Vincent van Gogh was born 1853, he died 1890.
In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Theo, the manager of Goupil’s gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissoro, Monet, and Gauguin and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists. His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later he was dead, having shot himself “for the good of all.” Van Gogh’s inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional.
