Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt, and one of the greatest of the Post-impressionists. His influence on 19th and 20th century art inspired countless movements, artists and altered our perception of beauty, style, persona, and individuality. The legacy of his artworks and personal tale are an attribute of how art is now culturally depicted. Although, first we must examine Post-Impressionism independently.
Artists had many original ideas during van Gogh’s lifetime, though they could not be conveniently categorised. The term ‘Post-Impressionist’ denotes a few independent artists, like van Gogh who at the end of the 19th century rebelled against the limitations of traditional Impressionism. However, it does not account for an artistic style or formal movement. They expressed a range of individual styles which focused on the emotional, structural, symbolic and spiritual elements that they felt where missing from Impressionism. The work of these painters formed a basis for several art movements.
Van Gogh was an important artist in the late 19th century Symbolist movement. Symbolism emerged in France between 1885 and 1910 as a reaction against Realism and Impressionism. The symbolic value or meaning of an artwork came from the recreation of emotional experiences in the viewer through colour, line, and composition. The first works of van Gogh were produced through Colour Symbolism. He felt that certain colours had a symbolic meaning, as he associated them with different moods. Dark blue and black signified dread and fear, light and brighter tones, such as turquoise and yellow were used to create a sense of peace and calm. Van Gogh’s preferred colour was yellow; he strongly linked this colour with happiness and warmth. His Sunflowers (1888) painting evidently features many shades of yellow as it was painted during one of the most hopeful times of