Vincent Van Gogh - Artist Biography

Vincent Van Gogh, considered by many to be one of the most influential artists of the last century, led a notoriously tumultuous life that is almost as well-known as his art. Born in poverty in the Netherlands, Van Gogh prints would go on to create a body of work that is unrivaled in scope and sheer inventiveness. Van Gogh's paintings are immediately recognizable, a testament to the originality of this truly unique human being.

Van Gogh: Struggle and Anonymity
Van Gogh wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he continued to struggle for most of his life. Supported early on by his sister, Van Gogh prints nonetheless developed a remarkable artistic talent that was both constrained and developed by his lackluster circumstances. Van Gogh's first paintings show hints of his later impressionistic style, but they are remarkable more for their drab color palette. As anyone familiar with Van Gogh's style knows, he was anything but drab later in life.

A wonderful contrast can be found when comparing Van Gogh's early works (which he painted in Holland) to those he made later in life when developing his art in the south of France. From "The Potato Eaters" (an early depiction of poor Dutch farmers) to "The Sunflowers" (representative of his later work), Van Gogh's style changed drastically when he moved to France. Inspired by the expanded palettes of both the southern French landscape and the artists making use of it, Van Gogh prints revolutionized his painting style.

Much is made of the struggles Van Gogh faced in his later years, and despite the fact that he led a difficult life and barely saw any financial return from his artwork, the artist was able to produce an astounding body of work. For one so tortured as Van Gogh to produce paintings that celebrated the beauty of life so well is truly remarkable. Take some time to browse the variety of high quality Van Gogh prints available on our website.

Van Gogh Quick Facts

Van Gogh shot himself in the chest, but did not die until two days later.

He did not become famous until after his death and only sold one painting when he was alive called "The Red Vineyard".

Van Gogh suffered from mental illness including hallucinations and schizophrenia which was responsible for him shooting himself.