He cut off his own ears due to insanity, and later in his life he was plagued by epilepsy, pulling the trigger in the golden wheat field, ending his life at the age of 37, he was the great Impressionist painter Van Gogh.
His greatest wish was to be able to make a living by painting, but sadly, his paintings were worthless during his lifetime, sold only one in his lifetime, and were very cheap, and after his death, his paintings became priceless.
Cousin of the neighbor's family
Born in 1853 to a family of Protestant priests in the Netherlands, Van Gogh began to learn to draw in his twenties, and from then on this hobby accompanied him throughout his life, becoming the most indispensable part of his life and the most important source of stimulation for his vitality, until the last few days of his life, he was still trying to paint.
Although Van Gogh is world-famous, almost everyone knows about him, and will also say one or two of his famous works, such as "Starry Night", "Sunflowers", etc., many places will see their imitations, but few people know him.
Fishing boat on the beach of Santes-Mariedra-May
Some people think that such a great man must have a genius brain, a prominent background and extraordinary experience, or have the strong support of the royal palace nobles, or he is simply a crazy person. In short, it is believed that his success will not be so simple, and his success is unattainable by ordinary people.
A sketch in Van Gogh's letter to his brother
If you lean on Van Gogh with these factors, it may be more appropriate to rely on "crazy people", because after all, he has made crazy behaviors and characteristics such as "cutting off his ears", "epileptic patients", "pulling the trigger to end his life in a golden wheat field".
Disappointingly, however, he is not a "crazy man" either. He is actually a simple, ordinary, pure and pure person who loves to paint. A perusal of hundreds of letters he had written to his brother Theo was evident. Here are a few words he said in his letter, and everyone will know how much he loves and devotes himself to painting.
Respectable women
"But only through hard work, as Gavarni said: you can't go a day without painting."
"Art requires desperate persistence and persistent observation. The so-called attachment is not only to practice what you preach, but also to insist on your own opinion when others are talking nonsense. ”
"The feelings that painting brings to people are infinite, and I can't describe them exactly. But I would like to say that the process of expressing emotions with painting is simply wonderful. The harmony and contrast of colors, some unknown aspects, they complement each other and are inseparable. ”
bumper harvest
These are only a very small part of Van Gogh's letter to his brother Theo expressing his love for painting, and in those hundreds of letters, he is always telling his excitement, joy, and enthusiasm for painting, as if the lover who is thinking of twilight has always stayed by his side. In this regard, Van Gogh was lucky.
If his short life can be summed up in two words, it is: painting. No matter when and where, in addition to eating and sleeping, it is painting. Even though he had been plagued by food and clothing problems, and could not even afford to buy paints and paints, he often asked his brother to help him buy paint and paint in his letters to his brother.
A painter's self-portrait
One would think that this is not crazy what is it? Forcing yourself to do one thing every day, ordinary people can do it. If someone has to understand it this way, it is okay, but note that he is not forcing himself, nor is he painting for utilitarian purposes such as food and clothing, money, fame, etc. These utilitarian things, for Van Gogh, are the end, not the book.
What is the root of Van Gogh's crazy love of painting? It should be a pair of eyes that find beauty, and if there is any genius in Van Gogh, it may be his super sensitivity to beauty.
The night café in Lamartine Square
Van Gogh was a subtle observer of life, whether it was for people or scenes, he could touch the profound beauty from it, and it was this strong sense of beauty that led him to pick up a paintbrush and express them to himself, to his brother, to the people of the world, and thus left behind this priceless wealth of civilization.
From Van Gogh's great life, three truths are glimpsed.
First, do not easily deny yourself, the great Van Gogh's works before his death are worthless, not only Van Gogh, Dostoevsky, Bach, Kafka, etc., many great works before his life are obscure and unloved. So when you are still groping in the dark, when you are not recognized by others, do not deny yourself, time will prove everything.
Second, success does not need so many complicated factors, focus, love, persistence is the most important, do not look left and right, covet a shortcut for a while, which will only make you reach a lower height.
The third is to be prepared for loneliness, loneliness is not so reckless, sad or shameful, sometimes staying lonely is a noble quality, a kind of self-purification, is a kind of redemption for yourself.
The wheat field under the storm, and my favorite one, Van Gogh ended his life in this golden wheat wave