Articles | Understanding Van Gogh Paintings

Van Gogh paintings are widely-known because of the painter's history. Sometimes, you'd need to understand an artist to understand his works. For most people, Van Gogh's paintings wouldn't have made any sense at all. But for those who knew what he drew with, his drawings were remarkable and they considered him a master of his art. A song in 1971 has been dedicated to his life and his artworks, and revived the then sleeping interest of people all over the world for Vincent's paintings, sketches and all his works.

Understanding Van Gogh's Work thru His Life

Van Gogh, born Vincent Willem van Gogh, had art all his life. He sketched as a child, but did not consider painting until he was way past the age of 20. He worked at an art firm, but did not aspire to be like them until 1879. He actually wanted to be a pastor, and it was in a mission that he started to draw people he saw in the community. For a person who only became a painter for a few short years over a decade, Van Gogh could be one of the most prolific painters in history, with more than 2,000 known works of art.

Vincent van Gogh is a painter who died at quite a young age. At 37, some say that he died in his own hands by a gun. Some people liked the mystery and wished to say that he was killed. However, few people believe this as many would take into account his frustration over his mental instability. His life, mostly spent in anxiety, mental unstableness and self-pity ended quite abruptly, and after his death his paintings have become more popular. His paintings were known as vivid, colorful and full of life, and he was known as an impressionist. However, his first known painting, the Potato Eater, actually lacked the characteristics of an impressionist painting. Without the vivid colors, the Potato Eater showed just how much change van Gogh had changed in his painter's lifetime.

Understanding His Paintings

His most famous painting, the Starry Night, is indeed one of the most famous paintings in history, and Starry Night over the Rhone comes a close second. He was a painter known for his colors, which caught the eyes and interests of many people. He spent a part of his life in a clinic, and all his later years would be spent with physician, Dr. Paul Gachet. Van Gogh battled with insanity, and with difficulty as many presume, as he would have episodes of it when he would take it out on his painting, or rather with his unwillingness to paint. Now if you could imagine how beautiful his paintings were in his last remaining years considering the fact that he was mentally ill, you would seriously be thinking how van Gogh paintings would look if he were not sick. His paintings have been known in the world not just because they're well painted and crafted but because they are made with so much passion.