1. Vincent Van Gogh His Life and His Art Sunflowers Starry Night
A Presentation Created By Mrs. O’Loughlin, Oshkosh Area School District
Vincent Van Gogh
Click on the boxes below to learn about Vincent van Gogh
His Life and His Art
Sunflowers
Starry Night
Portraits
Links-Various
Link-Vincent’s Drawings
Self Portrait with Felt Hat Vincent van Gogh, 1888

2. Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853.
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Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853.

3. Some of Van Gogh’s first Drawings and Watercolor Paintings, 1880’s
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Some of Van Gogh’s first Drawings and Watercolor Paintings, 1880’s
When Vincent was 27 years old, he started to paint and draw.
He went to different art schools to learn everything he could about drawing and painting.
Drawing and painting was not easy for Vincent, but he always tried his best at whatever he did.

4. The Potato-Eaters, April, 1885
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The Potato-Eaters, April, 1885
This is one of his early paintings, The Potato Eaters.
The colors in Van Gogh’s early paintings are dark and sad.
In this painting, the family was so poor they had only a few potatoes to eat for dinner. They look tired and not very happy. He wanted everyone to know how hard the lives of the poor people were.

5. Vincent Van Gogh Moves to Paris
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Vincent Van Gogh Moves to Paris
In 1886 Vincent went to live with his brother Theo in Paris. Theo was an art dealer.
In Paris, Theo introduced Vincent to other painters: Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, and Camille Pissarro.
Portrait of Theo van Gogh
(Vincent van Gogh's brother),
Photograph by Ernest Ladrey, c. 1888
A key feature of van Gogh’s new life in Paris was his greatly extended social circle. His varying styles during the period were perhaps due in no small part to this sudden glut of influences. He became acquainted with Claude Monet and other Impressionists, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Camille Pissarro, and John Russell. His palette gradually lightens, and his sensitivity to color in the landscape intensifies.
Gauguin
Bernard
Pissarro
Monet
Toulouse-Lautrec

6. Vincent Van Gogh While in Paris Vincent changed his style of painting.
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Vincent Van Gogh
The Potato-Eaters, April, 1885
While in Paris Vincent changed his style of painting.
Instead of painting realistic paintings with dark muddy colors he started using bright colors with bold, thick brushstrokes.
After the personal failure of The Potato Eaters, Vincent decided he needed some professional training in art techniques. He enrolled later that year in an academy in Antwerp where he discovered the art of Peter Paul Rubens, and various Japanese artists. Both of these factors would greatly affect Van Gogh's style in art. By early 1886, he had moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo. Here Vincent was immersed in a centrifuge of modern art from the impressionist and post impressionists. Van Gogh quickly dropped the dark colors he had used to create The Potato Eaters after discovering the palette to be horrendously out of date. He adopted the brighter more vibrant colors with ease and began experimenting with the techniques he saw in the art of the impressionist and post impressionists. He soon began to research the styles found in the Japanese artwork he had discovered a year earlier. While in Paris, Vincent was acquainted with various other artists including: Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Emile Bernard. Vincent befriended Paul Gauguin and moved to Arles in 1888 hoping that his new friends would join him to create a school of art. Vincent was confident in his new and highly personal style and felt that he could attribute it to modern art with his outlandish new color combinations.
Olive Trees, 1889

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The Postman Roulin
We know a lot about how van Gogh felt, and why he did certain things, because he was always writing letters, especially to his brother Theo.
Theo always helped his brother. He encouraged him to paint and sent him money when he could.
Because van Gogh was always sending and receiving letters, he got to know his postman pretty well. He painted pictures of him and used the postman’s wife as a model in many of his paintings as well.
We know a lot about how Vincent felt, and why he did certain things, because he was always writing letters, especially to his brother Theo.
Because Vincent was always sending letters he got to know his postman pretty well. He painted many portraits of the postman and his family.

8. Sunflowers, August 1888, Arles
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In the late 1880’s, Vincent moved to a yellow house in a small town called Arles with artist Paul Gauguin.
Before Gauguin arrived, Vincent painted still-lifes of sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s room.
Paul Gauguin finally agreed to join Vincent in Arles. In anticipation of his arrival, van Gogh painted still-lifes of sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s room. The flowers represented the sun, the dominant feature of the Provencal summer; Gauguin described the paintings as “completely van Gogh.” February of 1888, Van Gogh decided to move to Arles in Southern France and begin what he called the Studio of the South. His plan for the studio was for it to be an artist colony where artists could work together and inspire each other. As an Art dealer, his brother Theo agreed to try to sell their work. Van Gogh rented four rooms in a building on the Place Lamartine in May. This building, known as the "Yellow House," was to be his Studio of the South. In order to help persuade Gauguin to move to the Studio of the South, Theo provided a 250 franc monthly Bonjour, Monsieur Gauguin...
Paul Gauguin allowance in exchange for one of Gauguin's paintings each month. Vincent began painting sunflowers to decorate Gauguin's bedroom. These sunflowers would later become one of his signature pieces.
During their time together in Arles Gauguin bought a bale of jute from which both artists used for their canvases. This coarse material caused them both to apply the paint more thickly and to use heavier brush strokes. Van Gogh and Gauguin also painted similar subjects in Arles such as landscapes and people in the village.
On December 23, 1888 Van Gogh, in a fit of insanity, pursued Gauguin with a knife and threatened him intensely. Later that day Van Gogh returned to their house and cut off a piece of his ear lobe then offered it to a prostitute as a gift. Gauguin swiftly left Arles for Paris.
The residents of Arles drew up a petition to have Van Gogh readmitted to the hospital from where he was transferred to a private clinic in Saint-Remy-de-Provence. Van Gogh and Gauguin continued to communicate by letter.
After parting ways neither artist could escape the other's influence. Gauguin's work began to have more religious themes after being influenced by Van Gogh's strong religious background. Gauguin also began using brighter colors, especially yellow, and thicker brush strokes like Van Gogh. Van Gogh began to use Gauguin's technique of painting from memory. This caused his paintings to become more decorative and less realistic.
Like other artists at that time, he was interested in Japanese prints and looked to them as inspiration for his bold use of colors and simple shapes.
Sunflowers, August 1888, Arles

9. The Bedroom at Arles, October 1888
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Furniture
Vincent was very poor so he only had the essentials. Of course there is a bed and there are also two chairs, in case someone comes to visit. In those days there were no bathrooms. So in order to wash he used a jug of water and a bowl on the bedside table. His towel is close by, hanging from a nail next to the mirror.
Paintings
Vincent spent all his time painting. For him it was unthinkable to live in a place without paintings, so he hung his own work on the walls. One the right-hand side there are two portraits of friends. On the back wall he has a landscape.
Van Gogh’s Style
The paint is very thick and the brushstrokes are laid on top of each other.
Vincent’s Bedroom
It’s a very tidy bedroom.
By painting this bedroom where everything is in its place, van Gogh is showing that he has now decided to take care of himself and to organize his life properly. Up until the point when he painted this, he had mainly lived in inns and hadn’t really settled down anywhere.
The colors are pretty.
The weather in Holland, where van Gogh was born, was not always good, so he came to Provence in search of sunshine. He probably loved having a bedroom so full of light and bursting with colors. You can’t see much through the window, but you can sense that there is a great deal of light.
There isn’t much furniture.
Vincent was very poor so he only had the essentials, and what he had was very plain, simple wooden furniture. Of course there is a bed, and there are also two chairs, in case someone comes to visit. In those days there were no bathrooms: to wash, he used a jug of water and a bowl on the bedside table, His towed is close by, hanging from a nail next to the mirror.
There are paintings on the walls.
Vincent spent all his time painting. It was the thing he most loved in the whole world. For him it was unthinkable to live in a place without paintings, so he hung his own work on the walls. One the right-hand side there are two portraits of friends and underneath those are drawings you can tell were done on paper. On the back wall he has a landscape . These represent all the different styles of his work.
There’s nothing to suggest it’s a painter’s bedroom.
There is not way of knowing that it’s an artist’s bedroom because his materials are not on display. None of his supplies have been left out, not even a stray box or paintbrush. Van Gogh used to work outside for many hours every day, (you can see his jackets and his straw hat at the end of the room), but this room is meant for relaxation. In here he could forget his work, make himself comfortable, and sleep peacefully. He wanted this painting to convey that idea of restfulness.
There aren’t many different colors.
Van Gogh tried to make his paintings as intense and as full of impact as possible so he chose only contrasting colors, such as blue and orange and green and red, which gave force to his painting. They were like a concentration of energy. He ignored any shadows that might have diminished the vibrancy of his paintings. The color of the frame was also intended to play a role: he wanted a completely white frame to counterbalance the liveliness of the picture.
It’s a very simple picture.
The objects shown are unexceptional and the colors, despite being bright, are flat, without any subtlety of tones. Van Gogh wanted his paintings to be easy to understand. The outlines of the objects are easy to follow-he generally used thick lines. But on the inside, things are far from simple: the paint is very thick and the brushstrokes are laid on top of each other. The furniture is also arranged strangely: both the doors are blocked, one by a chair and the other by the bed. It’s probably not that easy to live here.
We notice the bed first.
At the far end of the room the walls lean in toward one another quite steeply. This effect exaggerates the size of the room and makes the bed seem enormous and the floor seem to rise upward. If you imagine the room without the red blanket, everything seems to crumble and slide toward the floor. The triangle of red blanket seems to pin the surface of the painting in place. As long as it is there, everything stays in balance. The red color is warm and makes the blanket seem comforting. There is a sense of real tension in the painting: it almost seems like the bed could sink like a ship. For the moment however, it is still afloat.
Is it true that van Gogh was crazy?
He was anxious and psychologically fragile, and he suffered a great deal. During the time that he was alive, doctors didn’t know how to properly treat mental and emotional problems. But when he painted, he knew exactly what he wanted to do and why. In the hundreds of letters he wrote, particularly the ones addressed to his brother Theo, he gives a lucid commentary on his work. He was exceptionally sensitive and intelligent.
Van Gogh’s paintings are unlike anyone else’s.
They are brash and violent, in some ways like the artist himself. But van Gogh was also very cultured, and he appreciated traditional painting as well as the work of his contemporaries. Like other artists at that time, he was interested in Japanese prints and looked to them as inspiration for his bold use of colors and simple shapes.
Did people like his paintings?
People found them frightening, which is what you would feel if someone was yelling nonsense at you. But very few people actually saw van Gogh’s paintings. As he completed each painting, he sent them to his brother Theo in Paris. When he died in 1890, he had only ever sold one painting. He was in despair about this, but he never pandered to public tasted to try and make money. He never compromised his artistic vision.
How did van Gogh become so famous?
People only began to appreciated the impact of his work after he died. He was terribly lonely and finally committed suicide, penniless and still unknown to the world. Many people find the contrast between the sadness of his life and the exuberance of his art fascinating. His life story gives his art a dramatic, almost sacred dimension; our current feelings about him go beyond just the things that he painted.
Why don’t’ we see his signature?
This painting doesn’t have a signature. In the nineteenth century artists did usually sign their work, but van Gogh was such a perfectionist that he often thought of his paintings as simple studies and didn’t automatically sign everything. He didn’t thisnk his paintings were worth it. When he did sign his work he wrote his first name, which was more intimate that an ordinary signature, almost friendly. That’s why he’s often referred to as “Vincent” rather than “van Gogh.”
The Bedroom at Arles, October 1888

10. In 1889 Vincent was hospitalized in Saint-Rémy.
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In 1889 Vincent was hospitalized in Saint-Rémy.
He created 150 paintings during the year he stayed at Saint-Rémy. Including this painting…

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Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Looking at the stars always makes me dream.”
Instead of painting the sky exactly as it looks in real life, Van Gogh filled his picture with imagination and emotion. Everything in this scene expresses a feeling. Look into the swirling blue brush-strokes in the sky; the wind seems to be whirling with excitement. The bright starts look like fireworks bursting in the night. Below the dazzling sky, Van Gogh painted a calm, quite town. Full of movement Van Gogh’s painting is alive with energy!
One morning Vincent van Gogh woke up early before the sun had risen. He looked out his window in France. The sky was still dark except for a morning star shining brightly. Van Gogh one said, “Looking at the stars always makes me dream.” Inspired, he painted The Starry Night. Instead of painting the sky exactly as it looks in real life, van Gogh filled his picture with imagination and emotion.
Everything in this scene expresses a feeling. Look into the swirling blue brush-strokes in the sky. The wind seems to be whirling with excitement. The bright starts look like fireworks bursting in the night. Below the dazzling sky, van Gogh painted a calm, quite town. In the center, he added a peaceful church that he remembered from his homeland, Holland. Can you find the steeple? Can you find trees that reach upward like flames? Full of movement and energy, van Gogh’s painting is turbulent, hopeful, and alive!
What time of day or night is it? How can you tell?
Notice all the swirls. What do they tell you about the weather?
What feeling does the sky have? What about it seems exciting? What other works describe it?
Look at the place below. Where is this? What mood does this place have? Is it calm or active, quiet or loud? What other words would you use?
Travel to the background near the town. Notice those blue curving lines behind it. What could those be?
Look at the trees. How would you describe them? Find a church. What else do you see?
Look at all the lines and brushstrokes. Can you find curves and dashes and straight lines? What patterns do you see?
Notice the colors. How many different kinds of blues do you see? What mood do the colors create?
Think about the way the sky usually looks. What in van Gogh’s picture looks make-believe?
Starry Night Links…
Fly through Starry Night Animation
Starry Night Song and Slideshow of Vincent’s Paintings
(Please view content prior to classroom use)

12. Crows over the Wheat Field, July 1890
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Crows over the Wheat Field, July 1890
This may have been Vincent’s last painting.
On July 29th, 1890, Vincent died with brother Theo at his side.
When he died in 1890, he had only sold one painting during his lifetime. It is a fact though that he traded paintings for art supplies, and the dealers sold some of those paintings. He had no idea that he would become so famous, but after his death people began to appreciate his work. One of his paintings sold for $82.5 million. That's the most anyone has ever paid for a painting.
In early June, van Gogh visited Theo, who had a new baby and was thinking of going into business for himself. He warned Vincent that they would all have to tighten their belts. Van Gogh was deeply troubled. On July 27, 1890, van Gogh walked into this wheat field and shot himself in the chest. He staggered back to his room, where two days later, he died with Theo at his side. He was buried in Auvers the next day. His coffin was covered with yellow flowers and his easel and brushes were lying on the ground next to the casket.
His work ultimately had a profound influence on groundbreaking artists of the twentieth century.
Did people like his paintings?
People found them frightening, which is what you would feel if someone was yelling nonsense at you. But very few people actually saw van Gogh’s paintings. As he completed each painting, he sent them to his brother Theo in Paris. When he died in 1890, he had only ever sold one painting. He was in despair about this, but he never pandered to public tasted to try and make money. He never compromised his artistic vision.
How did van Gogh become so famous?
People only began to appreciated the impact of his work after he died. He was terribly lonely and finally committed suicide, penniless and still unknown to the world. Many people find the contrast between the sadness of his life and the exuberance of his art fascinating. His life story gives his art a dramatic, almost sacred dimension; our current feelings about him go beyond just the things that he painted

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Vincent Van Gogh
During his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh made over 800 oil paintings and even more drawings.

15. Vincent Van Gogh Vincent liked to paint scenes from nature.
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Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent liked to paint scenes from nature.
These paintings are pictures called landscapes. A landscape is a picture of the land and things found in nature such as trees, fields, hills, forests, water. etc.

16. This is one of Vincent’s most famous landscapes.
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This is one of Vincent’s most famous landscapes.
Do you recognize this painting?

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Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Looking at the stars always makes me dream.”
Instead of painting the sky exactly as it looks in real life, Van Gogh filled his picture with imagination and emotion. Everything in this scene expresses a feeling. Look into the swirling blue brush-strokes in the sky; the wind seems to be whirling with excitement. The bright starts look like fireworks bursting in the night. Below the dazzling sky, Van Gogh painted a calm, quite town. Full of movement Van Gogh’s painting is alive with energy!
One morning Vincent van Gogh woke up early before the sun had risen. He looked out his window in France. The sky was still dark except for a morning star shining brightly. Van Gogh one said, “Looking at the stars always makes me dream.” Inspired, he painted The Starry Night. Instead of painting the sky exactly as it looks in real life, van Gogh filled his picture with imagination and emotion.
Everything in this scene expresses a feeling. Look into the swirling blue brush-strokes in the sky. The wind seems to be whirling with excitement. The bright starts look like fireworks bursting in the night. Below the dazzling sky, van Gogh painted a calm, quite town. In the center, he added a peaceful church that he remembered from his homeland, Holland. Can you find the steeple? Can you find trees that reach upward like flames? Full of movement and energy, van Gogh’s painting is turbulent, hopeful, and alive!
What time of day or night is it? How can you tell?
Notice all the swirls. What do they tell you about the weather?
What feeling does the sky have? What about it seems exciting? What other works describe it?
Look at the place below. Where is this? What mood does this place have? Is it calm or active, quiet or loud? What other words would you use?
Travel to the background near the town. Notice those blue curving lines behind it. What could those be?
Look at the trees. How would you describe them? Find a church. What else do you see?
Look at all the lines and brushstrokes. Can you find curves and dashes and straight lines? What patterns do you see?
Notice the colors. How many different kinds of blues do you see? What mood do the colors create?
Think about the way the sky usually looks. What in van Gogh’s picture looks make-believe?
Starry Night Links…
Fly through Starry Night Animation
Starry Night Song and Slideshow of Vincent’s Paintings
(Please view content prior to classroom use)

18. Do you recognize this painting?
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Do you recognize this painting?

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Still-Life
Vincent Van Gogh painted many still-lifes during his lifetime.

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What is a Still-Life?
A still-life is a picture of objects that don't move. Often vases, bowls of fruit, bottles, etc. An artist sets up a still-life usually in their studio to do a 'study' of the objects. It may be a drawing or a painting.

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Sunflowers
Paul Gauguin finally agreed to join Vincent in Arles. In anticipation of his arrival, van Gogh painted still-lifes of sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s room. The flowers represented the sun, the dominant feature of the Provencal summer; Gauguin described the paintings as “completely van Gogh.”
The still-life paintings Vincent Van Gogh is most known for are his paintings of sunflowers.
Vincent made many paintings of sunflowers.

23. Take a Closer Look Sunflowers, August 1888
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Take a Closer Look
Paul Gauguin finally agreed to join Vincent in Arles. In anticipation of his arrival, van Gogh painted still-lifes of sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s room. The flowers represented the sun, the dominant feature of the Provencal summer; Gauguin described the paintings as “completely van Gogh.”
Sunflowers, August 1888

24. Camille and the Sunflowers
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Camille and the Sunflowers
Click Here to Read Camille and the Sunflowers

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Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous and one of the most tragic artists who every lived. Nothing ever seemed to go right for him and he wasn’t very happy.
He never smiled in his self-portraits.
Vincent van Gogh in 1866
Vincent van Gogh was one of the most tragic artists who every lived.
Nothing ever seemed to go right for him and he wasn’t very happy.
He never smiled in his self-portraits.
How old was he when he died? (37) Van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853 and died in France in France in Unlike most artist, van Gogh didn’t decide to become an artist until he was grown up.
He tried a lot of other things first. He worked in an art gallery selling paintings. He tried teaching. He worked in a bookstore. None of these things worked out for him. Driven by a desire to help people, he became a preacher like his dad. Working among poor miners, he took the teachings of Christ literally and gave away all of his possessions and lived like a pauper. The church did not approve of his lifestyle and dismissed him.
In 1880, Vincent decided he could be an artist and still be in god’s service.

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Self-Portrait
Vincent Van Gogh made many Self-Portraits during his lifetime.

28. What is a Self-Portrait?
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What is a Self-Portrait?
A self-portrait is a picture that you draw of yourself.

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More Self-Portraits

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Other Portraits
Van Gogh also made many Portraits of other people during his lifetime.
Pére Tanguy, Winter , Paris
Dr. Gachet was a homeopathic physician. Vincent’s doctor was also an amateur painter and friend of many Impressionists. The plant pictured here is foxglove (digitalis) which he used to treat Vincent.
Vincent describes the doctor as having “nervous troubles” of his own, “from which he certainly seems to be suffering at least as seriously as I.”
Portrait of Dr. Gachet, June 1890, Auvers
In Paris, Vincent meet Mr.Tanguy. Mr.Tanguy sold art supplies. He tried to help young artists like Vincent by trading materials for paintings.
Dr. Gachet was a homeopathic physician and Vincent’s doctor. He was also an amateur painter and friend of many Impressionists. The plant pictured here is foxglove which he used to treat Vincent.

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The Postman Roulin
We know a lot about how van Gogh felt, and why he did certain things, because he was always writing letters, especially to his brother Theo.
Theo always helped his brother. He encouraged him to paint and sent him money when he could.
Because van Gogh was always sending and receiving letters, he got to know his postman pretty well. He painted pictures of him and used the postman’s wife as a model in many of his paintings as well.
We know a lot about how Vincent felt, and why he did certain things, because he was always writing letters, especially to his brother Theo.
Because Vincent was always sending letters he got to know his postman pretty well. He painted many portraits of the postman and his family.

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33. Links www.spanisharts.com www.artnewsblog.com www.vangoghgallery.com
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Links
Starry Night Animation
Starry Night Song

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