author
Vincent van Gogh
1853–1890
Best known today for paintings like Sunflowers and The Starry Night, he produced a startling amount of work in just over a decade and changed the course of modern art. His life was difficult and often unstable, but his letters and paintings reveal a deeply observant, searching mind.
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About the author
Born in the Netherlands in 1853, Vincent van Gogh tried several paths before deciding in 1880 to become an artist. He worked with intense focus, developing from dark, earthy scenes of peasant life into the bold color and expressive brushwork that made him one of the key figures of Post-Impressionism.
In only about ten years, he created around 2,100 artworks, including roughly 860 oil paintings. Many of his most famous works came in the last years of his life, especially during his time in Arles, Saint-Rémy, and Auvers-sur-Oise.
Van Gogh struggled with serious mental distress and died in France in 1890 at the age of 37. He was not widely celebrated during his lifetime, but his paintings, drawings, and letters later made him one of the most admired and recognizable artists in the world.