Vincent van Gogh was born in the Netherlands and moved through careers in art dealing, teaching, and missionary work before committing fully to painting in his late twenties. Largely self-directed, he studied drawing, perspective, and peasant life, initially producing dark-toned works such as The Potato Eaters. His correspondence with his brother Theo documents both artistic ambition and severe personal struggle.

After relocating to Paris and then Arles, van Gogh adopted vivid color, broken brushstrokes, and emotionally charged compositions influenced by Impressionism and Japanese prints. In a short period he produced many iconic paintings, including Sunflowers, The Bedroom, and Starry Night. Periods of psychological crisis and hospitalization affected his life but did not halt sustained creative experimentation.

Van Gogh sold almost no work during his lifetime and died in 1890 at age thirty-seven, yet his posthumous reception became extraordinary. Critics and artists saw in his paintings a new expressive language that helped shape Fauvism, Expressionism, and modern conceptions of artistic subjectivity. His legacy joins artistic innovation with a poignant history of vulnerability and perseverance.

1. 1853

   Born in Zundert

   Born in the Dutch province of North Brabant to a pastor's family.

2. 1885

   Paints The Potato Eaters

   Completed a major early work focused on peasant realism.

3. 1888

   Moves to Arles

   Entered his most productive period of color-intensive painting.

4. 1889

   Starry Night

   Painted one of art history's most recognized works while in care.

5. 1890

   Death at Auvers-sur-Oise

   Died months after intense final output; recognition grew rapidly afterward.