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Birth & Early Childhood
Van Gogh was born into a religous Dutch Reformed Church family with five siblings in the south of the Netherlands. His father was a clergyman, and his mother was the daughter of a bookseller. In his childhood, van Gogh exhibited unstable moods, but no interest in in art making, but he was excellent in languages in his two boarding schools. Vincent (left) and Theo (right). -
The Goat Herd
This is is the earliest I could find of Vincent van Gogh's drawings. It was finished some time in 1862 while he was still very young. -
Leaving School & Working
When Vincent van Gogh was fifteen, he quit school and left for Paris in 1869. In Paris, he apprenticed at the headquarters of the international art dealers Goupil & Cie as the youngest clerk there. In 1873, he was transferred to the London office of Goupil & Ciel. It was around this time that he became depressed and turned to God. He kept his job with Goupil & Cie for almost a decade until he was let go an decided to live in southern Belgium as a preacher. -
Letters to Theo
In the picture is the first surviving letter that Vincent sent to Theo. From what has been found, they exchanged over 900 letters, starting in 1872 and continuing until 1890. Vincent also sent letters with drawings and ideas included. In the 1880s, Theo sent Vincent money to keep himself steady since he made almost no money making art. -
Transferred to The Hague
Goupil transferred him to London, where he lodged at 87 Hackford Road, Brixton, and worked at Messrs. Goupil & Co., 17 Southampton Street. -
The Boarding House in London
I don't know when he began this drawing, but he finished it sometime in 1873. -
Learning to Professionally Make Art
After van Gogh was let go from his job as a preacher for being too enthusiastic about his faith, he decided to become an artist and continue to be of service to God. For him, drawing was "the root of everything," and I think that's why he began his career in art with drawing. -
Moving Back in With His Parents
Van Gogh had to move back in with his parents, because he couldn't go on on his own anymore because he was too poor. -
Death of Theodorus van Gogh
On March 26th, 1885, Vincent's father died of a stroke which caused Vincent to feel pressured about having a successful career. -
The Potato Eaters
Van Gogh painted "The Potato Eaters" in April 1885 in Nuenen, Netherlands. This was one of his earliest oil paintings. -
Saint Paul Asylum
On May 8th, 1889, van Gogh admitted himself to Saint Paul Asylum in Saint-Remy, which is near Arles. Van Gogh worked on a group of paintings "The Wheat Field" that he could see from his cell at Saint-Paul Hospital. From the studio room he could see a field of wheat, enclosed by a wall. Beyond that were the mountains from Arles. During his stay at the asylum he made about twelve paintings of the view of the enclosed wheat field and distant mountains. -
Starry Night
Starry Night was painted in June of 1889 from the window of van Gogh's asylum room is Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. -
Van Gogh's Death
On July 29th, 1890, Vincent van Gogh died in his brother's arms at age 37. Theo died six months later in a dutch asylum, after suffering from his brother's death. I learned that van Gogh comitted suicided with a gun to his chest in a field, but I read that there is also a possibility that he was shot by someone else on accident in the field, according to a gunshot wounds expert.
