And he never sold any, and died poor and alone. (Also, very depressed). Happened to a lot of postimpressionistic painters.
Read up on him, whilst he did have some major depression, not all of that is literally true. He was gaining recognition before his death for his paintings, and his brother was with him when he died.
Him and his brother were very close, but I guess the extreme amount of romanticizing of his life, tends to make people whitewash just how many friends he did have, e.g. him and his brother became close friends with Gaugain, and traded paintings - when he was
still alive. Gaugain was an influential figure in the art world - which just proves the idea that "nobody listened" just isn't true.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_GoghThere are actual references to him selling paintings, so it's a myth that he "never sold any". He is also mentioned as being praised with accolades by the art community in the years before his death.
In February 1890 he painted five versions of L'Arlésienne (Madame Ginoux), based on a charcoal sketch Gauguin had produced when Madame Ginoux sat for both artists at the beginning of November 1888.[124] The version intended for Madame Ginoux is lost. It was attempting to deliver this painting to Madame Ginoux in Arles that precipitated his February relapse.[125]
^ That was clearly a sale.
His work was praised by Albert Aurier in the Mercure de France in January 1890, when he was described as "a genius".[126] That February he was invited by Les XX, a society of avant-garde painters in Brussels, to participate in their annual exhibition. At the opening dinner, Les XX member Henry de Groux insulted van Gogh's work. Toulouse-Lautrec demanded satisfaction, while Signac declared he would continue to fight for van Gogh's honor if Lautrec should surrender. Later, while van Gogh's exhibit was on display with the Artistes Indépendants in Paris, Monet said that his work was the best in the show.[127] In February 1890, following the birth of his nephew Vincent Willem, he wrote in a letter to his mother, that with the new addition to the family, he "started right away to make a picture for him, to hang in their bedroom, branches of white almond blossom against a blue sky."[128]
^ This is 1 year before his death, not afterwards, and a number of very famous artists praised his work, including Monet and Lautrec. Plus, he was highly praised in art magazines. And he was clearly in close contact with his brother's family, in the time before his death. So he was not alone - he had family, and professional recognition.
There seems to be a theory that other people drove him to despair, etc, due to their not appreciating his artistic talent. But read up on his life - it was his behavior which drove his friends away and antagonized people. He was insane/sick, people around him didn't make him sick.
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Topic: Things that made you RRRRRRAAAAGGGGEEEE today: Trust-o-nomics Edition (Read 3751013 times)