The best Van Gogh paintings with titles and descriptions. The most beautiful paintings by Van Gogh Expressionism van Gogh paintings

Vincent Van Gogh - Dutch artist, one of the brightest representatives of post-impressionism. Worked hard and fruitfully: for ten seconds small years created such a number of works that none of the famous painters. He painted portraits and self-portraits, landscapes and still lifes, cypress trees, wheat fields and sunflowers.

The artist was born near the southern border of the Netherlands in the village of Grot-Zundert. This event in the family of Pastor Theodore van Gogh and his wife Anna Cornelia Carbentus occurred on March 30, 1853. In total, there were six children in the Van Gogh family. Younger brother Theo helped Vincent throughout his life and took an active part in his difficult fate.

In the family, Vincent was a difficult, disobedient child with some oddities, so he was often punished. Outside the house, on the contrary, he looked thoughtful, serious and quiet. He hardly played with children. His fellow villagers considered him a modest, sweet, friendly and compassionate child. At the age of 7 he was sent to a village school, a year later he was taken from there and taught at home, in the fall of 1864 the boy was taken to a boarding school in Zevenbergen.

Departure hurts the boy's soul and causes him a lot of suffering. In 1866 he was transferred to another boarding school. Vincent is good at languages, and here he also gains his first drawing skills. In 1868, in the middle school year he quits school and goes home. His education ends here. He remembers his childhood as something cold and gloomy.

Traditionally, generations of Van Goghs realized themselves in two areas of activity: painting paintings and church activities. Vincent will try himself both as a preacher and as a merchant, giving his all to the work. Having achieved certain successes, he abandons both, consecrating his life and his whole self to painting.

Carier start

In 1868, a fifteen-year-old boy entered the branch of the art company Gupil and Co. in The Hague. Behind Good work and his curiosity are directed to the London branch. During the two years that Vincent spent in London, he becomes a real businessman and connoisseur of engravings by English masters, quotes Dickens and Eliot, and a gloss appears in him. Van Gogh faced the prospect of a brilliant commission agent in the central branch of Goupil in Paris, where he was supposed to move.

In 1875, events occurred that changed his life. In a letter to Theo, he calls his condition “painful loneliness.” Researchers of the artist's biography suggest that the reason for this state is rejected love. It is not known exactly who the object of this love was. It's possible that this version wrong. A transfer to Paris did not help change the situation. He lost interest in Goupil and was fired.

Theology and missionary activity

In his search for himself, Vincent affirms his religious destiny. In 1877, he moved to his uncle Johannes in Amsterdam and prepared to enter the Faculty of Theology. He gets disappointed in his studies, quits classes and leaves. The desire to serve people leads him to a missionary school. In 1879, he received a position as a preacher in Wham in the south of Belgium.

He teaches the Law of God at the miners' center in Borinage, helps the families of miners, visits the sick, teaches children, reads sermons, and draws maps of Palestine to earn money. He himself lives in a miserable shack, eats water and bread, sleeps on the floor, physically torturing himself. In addition, it helps workers defend their rights.

Local authorities remove him from his post, as they do not accept vigorous activity and extremes. During this period, he painted a lot of miners, their wives and children.

Becoming an artist

To escape the depression associated with the events in Paturage, Van Gogh turned to painting. Brother Theo befriends him and he attends the Academy of Fine Arts. But after a year he dropped out of school and went to his parents, continuing to study on his own.

Falls in love again. This time to my cousin. His feelings do not find an answer, but he continues his courtship, which irritates his relatives, who asked him to leave. Due to a new shock, he abandons his personal life and leaves for The Hague to take up painting. Here he takes lessons from Anton Mauve, works a lot, observes city life, mainly in poor neighborhoods. Studying “Drawing Course” by Charles Bargue, copying lithographs. Masters mixing various techniques on canvas, achieving interesting color shades in the works.

Once again he tries to start a family with a pregnant street woman whom he meets on the street. A woman with children moves in with him and becomes a model for the artist. Because of this, he quarrels with relatives and friends. Vincent himself feels happy, but not for long. The difficult character of his cohabitant turned his life into a nightmare, and they separated.

The artist goes to the province of Drenthe in the north of the Netherlands, lives in a hut, which he equipped as a workshop, paints landscapes, peasants, scenes from their work and life. Early works Van Gogh, with reservations, but can be called realistic. The lack of academic education affected his drawings and inaccurate depictions of human figures.

From Drenthe he moves to his parents in Nuenen and draws a lot. Hundreds of drawings and paintings were created during this period. Along with his creativity, he paints with his students, reads a lot and takes music lessons. The themes of the works of the Dutch period are simple people and scenes, painted in an expressive manner with a predominance of a dark palette, gloomy and dull tones. The masterpieces of this period include the painting “The Potato Eaters” (1885), depicting a scene from the life of peasants.

Parisian period

After much thought, Vincent decides to live and create in Paris, where he moves at the end of February 1886. Here he meets his brother Theo, who rose to the rank of director art gallery. Artistic life The French capital of this period is in full swing.

A significant event is the Impressionist exhibition on Rue Lafitte. For the first time, Signac and Seurat, who led the post-impressionism movement, which marked the final stage of impressionism, are exhibiting there. Impressionism is a revolution in art that changed the approach to painting, displacing academic techniques and subjects. The first impression and pure colors are of paramount importance, and preference is given to plein air painting.

In Paris, Van Gogh's brother Theo takes care of him, settles him in his house, and introduces him to artists. In the studio of the traditionalist artist Fernand Cormon, he met Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard and Louis Anquetin. He is greatly impressed by the paintings of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. In Paris, he became addicted to absinthe and even painted a still life on this topic.

The Parisian period (1886-1888) turned out to be the most fruitful; the collection of his works was replenished with 230 canvases. It was a time of searching for technology, studying innovative trends modern painting. He is forming A New Look for painting. The realistic approach is being replaced in a new way, gravitating towards impressionism and post-impressionism, which is reflected in his still lifes with flowers and landscapes.

His brother introduces him to the most prominent representatives of this movement: Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and others. He often goes out plein air with his artist friends. His palette gradually brightens, becomes brighter, and over time turns into a riot of colors characteristic of his work recent years.

In Paris, Van Gogh communicates a lot, visiting the same places where his brothers go. In "Tambourine" he even starts a small affair with its owner Agostina Segatori, who once posed for Degas. From it he paints a portrait at a table in a cafe and several works in the nude style. Another meeting place was Papa Tanga's shop, where paints and other materials for artists were sold. Here, as in many other similar institutions, artists exhibited their works.

A group of Small Boulevards is being formed, which includes Van Gogh and his comrades, who have not reached such heights as the masters of the Grand Boulevards - more famous and recognized. The spirit of competition and tension that reigned in Parisian society at that time became unbearable for the impulsive and uncompromising artist. He gets into arguments, quarrels and decides to leave the capital.

Severed ear

In February 1888, he goes to Provence and becomes attached to it with all his soul. Theo sponsors his brother, sending him 250 francs a month. In gratitude, Vincent sends his paintings to his brother. He rents four rooms in a hotel, eats in a cafe, the owners of which become his friends and pose for pictures.

With the arrival of spring, the artist is captivated by the southern sun, blooming trees. He is delighted with the bright colors and transparency of the air. The ideas of impressionism are gradually disappearing, but loyalty to the light palette and plein air painting remains. The works predominate yellow, acquiring a special radiance coming from the depths.

To work at night in the open air, he attaches candles to his hat and sketchbook, illuminating his work in this way. workplace. This is exactly how his paintings were painted." Starlight Night over the Rhone" and "Night Cafe". An important event becomes the arrival of Paul Gauguin, whom Vincent repeatedly invited to Arles. An enthusiastic and fruitful life together ends in quarrel and breakup. Self-confident, pedantic Gauguin was the complete opposite of the disorganized and restless Van Gogh.

The epilogue to this story is the stormy showdown before Christmas 1888, when Vincent cut off his ear. Gauguin, afraid that they were going to attack him, hid in the hotel. Vincent wrapped his bloody earlobe in paper and sent it to their mutual friend, the prostitute Rachelle. His friend Roulen discovered him in a pool of blood. The wound heals quickly, but mental health brings him back to his hospital bed.

Death

The residents of Arles begin to fear a city dweller who is unlike them. In 1889, they wrote a petition demanding that they be rid of the “red-haired madman.” Vincent realizes the danger of his condition and voluntarily goes to the hospital of St. Paul of Mausoleum in Saint-Rémy. During treatment, he is allowed to pee outside under the supervision of medical staff. This is how his works with characteristic wavy lines and swirls appeared (“Starry Night”, “Road with Cypress Trees and a Star”, etc.).

In Saint-Rémy, periods of intense activity are followed by long breaks caused by depression. At the moment of one of the crises, he swallows paint. Despite the increasing exacerbations of the disease, brother Theo promotes his participation in the September Salon of Independents in Paris. In January 1890, Vincent exhibited “Red Vineyards in Arles” and sold them for four hundred francs, which is quite a decent amount. This was the only painting sold during his lifetime.

His joy was immeasurable. The artist did not stop working. His brother Theo is also inspired by the success of Vineyards. He supplies Vincent with paints, but he begins to eat them. In May 1890, the brother negotiated with the homeopathic therapist Dr. Gachet to treat Vincent in his clinic. The doctor himself is fond of drawing, so he happily takes on the artist’s treatment. Vincent is also attracted to Gasha and sees him as a kind-hearted and optimistic person.

A month later, Van Gogh was allowed to travel to Paris. His brother does not greet him very kindly. He has financial problems and his daughter is very sick. This technique unbalanced Vincent; he realizes that he is becoming, perhaps, and has always been a burden for his brother. Shocked, he returns to the clinic.

On July 27, as usual, he goes out into the open air, but returns not with sketches, but with a bullet in his chest. The bullet he fired from the pistol hit the rib and went away from the heart. The artist himself returned to the shelter and went to bed. Lying in bed, he calmly smoked his pipe. It seemed that the wound did not cause him pain.

Gachet summoned Theo by telegram. He immediately arrived and began to reassure his brother that they would help him, that he did not need to give in to despair. The response was the phrase: “Sadness will last forever.” The artist died on July 29, 1890 at half past one in the morning. He was buried in the town of Mary on July 30.

Many of his artist friends came to say goodbye to the artist. The walls of the room were hung with his latest paintings. Doctor Gachet wanted to make a speech, but he cried so much that he managed to utter only a few words, the essence of which boiled down to the fact that Vincent was a great artist and an honest man that art, which was above all for him, will repay him and perpetuate his name.

The artist's brother Theo Van Gogh died six months later. He did not forgive himself for the quarrel with his brother. His despair, which he shares with his mother, becomes unbearable, and he suffers from a nervous breakdown. This is what he wrote in a letter to his mother after his brother’s death:

“It is impossible to describe my grief, just as it is impossible to find consolation. This is a grief that will last and from which I will certainly never be freed as long as I live. The only thing that can be said is that he himself found the peace he was striving for... Life was such a heavy burden for him, but now, as often happens, everyone praises his talents... Oh, mom! He was so my, my own brother.”

And this last letter Vincent, written by him after a quarrel:

“It seems to me that since everyone is a little nervous and also too busy, there is no need to fully clarify all the relationships. I was a little surprised that you seemed to want to rush things. How can I help, or rather, what can I do to make you happy with this? One way or another, I mentally shake your hands tightly again and, in spite of everything, I was glad to see you all. Don't doubt it."

In 1914, Theo's remains were reburied by his widow next to Vincent's grave.

Personal life

One of the reasons for Van Gogh's mental illness could have been his failed personal life, he never found a life partner. The first attack of despair occurred after the refusal of the daughter of his housewife Ursula Loyer, in whom he for a long time was secretly in love. The proposal came unexpectedly, shocked the girl, and she rudely refused.

History repeated itself with widowed cousin Key Stricker Voe, but this time Vincent decides not to give up. The woman does not accept advances. On his third visit to his beloved’s relatives, he puts his hand into the flame of a candle, promising to hold it there until she gives her consent to become his wife. With this act, he finally convinced the girl’s father that he was dealing with a mentally ill person. They did not stand on ceremony with him anymore and simply escorted him out of the house.

Sexual dissatisfaction was reflected in his nervous state. Vincent begins to like prostitutes, especially those who are not very young and not very beautiful, whom he could raise. Soon he chooses a pregnant prostitute, who moves in with his 5-year-old daughter. After the birth of his son, Vincent becomes attached to the children and considers getting married.

The woman posed for the artist and lived with him for about a year. Because of her, he had to be treated for gonorrhea. The relationship deteriorated completely when the artist saw how cynical, cruel, sloppy and unbridled she was. After the separation, the lady indulged in her previous activities, and Van Gogh left The Hague.

In recent years, Vincent has been stalked by a 41-year-old woman named Margot Begemann. She was the artist's neighbor in Nuenen and really wanted to get married. Van Gogh, rather out of pity, agrees to marry her. The parents did not give consent to this marriage. Margot almost committed suicide, but Van Gogh saved her. In the subsequent period he has many promiscuous relationships, he visits brothels and is occasionally treated for sexually transmitted diseases.

Van Gogh Vincent ( Van Gogh Vincent), Dutch painter. In 1869-1876 he served as a commission agent for an art and trading company in The Hague, Brussels, London, Paris, and in 1876 he worked as a teacher in England. Van Gogh studied theology and in 1878–1879 was a preacher in the Borinage mining region in Belgium. Defending the interests of miners brought van Gogh into conflict with church authorities. In the 1880s, van Gogh turned to art, attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (1880–1881) and Antwerp (1885–1886).

Van Gogh used the advice of the painter A. Mauwe in The Hague and painted with enthusiasm ordinary people, peasants, artisans, prisoners. In a series of paintings and sketches from the mid-1880s (“Peasant Woman,” 1885, State Museum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo; “The Potato Eaters”, 1885, Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam), painted in a dark painterly palette, marked by a painfully acute perception of human suffering and feelings of depression, the artist recreates an oppressive atmosphere of psychological tension.

In 1886–1888 van Gogh lived in Paris, attended private art studio, studied impressionist painting, Japanese print, “synthetic” works by Paul Gauguin. During this period, van Gogh’s palette became light, earthy colors disappeared, pure blue, golden-yellow, red tones appeared, his characteristic dynamic, flowing brush stroke (“Bridge over the Seine”, 1887, “Papa Tanguy”, 1881). In 1888, van Gogh moved to Arles, where his originality was finally determined creative manner. Fiery artistic temperament, a painful impulse towards harmony, beauty and happiness and at the same time fear of forces hostile to man are embodied either in landscapes shining with sunny colors of the south (“Harvest. La Croe Valley”, 1888), or in ominous, reminiscent nightmare images (“Night Cafe”, 1888, private collection, New York). The dynamics of color and brushwork in Van Gogh’s paintings fills with spiritual life and movement not only nature and the people inhabiting it (“Red Vineyards in Arles”, 1888, Pushkin Museum, Moscow), but also inanimate objects (“Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles”, 1888) .

Van Gogh's intense work in recent years was accompanied by attacks mental illness, which led him to a mental hospital in Arles, then to Saint-Rémy (1889–1890) and to Auvers-sur-Oise (1890), where he committed suicide. The work of the last two years of the artist’s life is marked by ecstatic obsession, extremely heightened expression color combinations, sudden changes in mood - from frenzied despair and gloomy visionary (“Road with Cypresses and Stars”, 1890, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo) to a tremulous feeling of enlightenment and peace (“Landscape at Auvers after the rain”, 1890, Pushkin Museum, Moscow) .

“It is better to do nothing than to express yourself weakly.” Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh searched for a long time for something in which he could express himself to the fullest. He began painting at the age of 27. And he devoted himself to this business with all his passion. 10 years of working to the limit. He was straining himself. Shaking your physical and mental health.

But in this fire of self-immolation, he created one masterpiece after another.

True, no one took his efforts seriously. Many of his paintings were destroyed by those to whom he gave them. Even his own mother left dozens of her son’s paintings abandoned when she moved. They all disappeared without a trace.

And Van Gogh himself often sold them for pennies to a junk dealer. He resold them for reuse other artists.

Despite all these losses, 3,000 of his works have reached us. Of these, 800 are oil paintings! One every 1-2 days!

Here are just 5 of his paintings. I took the work of the last 2 years of his life. When he became the Van Gogh we know. It was during this period that most of his masterpieces were created.

1. Sunflowers. August 1888

August 1888. Van Gogh has been living in the south of France for several months now. In the city of Arles. He came here for bright colors. Here he created a series of paintings with “Sunflowers”.

The London version is one of the most widely circulated. We see it on bags, postcards or phone cases.

It is surprising that ordinary flowers have become almost a symbol of the entire world of painting. What is so unusual about them?

The pot and background are drawn very schematically. It’s not clear whether it’s a table, or the distant horizon and sand. Flowers are not beautiful. Some of them have torn petals. And the majority are completely mutating.

Note that they look more like asters than sunflowers. Such flowers are sterile and occasionally appear among healthy flowers. But they were the ones Van Gogh chose for the bouquet.

Maybe that’s why “Sunflowers” ​​evokes conflicting feelings among many? On the one hand, Van Gogh wanted to show the beauty of existence. He liked sunflowers because they bring benefits to humans. But he inadvertently chooses fruitless flowers.

This is very similar to the tragedy of the artist himself. He longed to be useful to others. But people's reactions to his paintings each time showed only one thing: his efforts were fruitless.

He never dared to dream that his paintings would delight millions of people.

You can compare the paintings in this series in the article.

2. Night cafe terrace. September 1888

Van Gogh painted not only flowers in Arles, but also the city itself. “Cafe Terrace at Night” is one such cityscape.

Anyone who has been to Arles will immediately notice how different the city in Van Gogh’s paintings is from the real city.

It was an industrial, dirty town. He had the truth ancient history. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 3rd century. In the center of the city there is a Roman amphitheater, very similar to the Colosseum.

It’s strange, but you won’t find this amphitheater in any of Van Gogh’s paintings. Although he captured almost every corner of Arles. And I passed by the main attraction of the city!

This very much characterizes Van Gogh. He looked past ordinary things. He saw the most unusual things. He saw the soul of flowers and stones. He noticed how the stars breathe. But he ignored the obvious.

He wrote the cafe three nights in a row. Right out in the open under the night sky. Have you ever seen an artist painting at night?

But this again is Van Gogh’s unusualness. He believed that the night is richer in colors than the day. And he was able to prove this “ridiculous” statement with his “ Night terrace”.

There's not a drop in the picture black paint. Thick brush strokes make the yellow and blue even more vibrant. These colors are accompanied by purple and orange reflections on the pavement. This is one of Van Gogh's most striking and positive works. Even though it's night before us!

3. Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe. January 1889

“Self-Portrait with a Pipe” was painted in the Arles hospital. Where did the artist end up after his legendary history with a cut off ear.

It all started with the arrival of Gauguin. Van Gogh wanted to create a school-workshop, seeing Gauguin as its leader. They began to live and work under the same roof.

Van Gogh was very impractical in everyday life. This irritated the neat and collected Gauguin. Van Gogh was too emotional, he argued until he was blue in the face. Gauguin was self-confident and did not tolerate anyone doubting his opinion. Can you imagine what it was like for such people to get along? I found a scythe on a stone.

When Van Gogh realized that they were not on the same path, he lost his mind. He attacked his friend with a razor. Gauguin stopped him with his menacing gaze.

Then Van Gogh directed the aggression towards himself, cutting off his earlobe. Such a gesture may seem very strange. If you don’t know one feature of Arles.

A bullfight took place in the already mentioned amphitheater. But it was more humane than in Spain. The defeated bull's ear was cut off. Van Gogh cut off his ear, considering himself a loser.

The story with Gauguin was only the last straw. Nervous system By that time, Van Gogh was already greatly weakened by the frantic rhythm of work and constant malnutrition.

He once worked for 4 days without sleep, drinking 23 cups of coffee during that time! Imagine what would happen to you after such abuse of your body.

And after the first nervous attack, Van Gogh creates his strange self-portrait. It is written in complementary colors. These are colors that enhance each other. Red becomes even redder next to green. No wonder these colors are used in traffic lights.

But this enhancement is painful for the eyes. The colors become too loud. But they convey the cacophony in the artist’s soul.

4. Starry night. June 1889

The story of the cut off ear greatly frightened Van Gogh's neighbors. They wrote a petition demanding that the “madman” be expelled from Arles. He submitted. And he voluntarily went to a mental hospital in the small town of Saint-Remy.

One of his most famous masterpieces, “Starry Night,” was written here.

This is one of the few works that he did NOT write from life. Van Gogh was not allowed out of the hospital at night. Only during the day, accompanied by a health worker.

Therefore, “Starry Night” was created in the imagination. Only from the window of his room Van Gogh saw a piece of the sky and stars. And at the same time, Venus, which that month was visible to the naked eye. The most bright Star in Vincent's sky is just the planet Venus.

Van Gogh believed that everything in our world has a soul. Both a flower and a stone. Even space breathes. This is what he conveyed in his “Starry Night”. He achieved this by using an unusual arrangement of strokes around each star and moon. The swirls also helped make the sky “alive.”

“Starry Night” is written in my favorite combination of yellow and blue. The attacks subsided. Van Gogh found hope that the disease had gone away. Soon he will leave the medical institution and move to another town of Auvers.

Also read about the painting in the article.

5. Blossoming almond branches. January 1890

Van Gogh painted the painting as a gift to his brother, who had a son. He was named after his uncle, Vincent. Van Gogh wanted his new parents to hang the painting above their bed. Almond blossoms mean the beginning of a new life.

The picture is very unusual. It's like lying under a tree and looking at the branches. Which spread out against the sky.

The picture is decorative. But Van Gogh strove for this in many of his works. He created them to decorate the homes of ordinary people with modest incomes. It is unlikely that he imagined that his paintings would be available only to the very rich.

Six months after writing “Almond Blossoms,” Van Gogh would die. By official version it was suicide.

The version of suicide was almost never disputed by anyone. After all, she made the legend of Van Gogh more dramatic. This only fueled interest in him, and prices for his paintings rose.

But here's what's strange. IN recent months His work was one more positive than the other. Does Almond Blossom sound like the work of someone contemplating suicide?

Moreover, in Auvers, where he moved, his loneliness receded. Here he found many friends. They began to take interest in his paintings. Rave reviews began to appear in the press.

The version of murder by negligence (put forward in 2011 by writers Nayfi and White-Smith) is currently being considered.

When Van Gogh returned wounded to his room, he did not have a pistol with him. His easel and the paints he was working with that day were also not found. At the same time, one of the residents urgently left the city, taking with him two teenage brothers. There was a pistol in this family.

Van Gogh was reluctant to answer police questions about what happened. He insisted that he did it himself. It was as if Van Gogh decided to take all the blame on himself so that the child would not go to prison.

Such self-sacrifice was quite in his spirit. This is what he once did when he was an assistant pastor. He gave his last shirt to the poor. He cared for typhoid patients without thinking about the risk of infection.

PS.

Van Gogh passed away at the age of genius. At 37 years old. Short life. Creative path even shorter. But during this time he managed to change the vector of development of all painting.

In contact with

Van Gogh's portraits occupy a prominent place in the history of world painting. A significant part of them was written in the 1880-1890s, that is, just at a time when the famous artist was going through a very contradictory period of creativity: on the one hand, these were decades of rapid growth, and on the other hand, he was experiencing a severe depression, which affected his writing style.

Traits of creativity

Van Gogh's portraits should be considered in the context of the main features of his development as an artist. His style is very controversial and is still the subject of serious debate. But the originality of his letter is undoubted. Many art historians agree that he was greatly influenced by the movement of impressionism. And in fact, the author himself, when painting his canvases, adhered to the principle of the need to depict, first of all, the inner world and complex psychological experiences. This determined the manner and style of his writing: some uneven lines, blurred colors, play with colors, lack of proportionality in the composition. This clearly shows the influence of the Impressionists.

Differences from the Impressionists

However, if the latter primarily paid attention to the emotional component, Van Gogh’s portraits are distinguished by depth and even some drama. In this respect, he is not at all like the Impressionists, who sought to capture only their fleeting impressions of what they saw, while Van Gogh sought to explore personality and its inner world. The artist himself considered one of his main creative principles to be the need to depict and reproduce the human soul, his essence and main character traits. Thus, Van Gogh’s portraits do not so much convey the impression of what they saw, but rather reveal the deep essence of the people depicted.

Features of portraits

The artist considered portraiture to be one of the main things in his work. The peculiarity of his work in this genre is that he predominantly chose very simple people as models and sought to convey their complex inner world. He also paid special attention to the depiction of human suffering and experiences. Therefore, his depictions of people are distinguished by extreme seriousness and even some drama.

Some works

Portraits of Van Gogh with descriptions are very important for understanding the worldview of this famous artist. For example, the painting “Portrait of Doctor Gachet” was painted in a rather melancholy spirit. The author conveyed the difficult state of his hero, who is in heavy thoughts, which is especially noticeable against the background of the contrast of the bright blue background with his dejected expression on his face. Van Gogh's works with the title especially expressively convey the idea of ​​their author. The painting “The Grieving Old Man” is a striking example of his work dedicated to human suffering. This topic, as mentioned above, occupied one of the main places in his work. In addition, the author attached special importance to the depiction of ordinary people. Thus, his painting “Peasant with a Pipe” especially truthfully conveys his psychology of a simple worker.

Female images also occupy important place in his portrait painting. For example, the painting “Arlesienne” depicts a light image of a woman on a beige background, which emphasizes her calm and peaceful state of mind. Particularly interesting is the painting “Portrait of a young girl against the backdrop of a grain field.” Among the above works this picture draws attention to the fact that the girl’s figure is depicted against the background of a landscape, which sets off her beautiful appearance, and most importantly, emphasizes the spiritual features of her face.

Self-portraits

In conclusion, a brief word should be said about the artist’s depiction of himself. He has a whole series of self-portraits that allow us to better trace the path of his development as a master. In addition to paintings without titles, it is necessary to mention such paintings as “Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear” and “Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat”. In these paintings the artist appears as a complex personality with a difficult fate. This is especially noticeable in his face and expression. Finally, the composition itself and the background were chosen by Van Gogh in such a way as to further emphasize his own psychology and inner world. The artist himself wrote that he sought to understand the depth of his experiences and therefore achieved special poignancy in the depiction of facial features. Van Gogh's portraits, photos with titles presented in this article, prove this.

Criticism and recognition

It is significant that the artist’s recognition came after his death. During his lifetime he was not immediately recognized and appreciated. However, some of his contemporaries recognized his talent and helped him in every possible way. However, most critics had a negative attitude towards the fact that he does not follow the rules of proportions, depicts his figures in an unusual way, and works too boldly with paints. But already in the 20th century, his canvases became recognized masterpieces and were sold for huge sums.

Biography of Vincent Van Gogh is shining example as talented person was not recognized during his lifetime. He was appreciated only after his death. This talented artist the post-impressionist was born on March 30, 1853 in the Netherlands in a small village, which was located near the border with Belgium. In addition to Vincent, his parents had six children, of which his younger brother Theo can be distinguished. He had a great influence on the fate of the famous artist.

Childhood and early years

As a child, Van Gogh was a difficult and “boring” child. This is how his relatives described him. With strangers, he was quiet, thoughtful, friendly and affable. At the age of seven, the boy was sent to a local village school, where he studied for only a year, then he was transferred to home schooling. After some time, he was sent to boarding school, where he felt unhappy. This affected him greatly. Then the future artist was transferred to college, where he studied foreign languages and drawing.

Attempt at writing. Beginning of an artist's career

At the age of 16, Vincent was placed in a branch of one large company, which was engaged in the sale of paintings. His uncle owned this company. The future artist worked very well, so he was transferred to. There he learned to understand and appreciate painting. Vincent attended exhibitions and art galleries. Because of his unhappy love, he began to work poorly and was transferred from one office to another. Around the age of 22, Vincent began to try his hand at painting. He was inspired by exhibitions at the Louvre and the Salon (Paris). Because of his new hobby, the artist began to work very poorly and was fired. He then worked as a teacher and assistant pastor. To choose from last profession influenced by his father, who also chose to serve God.

Gaining mastery and fame

At the age of 27, the artist, with the support of his brother Theo, moved to, where he entered the Academy of Arts. But, after a year, he decided to quit studying, because he believed that diligence, and not study, would help him become an artist. Your first famous paintings he painted in The Hague. There, for the first time, he mixed several techniques at once in one work:

• watercolor;
• feather;
• sepia.

Vivid examples of such paintings are “Backyards” and “Rooftops. View from van Gogh's studio." Then he had another unsuccessful attempt create a family. Because of this, Vincent leaves the city and settles in a separate hut, where he paints landscapes and working peasants. During that period, he painted such famous paintings as “Peasant Woman” and “Peasant and Peasant Woman Planting Potatoes.”

Interestingly, Van Gogh was unable to draw human figures correctly and smoothly, which is why in his paintings they have somewhat straight and angular lines. After some time, he moved in with Theo. There he again took up the study of painting in a local famous studio. Then he began to gain fame and participate in impressionist exhibitions.

Death of Van Gogh

Died great artist July 29, 1890 from loss of blood. The day before that day, he was wounded. Vincent shot himself in the chest with the revolver he carried with him to scare away birds. There is, however, another version of his death. Some historians believe he was shot by teenagers with whom he sometimes drank in bars.

Van Gogh paintings

To the list of the most famous works Van Gogh includes the following paintings: “Starry Night”; "Sunflowers"; "Irises"; "Wheat field with crows"; "Portrait of Doctor Gachet."

• There are several facts in Van Gogh's biography that historians still argue about. For example, it is believed that during his lifetime they bought only one of his paintings, “Red Vineyards in Arles.” But, despite this, it is absolutely indisputable that Van Gogh left behind a great legacy and made an invaluable contribution to art. He was not appreciated in the 19th century, but in the 20th and 21st centuries, Vincent's paintings are sold for millions of dollars.