Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Vincent Van Gogh


My Hero is Vincent Van Gogh who is an artist.

He is representative of Post-Impressionism art.
In 1853, on March 30, he was born in Zundert, Southern Netherlands. After four years later, his brother Theodorus was born, and he had the other brother Cor, and three sisters. Van Gogh and Theodorus had a good lifelong friendship; moreover, Theodorus gave financial and emotional supporting to him.His father was a Protestant minister. Actually his name was his brothers’ name and his brother was died shortly after birth. Before he became an artist, he worked a curate, clerk and so on. He decided to paint pictures in 1880. Usually he drew poor and the people of the lower classes. In 1886, he went to Paris, and in 1888, he moved to France, Arles. After he met Paul Gaunguin who is an Impressionism artist, they lived together; however, they always had quarrel. After a big fight, they lived separately and Gogh cut his ear by himself. He got mental disorder, so he went into hospital. But he still drew. His mental problem was getting worse, so he killed himself on July 29, 1890 with gun.
During a period of his last life of ten years, he produced about 900 paintings and 1100 drawings and sketches. He was very poor and he was not success as an artist when he was alive. After his death, he became popular and he was acknowledging as an artist.

I admire him because he is a great artist and had many unbelievable works. Also, he is a creative person. He painted a lot of pictures in a very short period even though he had serious mental problem. For example, when he cut his part of left ear, he drew Self-Portrait with Bandaged Earwhich is very famous.

One of my favorite works of his painting is “Starry Night over the Rhone,” and there are my favorite sayings which are written by him.

“As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed.”

“Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.”

“Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.”

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process."

“If you hear a voice within you says "you cannot paint," then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”

1 comment:

Alexander Barnett said...

I enjoyed very much what you wrote about Vincent. It was direct and honest without being sentimental. If you'd like to read more about Vincent, check out my website, www.THEEYESOFVANGOGH.com