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Essay on Van Gogh-Mental Illness Effects on His Art (From 1960s to 1975)
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt, and is included among the most notable Postimpressionist artists. His work, all created within a period of 10 years, had a profound influence on the modern art movement of Expressionism, the goal of which was to convey subjective emotions rather than merely an image. In 1888, van Gogh settled in Arles, where he produced more than 200 works in just more than a year. However he lived in poverty, selling none of his work, and suffered the effects of mental illness (Bower). Following a disagreement with friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin, van Gogh cut off part of his left ear. He later committed himself to an asylum in St-Remy, where he continued to work, creating the now-famous “Starry Night”. The artist ended his own life one year later.
Van Gogh's biochemical imbalance is definitely an intrinsic part of his being and likely a family predisposition. It's a component that would predictably and, at times, scarily and uncontrollably, excite, exhaust or flatten mood and energy levels and cognitive processing abilities. However, his essence was also forged by overall genetic predisposition, family dynamics, including being raised in a clerical family, and an upbringing that placed high value on the beauty and aesthetic appreciation of nature. And he was fortunate to have the financial and emotional backing of a brother with both an aesthetic sensibility and a capacity for resonating with a family predisposition for psychiatric instability (Ludwig, 10).
Clearly, he also had creative genius: a compelling need and ability to look behind and beyond the superficial, to capture, unmask and transform the obvious. He was driven to distill and achieve both a universal and an uncommon synthesis - an elegant simplicity - in his understanding and representation of humanity. Van Gogh was compelled to experiment with varying modes of seeing...
