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Vincent Van Gogh

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Vincent van Gogh began painting in 1879, and continued until his death in 1890. He died a premature death due to the decay of his mental stability, which led to a botched suicide attempt, causing his death two days later. He painted in the period of post-impressionism, during which he made 750 paintings, 1,600 drawings, nine lithographs, and one etching. Some of his most famous and most influential works include Starry Night, The Potato Eaters, and All-Night Café. Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March thirtieth of 1853 in the southern Netherlands. His father was a Protestant minister, a point that will show importance in his life later on. At the ripe age of sixteen, Vincent started an apprenticeship at an art dealership, Goupil & …show more content…

Its naturalistic and down-to-earth treatment of its subject matter, most commonly landscapes, has its roots in the French Realism of Camille Corot and others. Post-Impressionism is a period of art that was influenced by Impressionism, but the artists took their art in other directions. Van Gogh's early period includes all his work from 1879-1885. In this period he painted The Potato Eaters, which is commonly referred to as his first important picture. This is a period where van Gogh is trying to convey peasant life to the viewer, and he makes use of a very dark palette. He then studies at the academy in Antwerp where he is forced to draw from plaster casts and to adopt academic principles which will affect his later works. Next came the Paris period. There Vincent learned from virtually every major artist there. During this period he creates numerous self-portraits, still lifes, and cityscapes. Also during this period, his style shifted from the darker manner characteristic to a post-impressionist style heavily influenced by divisionism. Divisionism is where color is separated into dots or patches applied directly to the canvas. Then in February of 1888 began the Alres period. This is the period of his mature works and many of his most famous paintings. During this period he begins to suffer from attacks of dementia. Afterwards he is hospitalized. During this period he painted Starry Night.

Throughout his entire life, even at his

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