10 Interesting Facts about Vincent Van Gogh

If you’re a painter, you might have known one of these following facts about Vincent Van Gogh, since his paintings are worth priceless. Vincent Van Gogh was one of the best Dutch post-impressionist painters whose work, notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color, had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. One of the most famous Van Gogh’s paintings is “Joseph Roulin (The Postman)” which is also tagged more than a million dollar at price. Here are some other facts about him you may consider interesting.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 1: Birth

Vincent Van Gogh was born to Anna Cornelia Carbentus and Theodorus Van Gogh on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Holland. He was named after his grandfather and stillborn brother who died a year earlier than Van Gogh’s birth.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 2: Name

The name “Van Gogh” is pronounced differently in English and Dutch. In the United States his name has a silent “gh” — /van-goh/ which is the most common pronunciation. However, in Holland, the “v” in “van” is silent.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 3: Siblings

He had several siblings – a brother named Theodorus nicknamed Theo, another named Cor, and three sisters whose names were Elisabeth, Anna and Willemina.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 4: Paintings

Trained as a self-taught artist and also financially supported by his brother, Theo, it’s really amazing that Vincent Van Gogh was able to create a total of 2000 pieces of art. These include 900 paintings and 1100 sketches or pencil drawing.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 5: Formal Training

Vincent Van Gogh never had much formal training in art, however, he attended an art school for a few months in Antwerp, in 1885, which was four years before his death.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 6: 10-year Paintings

In a short period of ten years, Vincent Van Gogh created approximately 900 paintings. In only ten years, he created 900 paintings that are now known to be some of the greatest works of art ever created.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 7: Epileptic Seizure

During an epileptic seizure, Van Gogh attempted to attack his friend Paul Gauguin with an open razor. This ultimately resulted in the Vincent cutting off a piece of his own ear.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 8: Death

In 1890, Vincent van Gogh ended his battle with sanity and shot himself in a wheat field in Auvers, France, when he was only 37 years old, but did not die until two days later. His brother Theo, died six months after Vincent and is buried next to him in Auvers, France.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 9: Van Gogh’s Illnesses

More than one hundred and fifty psychiatrists have tried to diagnose the cause of Vincent Van Gogh’s illnesses and the diagnoses range from schizophrenia, porphyria, syphilis, bipolar disorder, and epilepsy.

Facts about Vincent Van Gogh 10: Fame

Theo’s wife collected Vincent’s paintings and letters after his death and dedicated herself to ensuring that his work received the recognition it deserved. After eleven years of death, Van Gogh’s work began to shoot to fame due to the diligence of Theo’s wife.

Those following facts about Vincent Van Gogh will definitely make you more admired about him. His works are ever-lasting and beautiful, even some of them were created while he was on an asylum. Anyway, hope you found these Vincent Van Gogh facts really interesting.