29th beside his brother Theo.

Review
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The book Vincent Van Gogh by Victoria Charles was overall very educational and
captivating. The book was able to provide a lot of detail about van Gogh and his life and used
quotes and passages about things people who knew Van Gogh said. Charles was able to provide
the best of both worlds for me since upon choosing the book I was between it and a book of all
the letters Theo and Vincent exchanged and included numerous copies of their letters. Victoria
Charles was able to provide accurate details in using letters as concrete evidence to verify what
happened in van Goghs life as well as how he and his character were described. Another
important quality of the book was that it used several captivating factors to allow me not to lose
interest in it. The first page of the book contained a visual example in using imagery to describe
van Gogh. He sat on that chair. His pipe lies on a reed seat next to an open tobacco pouch. He
slept in that bed, lived in that house. It was there that he cut off a piece of his ear. We see him in
a bandaged head, the pipe in the corner of his mouth, looking at us (Charles 11). The book was
highly interesting and in my opinion out of the books I had previously read on him, by far the
one I enjoyed the most and I hold in the highest regard. Another enjoyable aspect of the book
was that it showed pictures of his paintings some being masterpieces as well as his most renown,
and few that werent as prevalent. Charles put the pictures into the chapters where they were of
relevance since the chapters were titled the places he visited since they greatly inspired his
works. I also felt that a very useful aspect was towards the end of the book where it provided a
short timeline that captured the most important events in his life. I found upon broadening my
research that most of the information about van Gogh I had already seen in my book making it
that much easier to proceed with my research. Generally, this book was extremely useful and
educational since it was able to provide a lot of information that did not grow monotonous or
repetitive.
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1) What is Vincent van Goghs occupation? What is he known for?

Vincent van Gogh is one of historys most influential artists. Van Gogh was a post-impressionist
painter and through his pieces he was able to depict beautiful portraits, still lives, sceneries, and
more. His works are extremely respected and praised due to the fact his use of colors and
painting techniques allow you to believe that his pieces are pictures rather than actual paintings.
Vincent van Gogh has also gained recognition for being able to paint a variety of things within
vastly distinct genres and be able to master them all (Charles). Seven of van Goghs paintings are
on the list of the 30 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time and were sold from $134.6 Million -
$63.1 Million.(30 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time par 1) Some of his most known works
include Starry Night, Sunflowers, and The Potato Eaters (Reid par 5). The true aptitude of
the insanely capacitated artists is reflected through his extreme success. Insanity itself is
something Vincent van Gogh is known for and is often referred to as The guy that cut off his
ear. Victoria Charles writes about the first article written about van Gogh by a close friend
named Albert Aurier. he used terms like obsessive passion and persistent preoccupation.
Van Gogh seemed to him a terrible and demented genius, often sublime, sometimes grotesque,
always at the brink of the pathological(Charles 10).

2) What is van Goghs cultural origin? (Where was he born and family ancestry)

Van Gogh was born in Zundert, Netherlands to mother Anna Cornelia Carbentus and father
Theodorus van Gogh. His mother was an artist and his father was a Protestant Minister. Van
Gogh grew up in a humble village where he was surrounded by beautiful landscapes to which he
developed a fondness to and established a close relation to nature (Charles 22). Despite the fact
little is known of van Goghs childhood he was described by his brothers wife as a difficult,
naughty and obstinate child who had been spoiled by overindulgent parents (Charles 21). Van
Goghs mother had, exactly a year before Vincents birth, a still born and refused to get attached
since she never fully recovered from the loss of her stillborn child. Van Gogh had three sisters
and a younger brother, Theo, to whom which Van Gogh had an extremely close relationship with
and wrote six hundred letters to throughout 18 years of his life. The brothers developed a close
relationship in a way that changes relatives into friends Thereafter, Vincent regarded Theo as his
alter ego (Charles 31). Theo always believed and supported his brother throughout his whole
life and remained until the very end and was beside van Gogh when he died.

3) What is Vincent van Goghs personal history?

At the age of 11, he was sent off to a boarding school thirty kilometers from home, and at the
age of 13 he attended high school in Tilburg (Charles 25). Unfortunately after two years of
attendance at the school in Tilburg, van Gogh was removed from school and forced into a job at
his uncles art dealership, Groupil & Co, due to his familys financial instability. Vincent was
later relocated to a location in London where he met his first love and received his first
heartbreak. Vincent van Gogh suffered from a quick temper and was fired and turned away
from jobs and opportunities because of his stubbornness and moodiness including his job at
Groupil Gallery. He was tainted with rejection his whole life from his family, women, schools,
jobs, and altogether society. Van Gogh constantly searched for love and a companion. His several
love interests were not interested in him and each rejection came with a rush of grave depression
for Vincent. By this time, van Gogh had already given up his gospel of earthly love and turned
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instead to the love of God (Charles 34). Van Gogh became engrossed with the bible and
commenced his work towards becoming a preacher and evangelist. His aspirations later failed
after a lack of support from his father and instead he pursued a career in art. Van Gogh not only
sought the love of women but also that of his family and friends, although he never achieved it in
measure he would have wished(Charles 14). The family had also threatened to cut van Gogh off
after discovering his condemned relationship with a prostitute. Several disputes throughout his
life occurred with his family about his decisions to a point where he refused to associated with
the name van Gogh. Several of his friends did not know his last name since he had only shared
and signed his paintings as Vincent. So much rejection in his life caused him to grow mentally
unstable as he suffered from depression and severe anxiety. His mental instability caused him to
grow very insecure and spiteful. One night he had had a dispute with his roommate, Paul
Gauguin, Paul had gone for a walk when suddenly he hears footsteps come from behind him.
Upon turning around he saw Vincent van Gogh holding an open razor, and after staring at each
other van Gogh turned around and raced back to his home. About an hour later, the event that
frequently overshadows his death occurred. Van Gogh cut off a portion of his ear. He
meticulously and neatly wrapped it and presented it to a prostitute he had taken an interest in.
Vincent had been treated for his illness including staying at a mental hospital a year before he cut
off a portion of his right ear (Charles 10). In 1889 suffering from fits of madness, van Gogh
voluntarily entered the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole where he stayed for a year and where
he created some of his masterpieces (Charles 267). Unfortunately, van Gogh never recovered
mental stability and committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot below the heart when he was
37 years of age.

4) What is the history of van Goghs country during his lifetime?

Van Gogh arrived in Paris in March 1886 only 7 months before the opening of the Statue of
Liberty which opened October 28, 1886 which was a gift from France to the United states and
was lead under the direction of the famous architect Gustave Eiffel which also directed the
construction of the Eiffel Tower whose construction began in 1887 also during van Goghs stay.
Unfortunately van Gogh left Paris in 1888 and was unable to see the opening which took place
March 31, 1889. Paris was able to provide a new world of art for van Gogh and opened his eyes
to several techniques which he was able to incorporate in, what are now, his most successful
pieces. To van Gogh Paris offered a time for reflection and a time for painting( Charles 78).
The self-portrait was the main subject of van Goghs work from 1886-1888(Charles 80).

5) What group is associated with Vincent van Gogh?

Van Gogh was a post-impressionist despite the fact he worked with several impressionists
during his stay in Paris. Regardless of the fact he did not decide to be an impressionists he was
highly inspired by them and was able to take away several techniques and theories from his
impressionist peers. Impressionism is a style or movement in painting originating in France in
the 1860s, characterized by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the moment,
especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and color(Meriam Webster). Aurier regarded
the painter as a Messiah who would regenerate the decrepitude of our art and perhaps of our
imbecile and industrialist society (Charles 10). Van Gogh is considered, among others, one of
the most influential post-impressionist artist of all time. Another reason why Vincent is highly
regarded is because he was able to make his own rules and set himself apart from the customs.
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His ability to master such a distinct style also set him apart and validated his rebellion. Van
Gogh writes in a letter to English artist/ peer In Antwerp I did not even know what the
impressionists were, now I have seen them and though not being one of the club yet I have much
admired certain impressionists pictures ( Charles 94).

6) What are the practices/ traditions of post impressionists?

Post- Impressionist artists are artists who were influenced by impressionism but rejected its
constraints and embarked on their own artistic styles which were more emotionally based than
impressionist work. They wanted to portray emotion and intellect as well as the visual imagery (
Reid par 1). Vincents mental instability influenced his work frequently which enabled him to
use colors to vividly depict emotions rejecting the norms of impressionism. Upon writing to an
English painter, and friend, van Gogh shares, I felt sure at the time that you are a thorough
colourist and since I saw the impressionists I assure you that neither your color nor mine as it is
developing itself, is exactly the same as their theories. But so much dare I say we have a good
chance (Charles 98).

7) Did van Gogh practice a religion, philosophy, belief system or other devotion?

After his first major rejection and heartbreak van Gogh grew very bitter and turned to
religion. Van Gogh became engrossed with the bible and sought interpretation of the passages
and used them to evangelize others. P.C. Gorlitz, roommate of van Gogh writes, his face was
ugly but as soon as he spoke about religion or art, and then he became excited, which was sure to
happen very soon, his eyes would sparkle and his features would make a deep impression on me;
it wasnt his own face any longer: it had become beautiful (Charles 40). Van Gogh felt that he
had finally done something to make his father proud in following in his footsteps of becoming a
minister but his father did not see van Gogh as a minister and wished for him to be a
businessman instead. Vincent could not take yet again another rejection and disappointment so
he grew resentful to his father for his lack of support and left home to pursue his aspiration to
become an evangelist. Van Gogh went to the poorest of the poor and became a missionary to the
coal miners in the Belgian Borinage. At the mines he preached and gave his food, clothes, and
home to the poor miners which upon his actions was given the nickname Christ of the Coal
Mines. He no longer felt any inducement to care for his own well-being- his heart had been
aroused by the sight of others wants. He preferred to go to the unfortunate, the wounded, the
sick, and always stayed with them a long time ; he was willing to make any sacrifice to relieve
their sufferings( Charles 48). Unfortunately he broke with the church since he believed it was
dominated by Christian conventions instead of a Christ-like love for mankind (Charles 46).

8) What impact did van Gogh have on the world?

Van Gogh greatly impacted the art world with his use of color and mark making as well as
being a major part of the commencement of the post-impressionist movement. Van Gogh
impacted the world through his beautiful pieces that were able to communicate emotions and
connect spiritually with people. Despite his mental instability van Gogh was able to use his talent
and create a new and unique style which paved the road for modern art. Oh well, with my
mental illness, I think (of) so many other artists suffering mentally, and tell myself that it doesnt
stop one from carrying on ones trade as a painter as if nothing had gone wrong(Charles 227).
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Vincents post-impressionist methods allowed him to view objects and depict them vividly like
had never been done before. Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I see before me, I
make more arbitrary use of color to express myself more forcefully( Vincent van Gogh: par 6)
Although Vincent van Gogh was not very famous while he lived the remarkable legacy he left
behind is something known and acknowledged by all.
9) Would I like to meet van Gogh?
If presented the opportunity I would like more than anything to meet van Gogh. Through
researching and being educated on van Gogh has opened my eyes and allowed me to be beyond
the ignorance in addressing him as the guy that cut off his ear(anyone who doesnt know
anything about van Gogh). Being able to read about his big heart and extremely kind personality
as well as his amazing talent made it that much harder to read about his death. Learning about
the depression and illness he dealt with throughout his life and being able to see the massive
legacy and impression he was able to leave makes him a true inspiration to me. I would love to
discuss with him all of his successes and failures and what he was able to take away from them
as well as have him explain the genius concepts behind some of his masterpieces.

Works Cited

Templeton Reid, LLC. Vincent van Gogh Paintings January 15 2013. Web.
March 17,2015 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/

30 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time - Inspiring Showcase Web.

March 15, 2015 http://webneel.com/webneel/blog/30-most-expensive-paintings-
all-time-inspiring-showcase

Vincent van Gogh TheArtStory.org. Web

March 17, 2015 http://www.theartstory.org/artist-van-gogh-vincent.htm

Vincent van Gogh Victoria Charles.

Parkstone Press International, 2011 Print.