The life of Vincent Van Gogh

A map of all the places the great painter lived in.

Zundert

Vincent Van Gogh was born in Zundert on March 30th 1853. He spent his early childhood years there, attending the local school.

Zevenbergen

Vincent attended boarding school there, as well as in Tilburg. He had a talent for languages, becoming fluent in English, French and German. He suddenly left school in 1968.

Tilburg

Vincent attended boarding school there, as well as in Zevenbergen. He had a talent for languages, becoming fluent in English, French and German. He suddenly left school in 1968.

Zundert

He returned home after dropping out of boarding school when he was 15.

The Hague

In 1869, at the age of 16, Vicent took up his first job, working as an assistant at Goupil & Cie, an international art dealer. Due to his language skills, he was also transferred to branches in London and Paris. After some years, he started losing interest in the art trade. He was fired in 1876.

England

After getting fired, he moved to England for a year, where he worked as a supply teacher and a minister's assistant.

Amsterdam

He then moved to Amsterdam in 1877 to prepare for university, studying for the theology entrance exam. In the end, he never actually took the exam.

Borinage

Because of his ever-growing passion for religion, in 1878, Vincent decided to go to the poor coal-mining district of Borinage in Wallonia, where he worked as a lay preacher among the miners.

Brussels

In 1880, after having been fired from his job as a preacher, he moved to Brussels intending on enrolling at the art academy, having been advised by his brother Theo to become an artist. Ultimately, he decided to study by himself.

Etten

In 1881, he went to live with his parents in Etten. During some weeks at the end of the year, he went to the Hague to take painting lessons from Anton Mauve. When he returned home, he had a conflict with his father, resulting in his departure the following year and return to the Hague for further art studies.

Drenthe

In 1883, he went to the province of Drenthe to paint the farmers and the landscape. He didn't stay there more than three months though.

Nuenen

Vincent then returned to his parents' home, this time in Nuenen, where he decided he wanted to paint every-day peasant life. His paintings were very dark, contrasting the Impressionist movement of the time. He left again in 1885, after he wasn't allowed to work with local models. He never returned to his native country ever again.

Antwerp

Leaving the Netherlands, he settled in Antwerp, where he could work with nude models, collect materials, including foreign ones, and study paintings in galleries. He enrolled at the School of Fine Arts in 1886, but he soon dropped out, frustrated by the traditional teaching methods.

Paris

His next destination was Paris, where he stayed with his brother. Theo introduced him to many Impressionist painters, which had a big impact on Vincent's painting style, namely the usage of lighter colours and looser brushstrokes.

Arles

In 1888, he travelled to Arles with the intention of establishing an artists' colony, in the "yellow house", which he rented. Only Paul Gauguin joined him though, but they got along well, painting together and having deep conversations. Things took a sharp turn for the worse, though. Vincent fell ill with psychotic episodes and he even cut a piece of his own ear off. Gauguin left for Paris, while he was admitted into the local hospital. When he was discharged, the episodes still kept happening.

Saint-Rémy

He then spent an entire year at the asylum of Saint-Rémy, where he painted about 150 paintings.

Auvers-sur-Oise

After he got out of the asylum, he left for Auvers-sur-Oise, where other artists were working at the time. There, he could relax and also visit Theo in nearby Paris. He produced nearly one painting per day. His concern over his brother's worries in combination with his mental state pushed Vincent over the limit, resulting in his suicide in July 1890.

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