LOPEZ,+BERTHA+R

BERTHA LOPEZ
PERIOD 5 1/24/08

Table of Contents Page1..........Introduction Page2..........The early years of Vincent van gogh Page3..........How he became an Artist Page4..........Van gogh's first famous painting Page5...........His Jouny to become what he is known for Page6..........Understanding the mind of Van Gogh Page7..........His journy to the Insane asulyum Page8..........Vincent and Theodore Page9..........His Suicide Page10..........Conclusion

=Page 1=

Introduction
The life that Vincent had was hard he had many obsticals through out his life. He painted with all of his heart he was a great man and he is my favorite painter. He may not have sold many paintings but he was a great artist. He suffered and he still got farther than many other people and for that i admire him. Van Gogh life spand was 1853-1890. He commited suicide ate the age of 37. He was sent to an insane asylum very young. His carrier only lasted 10 years but those 10 years were great. He was almost always with his brother named theodore but they called his brother theo. A 19th-century painter, Van Gogh is almost as famous for his mental instability as for his vivid paintings. He had a hersh life but painting made his harsh life a little happier. His carrer as a painter coincided with frequent bouts of depression and anguish; in a famous 1888 incident he slashed off his left earlobe with a razor. He died to days after shooting him self with a pistol and that was when we sadly lost him. =Page2=

The early years of Vincent van gogh
Vincent Willem van gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Zundert,in the south of Netherlands, as the oldest son of Theodorus van gogh, a preacher and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. Four years later, in 1857, Vincent's favorite brother, Theodorus (Theo), was born. Vincent died July 29,1990 two days after he had shot himself in the chest. Unknow by there parents that this boy that was born would be tormented by severe mental instability for the majority of his life, die from his own hands, and ultimately change the outlook on art for the rest of history. His life was to become one of uncertainty and madness, involving largely his own need to find a niche and the undeniable love for art. Vincent's family consisted of his three sisters Elisabeth, Anna, Wil, two brothers Theo and Cor, and his mother and father. His earliest years were spent as a quiet child with little or no attention spent on art or artistic qualities. Other specifics about Van Gogh's childhood are not known. Van gogh started working at age16 after compliting his education. Van Gogh was employed by the Hague gallery, run by French art dealers Goupil et Cie. Later in 1873, Goupil transferred Vincent to London then again to Paris by 1875. He then decided to not to be a professional atr dealer and follow his fathers foot steps.Despite his weird behavior his parents agreed to pay for his education. After working with the miners for a period of time, Vincent's own urge to leave something of importance behind for mankind along with his brother Theo's consistent pressure, he became an artist. Without any proper training, or even having open artistic talent, Gogh doubted his abilities, and was supported in this doubt by his parents. However, Theo continued to push Vincent forward and supported him financially. The outcome would be the creation of a master of art, who evolved from his doubtful shell into a brilliant but besieged mind very rapidly. =Page3=

How he became an Artist
In June 1873, Vincent is moved to Goupil in London. Daily contact with works of art kindles his appreciation of paintings and drawings. Penniless, Vincent worked independently as an artist in Brussels, while his brother Theo supported him by sending him money. van Gogh later returned to the Hague to take painting lessons from his cousin Anton Mauve. His talents soon emerged, and in very little time, he had developed his own unique style.Van Gogh's bold use of color, and composition were first made evident in a series of paintings of the Hague, commissioned by his uncle Cornelis. van Gogh's fascination with the poor, and the working class were the subject of many of his early works, the first, a series he painted while Drenthe, in the northeastern Netherlands, followed by a series of 40 portraits he painted. Theo, who had been helping his brother survive lean months, was also helping him sell his paintings, albeit at a turtle's pace; this distressed Vincent, and led to conflicts between the two of them. Later, shortly after his father's passing, van Gogh finished his first masterwork, The Potato Eaters; he later left the Netherlands, and returned to Belgium, settling in the town of Antwerp. This was a wise move for van Gogh, who was able to find models, supplies, and ideas for his work. He later moved in with his brother in Montmartre, France, where he discovered the works of Monet and other French Impressionists, and met with Gauguin, and Henri deToulouse Lautrec, this would be the turning point in van Gogh's career, as he enrolled in the highly praised Fernand Cormon workshop where he learned to use light and color in novel ways. He enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp, but quit after two months due to the stifling atmosphere of the school, and their antiquated concepts. van Gogh had finally become the artist's artist. =Page4=

Van gogh's first famous painting
//The Potato Eaters//, completed in 1885 is considered by many to be Van Gogh's first great work of art. At the time of its creation, Van Gogh had only recently started painting and had not yet mastered the techniques that would later make him famous. This could attribute to the interesting look of the piece as well as the overall feeling produced from the painting. His goal was to paint human figures that did not appear to be awkward, but rather existing naturally. Portraying the figures in a dark room with light from an oil lamp, however, proved to be a bit too extreme for his newly acquired artistic skills.The outcome of all of these factors, in turn, made the painting more appreciated in the art community then if Van Gogh had succeeded in his original task. The painting that was completed consisted of 5 figures sitting around a square table eating potatoes; four of them are females and one male. Although the piece is laced in darkness, the mixed emotions residing in the faces of the occupants shine out brightly. These figures are so intense that one can nearly hear the conversations being spoken around the table. Perhaps this vibrancy layered with the darkness is what draws one closer to examine the smaller details of the painting. After completing various sketches and trial paintings of the piece, Van Gogh sent reversed lithograph prints to two art dealers of the time and one of his fellow colleagues, while still planning to create a final draft of the sketch in paint. Never the less //The Potato Eaters// failed to become the painting he had set his mind to. It was not successful in his life time, nor was it displayed in Salon as Gogh had requested. Today the piece has reached great heights in the artistic community as well as being considered his first masterpiece, which is what he had intended it to be. =Page5=

His Jouny to become what he is known for
A turning point in Vincent's life. Vincent abandons his religious pursuits and devotes himself exclusively to painting the miners and poverty-stricken weavers. Theo begins to financially support Vincent, a situation that would continue until the end of Vincent's life. Later in the year, Vincent undertakes some formal studies of anatomy and perspective at the Academy in Brussels. He spends time with the painter, Anton Mauve (1838-1888) who first introduces Vincent to watercolors.Vincent meets Clasina Maria Hoornik (known as Sien) and they move in together. Sien is a prostitute with a five year old daughter and is pregnant with another child.Upon his release Vincent begins to experiment with oils and spends much time painting nature as well as using Sien and her newborn child as models.After more than a year together, Vincent ends his relationship with Sien and pursues a life devoted exclusively to his work. He travels to Drente in northern Holland and paints the bleak landscape as well as the peasant workers. Later in the year, Vincent moves to Nuenen to stay with his parents. He sets up a small studio to work and continues to rely on Theo for support. After the death of his father in March, Vincent continues with his work and, in early spring, paints what many consider to be his first great work, **The Potato Eaters**. Vincent expands his experiments to include a greater variety of colours and becomes extremely interested in Japanese woodcuts. Throughout the year, Vincent continues his work in Paris. He frequents cafes with other painters and argues about art with Bernard and Gauguin. Over the course of the year, Vincent experiments with some different styles, including Japonaiseries and pointillism.Vincent continues to produce some of his best work and his mental and physical health improve drastically. Dr. Gachet feels that Vincent has made a complete recovery, and Vincent spends a great deal of time with Theo. After that he seems happy but the on july 27 he is foud shot close to a loge.He is taken to a doctor but he will certantly die.Theo climbs into bed with Vincent and cradles his head in his arms. Vincent says: "I wish I could pass away like this." Vincent dies early the next morning on 29 July. The funeral takes place shortly thereafter and his coffin is covered with dozens of sunflowers, which he loved so much. Theo never recovers from the death of his beloved brother and his health takes a turn for the worse. He dies on 25 July,1991 at Utrecht.Theo's body is exhumed and he is buried in a grave next to Vincent in Auvers-sur-Oise. =Page6=

Understanding the mind of Van Gogh
Van Gogh's birth came one year to the day after his mother gave birth to a first, stillborn child--also named Vincent. There has been much speculation about Vincent van Gogh suffering later psychological trauma as a result of being a "replacement child" and having a deceased brother with the same name and same birth date. Vincent spent three weeks in a hospital suffering from gonorrhoea. Vincent began to drink absinthe heavily and was treated for syphilis. Some bealived thathe was gay. Van Gogh suffered from seizures which doctors, including Dr. Felix Rey and Dr. Peyron, believed to be caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Van Gogh was born with a brain lesion that many doctors believe was aggravated by his prolonged use of absinthe causing his epileptic condition. Dr. Gachet, another of Van Gogh's physicians, was thought to have treated his epilepsy with digitalis. This prescription drug can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots. This may have been one of the reasons why Van Gogh loved this color. Because Van Gogh used lead based paints there are some who believe he suffered from lead poisoning from nibbling at paint chips. It was also noted by Dr. Peyron that during his attacks Van Gogh tried to poison himself by swallowing paint or drinking kerosene. One of the symptoms of lead poisoning is swelling of the retinas which can cause one to see light in circles like halos around objects. This can be seen in paintings like //The Starry Night.Hypergraphia is a condition causing one to need to write continuously; this disorder is commonly linked to mania and epilepsy. Some believe that the massive collection of over 800 letters Van Gogh wrote during his lifetime could be attributed to this condition.Because Van Gogh strived for realism in his paintings he was often painting outdoors especially during his times in the South of France. Some of his episodes of hostility and the nausea and "bad stomach" he refers to in his letters may have been the effects of sunstroke.// =Page7=

His journy to the Insane asulyum
Upon arrival at the asylum, Van Gogh was placed in the care of Dr. Théophile Zacharie Auguste Peyron (1827-95). After examining Vincent and reviewing the case, Dr. Peyron was convinced that his patient was suffering from a type of epilepsy--a diagnosis that remains among the most likely possibilities, even today. The asylum was by no means a "snake pit," but Van Gogh was disheartened by the cries of the other residents and the bad food. He found it depressing that the patients had nothing to do all day--no stimulation of any kind. Part of Van Gogh's treatment included "hydro-therapy", a frequent immersion in a large tub of water. While this "therapy" was certainly not cruel in any way, neither was it in the least beneficial in terms of helping to restore Vincent's mental health. As the weeks passed, Vincent's mental well-being remained stable and he was allowed to resume painting. The staff was encouraged by Van Gogh's progress (or, at least, at his not suffering any additional attacks) and in mid-June Van Gogh produced his best known work: Starry Night.Van Gogh's relatively tranquil state of mind didn't last, however, and he was incapacitated by another attack in mid-July. During this attack Vincent tried to ingest his own paints and for that reason he was confined and not given access to his materials. Although he recovered fairly quickly from the incident, Van Gogh was discouraged at being deprived of the one thing that gave him pleasure and distraction: his art. After another week, Dr. Peyron relented and agreed to allow Van Gogh to resume his painting. His resumption of work coincided with an improved mental state. Vincent sent Theo letters detailing his precarious state of health; while at the same time Theo had similar issues to deal with. Theo's health had often been delicate and he had been ill throughout much of early 1889.For two months Van Gogh was unable to leave his room and wrote to his sister: " . . . when I am in the fields I am overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness to such a horrible extent that I shy away from going out . . . ." (Letter W14) In the weeks to follow, however, Vincent would again overcome his anxieties and resume working. During this time Vincent began to plan for his eventual departure from the asylum at Saint-Rémy. He expressed these thoughts to Theo who began to make inquiries of possible alternatives for Vincent's medical care--this time much closer to Paris.Van Gogh's mental and physical health remained fairly stable throughout the remainder of 1889. Theo's health had recovered for the most part and, in the midst of preparing a home with his new wife, Theo was also assisting Octave Maus who was organizing an exhibition, Les XX, in Brussels in which six of Vincent's paintings would be displayed. Vincent seemed enthusiastic about the venture and remained quite productive throughout this time. The ongoing correspondence between Vincent and Theo worked out many of the details surrounding Vincent's showing within the exhibit.On 23 December 1889, a year to the day after the ear slashing incident, Vincent suffered another attack: an "aberration" as he called it (Letter 620). The attack was serious and lasted about a week, but Vincent recovered reasonably quickly and resumed painting--this time mainly copies of other artists' works, due to being confined inside, both because of his mental health and also because of the weather. Sadly, Van Gogh suffered more attacks throughout the early months of 1890. These attacks came more frequently and left Vincent more incapacitated than any of those previously. Ironically, during this time when Van Gogh was probably at his lowest and most mentally despondent state, his works were finally beginning to receive critical acclaim. News of this, however, only served to depress Vincent further and renewed his hopes to leave the asylum and return to the north.After making some inquiries, Theo felt that the best course of action would be for Vincent to return to Paris and then enter the care of Dr. Paul Gachet (1828-1909), a homeopathic therapist living in Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris. Vincent agreed with Theo's plans and wrapped up his affairs in Saint-Rémy. On 16 May 1890 Vincent van Gogh left the asylum and took an overnight train to Paris. =Page8=

Vincent and Theodore
Theodore was Vincent favorite brother they wrote letters to each other for eight years. Vincent was inspired to begin these studies as a result of financial help from his brother, Theo. Vincent and Theo had always been close as children and throughout most of their adult lives maintained an ongoing and poignantly revealing correspondence. It is these letters, in total more than 700 extant, which form most of our knowledge of Van Gogh's perceptions about his own life and works. When vicent died Theo was heart broken Theo died 6 months after Vincents fatal death Theodore always helped Van gogh financially mentally and artistically. Vincent van Gogh had written to his brother, Theo, throughout early 1886 in an effort to convince Theo that Paris was where he belonged. Theo was all too aware of his brother's somewhat abrasive personality and resisted. As always, Vincent was undeterred and simply arrived in Paris unannounced in early March. Theo had no choice but to take Vincent in. Vincent and Theo remained together for the last hours of Vincent's life. Theo was devoted to his brother, holding him and speaking with him in Dutch. Vincent seemed resigned to his fate and Theo later wrote: "He himself wanted to die; when I sat at his bedside and said that we would try to get him better and that we hoped that he would then be spared this kind of despair, he said 'La tristesse durera toujours' ('The sadness will last forever.') I understand what he wanted to say with those words." Theo, always his brother's greatest friend and supporter, was holding Vincent as he spoke his last words: "I wish I could pass away like this." =Page9=

His Suicide
During the next three weeks Vincent resumed his painting and, as his letters suggest, was reasonably happy. To his mother and sister Vincent wrote: "For the present I am feeling much calmer than last year, and really the restlessness in my head has greatly quieted down." (Letter 650) Vincent was absorbed in the fields and plains around Auvers and produced some brilliant landscapes throughout July. For Vincent life had appeared to settle into a productive and--if not happy--at least stable pattern. Although details chronicled within the various reports conflict, the basic facts of 27 July 1890 remain clear. On that Sunday evening Vincent van Gogh set out, with his easel and painting materials, into the fields. There he took out a revolver and shot himself in the chest. Vincent managed to stagger back to the Ravoux Inn where he collapsed in bed and was then discovered by Ravoux. Dr. Mazery, the local practitioner, was called, as was Dr. Gachet. It was decided not to attempt to remove the bullet in Vincent's chest and Gachet wrote an urgent letter to Theo. Unfortunately, Dr. Gachet didn't have Theo's home address and had to write to him care of the gallery where he worked. This didn't cause a serious delay, however, and Theo arrived the next afternoon. Vincent and Theo remained together for the last hours of Vincent's life. Theo was devoted to his brother, holding him and speaking with him in Dutch. Vincent seemed resigned to his fate and Theo later wrote: "He himself wanted to die; when I sat at his bedside and said that we would try to get him better and that we hoped that he would then be spared this kind of despair, he said 'La tristesse durera toujours' ('The sadness will last forever.') I understand what he wanted to say with those words." Theo, always his brother's greatest friend and supporter, was holding Vincent as he spoke his last words: "I wish I could pass away like this." Vincent van Gogh died at 1:30 am. on 29 July 1890. The Catholic church of Auvers refused to allow Vincent's burial in its cemetery because Vincent had committed suicide. The nearby township of Méry, however, agreed to allow the burial and the funeral was held on 30 July. Vincent's long time friend, the painter Emile Bernard, wrote about the funeral in detail to Gustave-Albert Aurier: =Conclusion= Vincent van gogh's life was hard he suffered alot. His brother Theo was always there for him and ther were always helping each other. Sadly Vincent had mental problems and other phisicsll sicknesess he died at a young age his brother was there until the last second of vincent's life. Vincent was born Vincent Willem van gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Zundert,in the south of Netherlands and died July 29,1990 two days after he had shot himself in the chest. He only lived for 35 years but those 35 years were great. A 19th-century painter, Van Gogh is almost as famous for his mental instability as for his vivid paintings. He had a hersh life but painting made his harsh life a little happier. His carrer as a painter coincided with frequent bouts of depression and anguish; in a famous 1888 incident he slashed off his left earlobe with a razor.He suffered and he still got farther than many other people and for that i admire him.He was sent to an insane asylum very young. His carrier only lasted 10 years but those 10 years were great. Theodore was Vincent favorite brother they wrote letters to each other for eight years. Vincent was inspired to begin these studies as a result of financial help from his brother, Theo. Vincent and Theo had always been close as children and throughout most of their adult lives maintained an ongoing and poignantly revealing correspondence. Vincent van Gogh died at 1:30 am. on 29 July 1890. The Catholic church of Auvers refused to allow Vincent's burial in its cemetery because Vincent had committed suicide. The nearby township of Méry, however, agreed to allow the burial and the funeral was held on 30 July. Vincent's long time friend, the painter Emile Bernard, wrote about the funeral in detail to Gustave-Albert Aurier:

=Citation's= stone, irving. __dear theo__. 1. united states of america: penguin group, 1995.
 * (stone all the book) ||