Spotlight on Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh|| Photo courtesy of entertainment.ezinemark.com

Vincent van Gogh’s work has always been intriguing to me. His use of colors and his technique will remain a unique one, in my opinion. I won’t bother digging into a Designer’s Handbook for the proper terminology for describing artwork, so I’ll just proceed with a profile on this renowned painter AND insomniac.

Yes, the late Vincent van Gogh was said to be an insomniac; but how about we backtrack a little bit? (Waay back… like, 19^th century back). Van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853 (Hey! That’s my best friend’s birthday; only… over a century earlier! Ok, now back to Van Gogh...)

He decided to become an artist between 1860 and 1880 and studied art in Belgium. He apparently suffered from malnutrition, excessive alcohol consumption and overwork. Overwork. Hmm… sounds familiar. As a college student, and senior at that, it seems as though “burning the midnight oil” and stress are quite common (for a majority of students). Van Gogh produced over 2,000 artworks in just over a decade which reveals quite a lot of dedication—but I wonder how much dedication was given while the moon was in the sky.

“The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh || Photo courtesy of VanGoghGallery.com

A collection of his letters, titles, “Van Gogh’s Letters,” reveals excerpts from Van Gogh to his brother, Theo van Gogh, and one from his parents to his brother, related to insomnia and being unable to sleep. Vincent Van Gogh had completed a painting very late in the night before and later on in the day was actually amazed at the work he, himself, had done. This is a good example of how creative we can be during the hours many individuals find unusual to be awake.

Unfortunately, Van Gogh’s mental and physical health were nowhere near perfect and on July 27, 1890 he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a revolver. Luckily, he survived this ordeal, but two days later, he succumbed to his injury and passed away. It is sad that a man of such talent would choose to end his life, but he left behind thousands of his creations for the world to admire many years later and even more years to come.

                                                

Sources:

1.      Vincent van Gogh: Biography. http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

2.      “Van Gogh’s Letters” http://www.webexhibits.org/