Vincent Van Gogh was a world-renowned Dutch artist who created over 2,000 artworks throughout his lifetime, his most famous being his oil painting titled “The Starry Night (1889.)” Although this is his most well-known work, the story behind this painting is not discussed as often. The painting depicts a view of the night sky from his room in the mental institution he stayed at in 1889 due to recurring problems with his mental health. Historians still don’t know what impaired the artist, but it is speculated that he suffered from depression, anxiety, or even psychosis. Whatever the case may be, his mental health adds further context and complexity to his art and is a significant part of Van Gogh’s story.
In 1888, Van Gogh painted still life portraits depicting the chairs of himself and his fellow artist and roommate, Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh preferred to paint from reality, basing his works on what he saw in front of him. However, Gauguin usually chose painting from his imagination rather than reality. These artistic preferences sparked many arguments between the pair and a fight over this subject even prompted Gauguin to threaten to move out. It was partially because of this that Van Gogh carried out the injury on his ear. Despite the underlying issues behind the paintings, this pair of works highlights their differences more civilly and subtly. “Gauguin’s Chair (1888)” featured books, a candle, and a lamp in the background to represent imagination and the dream world. However, “Van Gogh’s Chair (1888)” had a crate of onions in the background to depict nature and reality.
After the artist’s ear incident, Van Gogh went home to recover but his mental health slowly began to deteriorate yet again. Because of this, in 1889 he opted to check himself into Saint-Paul de Mausole psychiatric hospital, located in Saint-Rémy. Van Gogh continued to work during his hospitalization and it was here that “Garden of Asylum (1889)” was added to his portfolio. Van Gogh has many works from his time in the hospital, painting to soothe his nerves and cope with his illnesses. We do not know much about the nature of his episodes, only knowing that they seemingly tended to be violent according to the incident with Gauguin, and were debilitating artistically. When he could work, he particularly enjoyed observing his surroundings and capturing the scenery on the canvas, giving a glimpse of what life was like for him.
“Tree Roots (1890)” was Van Gogh’s last painting, believed to be painted just hours before his death in July of 1890. The painting depicts the roots of trees used for timber, which can be used throughout Auvers and its location has been confirmed in the last few years by historical photographs and postcards. During this time, Van Gogh lived in Auvers-sur-Oise, an artists’ village close to Paris, and rented a small room in the Auberge Ravoux, which is now a French landmark. Hours after his final painting, it is believed that Van Gogh traveled to a field near the town of Auvers and shot himself before returning to his room at the inn and passing away two days later with his brother Theo at his side.
Van Gogh’s life was a tragic one, struggling with mental health, financial, and familial issues up until his death. However, Van Gogh fought through his endeavors and left behind a legacy of beauty, creativity, and perseverance.
