Paris
Art Studies - Vincent Van Gogh 1853 -1890
1853 – Born in presbytery of Groot
Zundert, Holland first of 6
children of Calvinist pastor Theodorus van Gogh and Ana Cornelia from the
Hague.
1864 – Sent to
boarding school studies French, English, German and drawing.
1868 – Sent home
with mediocre results.
1869 – His uncle
Vincent an art dealer gets him a position with the international art firm
Goupil & Cie in Paris where he diligently sells art reproductions.
1873 – Vincent’s younger brother Theo also joins
the Goupil firm in Brussels.
Vincent is sent to London branch of
firm. First deep disappointment in love after rejection by his landlady’s
daughter.
1875 – Hoping a
change will improve his spirits, his uncle sends him back to Paris firm. Reads
bible, visits galleries and museums is enthusiastic over Corot.
1876 – Fired by
new owners of the firm Boussod and Valadon. Finds job as assistant teacher in
small school in Ramsgate and later London. Begins teaching and preaching for a
Methodist pastor in Isleworth a working class suburb of London. Exhausted
physically and emotionally at Christmas he is persuaded to remain in Holland by
his parents.
1877 – Works in
bookshop in Dordrecht. Moves to Amsterdam to prepare entrance examinations to
the Faculty of Theology which he fails.
1878 – Studies
for 3 months in evangelical school in Brussels. He is considered however too
emotional and impulsive and is
sent away from his next school in Laeken where he begins his novitiate. Settles in poor mining town in the Borinage,
where he visits the sick and teaches children.
1879 – Given a
formal evangelical charge by his school he prefers to live in a hovel and sleep
on straw. His fervour in succouring the miners alarms the school which refuses
to re-new his contract. He remains in the district, reads fervently Michelet,
Hugo, Dickens, Shakespeare and draws the miners.
1880 – Re-news
correspondence with Theo and copies works by Millet and Jules Breton.
Moves to
Brussels to attend the Academy of Fine Arts. Admires Gavarni, Daumier and
Dupré.
1881 – Returns to
family home in Etten, continues to draw local figures and landscapes. Falls in
love with cousin Kate Vos-Stricker. He is again rejected. In the Hague receives
encouragement for his painting by Anton
Mauve prominent Dutch realist painter and a distant relative. On a visit to
Kate in Amsterdam he holds his hand over a burning flame to prove his ardour.
Violent dispute with his father over his increasingly Bohemian and irreligious
life-style. He leaves Etten.
1882 – Settles in
the Hague near Mauve. Borrows money from him and Theo. Meets Clasina Maria
Hoornik (Sien) a 30-year old pock-marked, pregnant and alcoholic
prostitute. Uses her as model and looks after her. Breaks with Mauve. Discovers
the novels of Zola. Is treated for
gonorrhoea in hospital.
1883 – At last
abandons the un-reformable Sien. Leaves for Drenthe in northern Netherlands.
Struck by hard life of local peasants, paints sombre landscapes. Tired of
solitude returns to family home in December now at Nuenen. Reads critical works
on art of Delacroix and Fromentin, interested in new theories linking music to
colour takes flute lessons.
1884 – Margo
Beggerman, 39 year old neighbour in Nuenen with whom Vincent had a sentimental
liaison survives suicide attempt. Executes six decorative paintings for
goldsmith in Eindhoven. Gives painting lessons in Eindhoven. Paints “Weavers”
series and head studies.
1885 – Father
Theodorus van Gogh dies of sudden stroke. Van Gogh is deeply affected.
Rumour accuses him of impregnating one of his peasant models. Catholic priest
forbids his parishioners to speak to him. Travels to Amsterdam where he studies
Rembrandt and Hals in Rijksmluseum. Moves to Antwerp where he studies Rubens
and discovers Japanese prints at the port. Paints “Potato Eaters”.
1886 – In January
he registers in Antwerp School of fine Arts. Impatient with conventional
teaching fails his examinations, is ill of under nourishment and excessive
smoking, is treated by local doctor whom he pays with portrait. In February
leaves for Paris on a whim hoping to matriculate in studio of Cormon. Moves
in with his brother Theo first on rue Laval, later in rue Lepic in
Montmartre and attends Cormon studio. Soon meets most of the new Paris artists
through his brother: Anquentin, John Russel, Toulouse-Lautrec as well as
the older generation: Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, Degas, Renoir, and the
Neo-Impressionists Seurat and Signac. Mother leaves Nuenen and
gives his old works to local brocanteur in Breda who burns many and
sells the rest for a few pennies. Meets and befriends Gauguin in the
winter. Serious nervous tension between 2 brothers.
1887 – Meets Emile Bernard at shop of colour
merchant Père Tanguy on the
rue Clauzel in Monmartre. They paint together in Asnières. Has brief love
affair with Agostina Segatori, a former model of Degas’ who had opened
an artistic café on bd de Clichy called the “Tambourine”. Toulouse Lautrec,
Bernard, Gauguin, Anquentin and Van Gogh organize exhibition in the café – they
call themselves “Groupe du petit boulevard”. In the summer adopts
Signac’s pointillist technique.
1888
20 February - Leaves
Paris for Arles in the south. Settles in Hotel-restaurant Carrel. Overwhelmed by precocious Spring paints
flower blossoms on trees, his ”Japon provençal”. Shows three paintings at Salon
des Indépendants in Paris.
May - Rents
little “yellow” house on place Lamartine from the M. and Madame Ginoux. He
hopes to turn in into centre for community of painters. Dines at the Café de la Gare also owned
by the Ginoux. Sends 26 paintings to Theo in Paris.
June – Travels to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer on
Mediterranean coast. In Arles meets lieutenant Millet of the Zouaves
corps to whom he gives drawing lessons.
July – Paints
frequently outside Arles in Monmajour. Inspired by Pierre Loti’s novel Madame
Crysanthème paints “Mousmé”.
August – Befriends
postman Joseph Roulin and his family. Using Millet sends 35 paintings to
Theo. Paints first major “Sunflower” compositions.
September – Paints
frequently outdoors at night placing candles in his hat and around canvas on
easel. Meets Belgian painter-poet Eugène Boch. Paints “Night Café and
“Starry Night”.
October – Gauguin
arrives on the 20th after being repeatedly pressed to come. They
now paint together.
December – They visit
the musée Fabre in Montpellier where they have violent dispute. On the 23rd
Vincent attacks Gauguin with a razor. Gauguin escapes and spends night in
hotel. Meanwhile Vincent cuts off portion of his left ear wraps it up in
newspaper and takes it to prostitute both painters knew. Police intervenes
and takes van Gogh to
hospital. Gauguin telegraphs Theo
and leaves Arles. Theo arrives immediately.
1889
January – Placed by his brother in the care of doctor
Felix Rey. Writes to Theo trying to re-assure him and adds affectionate
greetings to Gauguin. On the 7th returns home assisted by Roulin.
Immediately starts painting though suffering from insomnia. Paints 2 self
portraits with bandaged ear.
February – Hospitalised for hallucinations and insomnia.
Once crisis passes goes home to paint in daytime.
March – Mayor of Arles receives citizen’s petition to
intern van Gogh. Police brings him back to hospital.
April – Signac
comes down to visit, together they return to “yellow house” locked up by
police. Theo marries in the Netherlands Johanna Bonger. Van Gogh is
again painting regularly, sends 2 crates of works to Theo.
May - Commits himself voluntarily to
insane asylum of Saint Paul de Mausole, an old convent 20k outside of Saint-Rémy de
Provence where he will be looked after by the director Dr Peyron. Through
Theo’s insistence obtains two rooms, one of which he can use as a studio.
Frequent painting excursions to surrounding countryside.
June
– Paints cypress series..
July – Suffers
new nervous breakdown while painting in a field. Looses consciousness for
several days.
August - Resumes
work at new intense rhythm. Paints views from his window and copies after
Millet.
September – “Starry
Night” and “Irises” shown at Salon des Indépendants in Paris. More paintings
including “Sunflowers” are shown at 7th Salon des XX in Brussels.
November – Sends “Red
Vine” and 5 other works to 8th Salon des XX in Brussels.
December – Sends 3
painting packages to Theo. New crisis, tries swallowing his colours.
1890
January – At the Salon des XX in Brussels during banquet
Toulouse-Lautrec provokes painter Groux to duel (which will never take place)
after the latter’s disobliging remarks on van Gogh’s paintings. Art critic
Albert Aurier publishes enthusiastic article on Vincent’s works in the Mercure
de France. New but brief mental crisis at the end of the month. Birth
of Theo’s son named “Vincent” after his uncle who is also godfather.
February – resumes painting (“Almond Tree Branch”). “Red
Vine” is sold for 400 F in Brussels to Anna Boch, his friend’s Eugène’s sister.
New crisis, stops painting for a month. Exhibits at Salon des Indépendants.
March – Mayor of Arles receives citizen’s petition to
intern van Gogh. Police brings him back to hospital.
April – Signac
comes down to visit, together they return to “yellow house” locked up by
police. Theo marries in the Netherlands Johanna Bonger. Van Gogh is
again painting regularly, sends 2 crates of works to Theo.
May - On the 17th van Gogh leaves
for Paris. Spends 3 days with his brother and meets Johanna and the baby. On
the 20th leaves for Auvers-sur-Oise where he will eventually
settle in room above the Café de la place de la Mairie belonging to M and Mme
Ravoux. Theo has arranged for Auvers resident Dr Paul-Ferdinand Gachet,
art lover and important collector of Impressionist painting to look after
Vincent. They become quick friends. Van Gogh works with renewed enthusiasm and
produces more than 80 pictures.
July
– Van Gogh visits Paris where he meets Toulouse-Lautrec and Albert Aurier at
Theo’s. The atmosphere is tense. Theo is overwhelmed by financial and
professional concerns and worried over baby’s health. Vincent returns to Auvers
much shaken. Paints wheat fields under stormy skies. Expresses doubts as to
Doctor Gachet’s capacities, finding him even more nerve wracked than himself.
On the 27th shoots himself in the stomach while painting in a
field. Manages to walk back to his room and is discovered in the evening by the
landowners. Dr Gachet rushes to help and Theo arrives the next morning. Dies during the night on 29 July
after smoking his pipe in bed all day. Buried on the 30th in the
presence of Theo, Dr Gachet, Lucien Pissarrro, Emile Bernard and Père Tanguy.
1891 – Theo dies
of the results of a syphilitic condition in a hospital in Utrecht.
1914 – Theo’s
ashes are transferred to Auvers cemetery and buried next to Vincent’s grave.