Vincent Van Gogh
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Vincent Willem van Gogh
Born: 1853: Zundert, Netherlands
Died: 1890: Auvers-sur-Oise, France
If you’ve ever seen a painting with swirling skies, glowing stars, or giant yellow flowers that look like they might leave off the canvas, chances are you’ve met Vincent van Gogh.
He didn’t just paint what he saw, he painted what he felt. This is why his artwork looks so alive.
During his lifetime, Van Gogh was not a famous painter at all. In fact, he only sold one painting during his lifetime! Today, however, his works are worth millions, and people travel from all over the world to see them in museums.
So what makes them so special? Lets find out!
A Quick Look at His Life
Jobs before art: Van Gogh tried being an art dealer, teacher, and even a preacher. None of those stuck. Finally, at age 27, he decided: I’m going to be an artist.
Painting speed: Once he started, he couldn’t stop. He painted almost 900 paintings in just 10 years! That’s like one every four days.
Struggles: Van Gogh wrestled with sadness and mental illness, which made life hard. But he poured those feelings into his art, giving us some of the most emotional paintings ever created.
Fun fact: He was super close to his brother, Theo. They wrote hundreds of letters back and forth, and that’s how we know so much about Vincent today.
Van Gogh and His Struggles
Van Gogh struggled deeply with his mental health. He often felt very sad and lonely, and had moments where his mind wasn’t well. Some days, he was so full of energy he painted nonstop; other days, he felt like he couldn’t go on.
One of the most famous stories is when he had a fight with his friend, the painter Paul Gauguin. In the middle of all the stress, Van Gogh cut off part of his ear. Where it is said he wrapped it up, and gave it to a maid. After that he spent time in hospitals trying to heal his body and mind.
During these difficult times, he kept painting. Some of his most famous works, like The Starry Night-were created while he was in a hospital. For Van Gogh, painting was a way to release his feelings and bring a little light into dark days.
When Vincent died at the young age of 37, many believe it was because of his struggles with mental illness. But his story also shows us something hopeful: in the middle of hardship, beauty can still be created and touch hearts.
Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Paintings That Pop
The Starry Night (1889) – His most famous piece. Look at that wild, swirly sky—it almost feels like the stars are dancing. Van Gogh painted it while looking out of his window at a hospital in France.
Sunflowers (1888) – Bright, bold, and so yellow! Van Gogh loved painting sunflowers because they reminded him of happiness and friendship. (He wanted his house to feel cheerful when his friend Paul Gauguin came to visit.)
The Potato Eaters (1885) – Not as colorful, but really important. This painting shows a family of farmers eating their meal. Van Gogh wanted to show real life—hard work, rough hands, and simple food. It’s not pretty, but it’s powerful.
Why Van Gogh Was a Post-Impressionist
So what does it mean when people say Van Gogh was a Post-Impressionist painter? Let’s break it down.
Before Van Gogh came along, the Impressionists (like Monet and Renoir) were already changing art. Instead of painting perfect details, they painted quick, colorful “impressions” of how light and life looked in the moment—like rippling water or sunlight in a garden.
But Van Gogh and some other artists wanted to go even further. They thought: What if painting wasn’t just about what we see, but also about what we feel?
That’s where Post-Impressionism comes in. “Post” means “after,” so Post-Impressionists were the artists who came after Impressionism and pushed it in new directions.
Van Gogh’s Style: He used bold, often wild brushstrokes and bright, unusual colors to show his emotions.
Example: A night sky wasn’t just black with stars—it was swirling, electric, and alive.
Big Idea: Post-Impressionism wasn’t about copying reality. It was about using art to express inner feelings, moods, and even struggles.
That’s why Van Gogh’s paintings feel so powerful—you don’t just see them, you almost feel them. His work helped inspire even more modern art movements, like Expressionism, that focused on showing emotions through art.
Why He Matters
Van Gogh changed the way people thought about art. Before him, many artists tried to paint things exactly as they looked. Van Gogh decided he was going to forget about that and paint how it feels.
A night sky wasn’t just black—it was alive with energy.
Flowers weren’t just flowers—they were golden bursts of joy.
A simple chair could feel lonely, or welcoming, or sad, depending on how he painted it.
This idea—that art can show feelings—inspired generations of artists after him. Without Van Gogh, we might not have modern art as we know it!
Van Gogh once said, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” Even though he struggled and wasn’t famous while he was alive, he had the courage to paint the world in a brand-new way. Today, millions of people are grateful he did.
Next time you see a swirling star or bright yellow sunflower, you can smile and say, “that looks like a Van Gogh!
Van Gogh quotes:
On Art & Dreams: "I dream of painting and then I paint my dream".
On Nature: "If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere".
On Love & Humanity: "I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people".
On Emotion & Self: "I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove".
On Learning: "I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it".
On Passion: "I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process".
Teaching Tip for Homeschool
Want to bring Van Gogh to life for your kids? Here are some easy activities:
Starry Swirls: Give kids dark blue paper and let them swirl yellow and white paint for their own night sky.
Sunflower Vase: Put out crayons or markers in only yellows, oranges, and browns. Challenge them to draw a big, bold vase of flowers.
Feelings in Color: Ask, “If you were happy, what colors would you paint with? What about sad?” Let kids make their own “emotion painting.”
