Vincent van Gogh
Birth Year : 1853
Death Year : 1890
Country : Netherlands
Vincent van Gogh, (1853-1890) Born in Holland in the Netherlands, Vincent van Gogh was one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression.
The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional, lacked self-confidence and struggled with his identity and with direction. He believed that his true calling was to preach the gospel; however, it took years for him to discover his calling as an artist. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had already experienced two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium) where he was dismissed for overzealousness.
He painted over 800 canvases in his short life and only sold one painting; yet his ability to visualize light as a flowing stream of jetties using color made him an artist, even scientist, that proved he was a man ahead of his time.
A good introduction to Vincent van Gogh is found in the following video entitled 15 Things About Vincent Van Gogh. Watch the video and listen carefully. A short quiz of 12 questions will follow that you will submit.
Step into one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings and explore its details.
Step into Starry Night by clicking on the button below.
After you have completed the lessons above see if you can put this puzzle together of the painting Starry Night.
Amsterdam, Holland is home to the Van Gogh Museum. Click any of the red icons below to take you to the complete museum in a virtual stroll. When you are done leave a description below sharing your thoughts about the museum and the collection.