Vincent Van Gogh Essay

Vincent van Gogh was born second out of six children on March 30, 1853 to a clergyman, Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. During his childhood, Vincent displayed neither any indication of mental instability or inclination towards art making. Come 1869 he would become an apprentice for an art dealer firm Goupil & Cie at their headquarters in Paris. Eventually he would move to the branch in Hague where he would work for over a decade. At about this time his depression became apparent. Vincent would leave the firm to turn to God and become a clergyman like his father. It was not until 1880 when his decision was made to pursue both God’s service and art. He would hope “to try and understand the real significance of what the great artists, …show more content…
At the same time, his life was beginning to be a disaster and his works were not selling, which his brother Theo pointed out was because of how vastly different his dark color palette was compared to the, at the time, Impressionistic colors that were bright and bold. About a year later on March 26, 1885, his father expectantly passed away from a stroke. This only added pressure on Vincent to become successful in his life. Not long after, his work Potato Eaters was completed, marking his first large-scale successful piece (Vincent).
Enrolling in the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, he took inspiration from another artist, Paul Rubens. It is from his works that made van Gogh start to work with loose brushwork and swirling motions. However, Vincent would only stay at the academy for a year because of his dislike of the harsh atmosphere. Shortly after, moving to the art district in Paris and studied with Fernand Cormon who introduced him to the Impressionist artists such as Monet, Pissarro, Degas and Seurat. These artists combined with the pressure of his brother, finally convinced van Gogh to adapt a lighted color palette