The Life of Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands. He was one of the greatest Dutch painters of all time. He powerfully influenced the current of Expressionism in modern art.

His uncle was a partner in the international firm of picture dealers Goupil and Co., and in 1869 van Gogh went to work in the branch at The Hague. In 1873, he was sent to the London branch and fell madly in love with the daughter of the landlady. This was the first of several attempts to find happiness with a woman, and his passion affected him so badly that he was dismissed from his job. He returned to England in 1876 as an unpaid assistant at a school, and his expereince of urban squalor awakened a religious zeal and a longing to serve his fellow men. His father was a Protestant pastor, and van Gogh first trained for ministry, but he abandonded his studies in 1878 and went to work as a lay preacher among the impoverished miners of the grim Borinage district in Belguim.

Self-Portrait, Spring 1887, Oil on pasteboard, 42 ...

Poverty stands right in front of you

Van Gogh's Chair

In his zeal he gave away his own worldly goods to the poor and was dismissed for his literal interpretation of Christs' teachings suffering acute poverty and spiritual crisis, until 1880, when he found