Vincent Van Gogh's Influence On Art

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who influenced the art world in the twentieth century and how people view art today. Vincent’s first brother died as an infant and he always thought of himself as the “replacement child.” Being the oldest in the family, Vincent had to drop out of school to work and financially support his family. His younger brother Theo was a respected art dealer who financially supported Vincent when he realized his passion in art. Vincent Van Gogh was a painter who influenced the lives of many despite his mental illness, struggled to create his own “style” of art, and found his purpose through hard work and the support of his brother. Vincent Van Gogh was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, depression,
He studied eastern philosophy, Japanese prints, and impressionist painters to enhance the inner life of his art and soul. His observations were his true inspirations so he took note of the things and people around him. He also noticed that many of the new artists painted when the weather was good or the light was perfect; some only painted when they felt like it. But Vincent kept his solid work ethic, worked long hours, and had little patience for those who didn’t work as hard as him. He felt they didn’t have the passion for it like he did. He was a self-taught painter, therefore he often struggled on most days to paint. But when he did paint, his passions, beliefs, ambitions, and ideas would come to life. And when messed up, he saw it as an experience and opportunity to learn. “As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward,” he expressed. He saw art everywhere he went; in the people he loved, places he went, and refused to believe that his mental illness would stop him from his true passion and purpose in life. “This is my ambition, which is founded less on anger than on love, founded more on serenity than on passion. It is true that I am often in the greatest misery, but still there is within me a calm, pure harmony and music. In the poorest huts, in the dirtiest corner, I see drawings and pictures. And with irresistible force my mind is drawn towards
I really want to improve. But it’s precisely because I yearn for it that I’m afraid of remedies that are worse than the disease. Can you blame a sick person if he looks the doctor straight in the eye and prefers not to be treated wrongly or by a quack?” His family saw his life as an annoying and burdensome tragedy since he had no desire or lack of direction in life. Without the help of his family, Vincent found his true calling through hard work and determination. Vincent always concurred that “Work and love are two keys to a full life.” But sometimes, he felt that it wasn’t enough. He ended up selling only one painting throughout his life and that was to his brother. Kirk Douglas emphasized that, “The biggest spur to my interest in art came when I played Van Gogh in the biographical film Lust For Life. The role affected me deeply. I was haunted by this talented genius who took his own life, thinking he was a failure. How terrible to paint pictures and feel that no one wants them. How awful it would be to write music that no one wants to hear. Books that no one wants to read. And how would you like to be an actor with no part to play, and no audience to watch you. Poor Vincent—he wrestled with his soul in the wheat field of Auvers-sur-Oise, stacks of his unsold paintings collecting dust in his brother's house. It was all too much for him, and he pulled the trigger and ended it all. My heart ached for van Gogh the afternoon that I