Scary Van Gogh Facts That Will Drive You Mad Enough To Cut Off Your Ear

Even if you’re not a painting fan, the name “Vincent van Gogh” must mean something to you. The 19th-century Dutch painter is considered one of the most important and influential artists in history, with canonical works such as “The Starry Night,” “Sunflowers,” “Wheatfield with Crows,” “Bedroom in Arles,” and much more. You probably know his tragic story in general terms, such as the fact that in his life he was scorned, that he cut off his ear, and that he had a complicated life, to say the least, which ended in suicide.

In the following article, we will present you with some scary facts about Van Gogh that show his life story, and to a certain extent, some of his works seem like something out of a horror movie. We will address Van Gogh’s impact on art, culture, tourism, and more. We will reach an ultimate conclusion: The scary Van Gogh story makes the image of a tormented artist pouring his grief onto canvas so accurate.

Who Was Vincent Van Gogh?

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in a small Dutch town called Zundert, the eldest son of six brothers and sisters. At 12, the boy, described as “contemplative” and “serious,” was sent to boarding school.

Four years later, young Van Gogh began working with several family members – including his brother Theo van Gogh, to whom he was particularly close – as an art dealer. When he was sent to London and Paris in his 20s as part of his work, he discovered the religious world, which affected his performance at work and led him to get fired. He worked briefly as a teaching assistant and then, in 1877, began studying religion in Amsterdam.

The next stop in Van Gogh’s unstable life, at least financially during these years, was a job as a preacher – unqualified, by the way – in the poor mining region of Borinage in southwestern Belgium. He held the job for about six months and, at the same time, experimented with charcoal drawings for the first time. In 1882, he began to accompany the painters of the Hague School – a group of painters who worked in Hague in the years 1860-1890 – but did not receive formal training, partly because he opposed the sentimental approach to their paintings. For example, his further attempts to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, ended in expulsion.

During his short career, Van Gogh moved between the Low Countries in Europe, connecting mainly with gloomy figures and experimenting with painting, such as “The Potato Eaters,” his first important painting – a grim and somewhat claustrophobic work. These are the characteristics of the first part of his painting career, where he worked mainly in the Netherlands and tended to paint gloomy paintings.

Later, when he worked in the south of France, his work was much brighter and more optimistic. Either way, the paintings of Van Gogh were very complex, moving between styles and worlds of inspiration. He was, for example, greatly influenced by Japanese woodblock prints.

How Many Paintings Did Van Gogh Paint?

Van Gogh began painting formally at a relatively late age (27) and died at 37, meaning he worked for about 10 years. During his very short career, Van Gogh painted no fewer than 2,000 works of art, about half of which were paintings, and the rest were drawings (a large number of paintings began as scribbles as part of a letter) and other works.

Van Gogh had to deal with serious financial difficulties, partly explaining why he painted himself so often: he did not have the money to use models. He used to “recycle” paintings, that is, paint new paintings on top of existing works, and also used non-standard materials, such as tablecloths.

The most important question is how many paintings did Van Gogh sell in his lifetime and the answer is sad: apparently, only one (“The Red Vineyard”). The oil painting, which was first exhibited at the Brussels International Exhibition, was sold for a paltry 400 francs – equivalent to about $1,500 today – to a painter named Anna Bosch, who was the sister of another painter named Jean Bosch, one of Van Gogh’s few friends.

What Did Van Gogh Paint?

Van Gogh was not recognized during his career and relied mainly on the financial support of his brother. Today, of course, the picture is different. Van Gogh is one of the most important names in the history of art, without a doubt.

Among Van Gogh’s most famous paintings are:

“The Starry Night” is an oil painting from 1889 that depicts the night sky in an impressionist and post-impressionist style, using a technique that simulates a kind of “swirl of stars” movement. Practically speaking, it is a view he saw from the window of the mental hospital in Saint Rémy de Provence, France, where he stayed for one year due to depression.

“Sunflowers” – two series of still life paintings, Van Gogh made using the technique of oil on canvas. The series includes paintings of sunflowers on the ground (“Sunflowers of Paris”) and sunflowers in a vase (“Sunflowers of Arles”). The bottom line is that these paintings are pretty gloomy because they mainly show wilting flowers, symbolizing themes such as decay and death that preoccupied Van Gogh.

“Café Terrace at Night” is a famous oil painting from 1888, the “French” period in Van Gogh’s career, when he lived in Arles in Provence. The painting combined different styles, as you can notice, for example, in the difference between the lower and upper parts.

The Scary Side Of Van Gogh

Van Gogh was a very complex personality mentally, and this is a rather subtle statement. He saw himself as a failure, mainly because his art was not appreciated then. He suffered from loneliness and financial difficulties, which caused him mental instability and depression.

This deterioration began during the Parisian period of his career (until 1888), probably at the same time as his vision deteriorated. One can see evidence of this in his landscape paintings, especially his self-portraits, with distorted perspectives and the “fish-eye” effect. His paintings became compressed and squashed, with coarse tones expressing restlessness.

In 1888, he moved to the “Yellow House” in Arles. Although many consider this period very fruitful and successful in his career, his mental destruction continued. He switched mainly to landscape paintings, but his poor mental state soon caused him to return to portrait painting.

Why Did Van Gogh Cut Off His Ear?

Van Gogh’s ear amputation is perhaps the strangest and most shocking mystery about him. However, you won’t find many definite facts here, but more questions.

According to popular belief, Van Gogh cut off his ear on December 23, 1888, just before Christmas, following an argument that broke out between him and Paul Gauguin, who was at one time his creative partner and one of his only friends. However, the two did not get along, to say the least, and tended to fight, sometimes violently. During another loud argument, while apparently under the influence of alcohol, Van Gogh threatened Gauguin with a razor and, for some reason, injured his left ear. Legend has it that he went to a brothel and gave the severed ear to an escort girl named Rachel, with the ear rolled up in a newspaper. Van Gogh lost a lot of blood in the incident and arrived at the hospital a few days later, but claimed that he did not remember what happened to his ear.

Over the years, quite a few studies and theories have emerged to understand why Van Gogh cut off his ear because an answer like “he was crazy” is not enough. Some researchers claim that Van Gogh committed the terrible act after hearing that his brother was going to marry someone he loved, which would also cause the severance of ties with his brother Theo, who was the closest person to him. Others believe that he lost his mind following prolonged exposure to lead, a harmful substance.

There are, of course, also theories according to which the person who stabbed the ear was none other than Paul Gauguin, who did it with a sword at the pick of that argument. According to the theory, Van Gogh agreed to keep the act secret to protect Gauguin.

Why Did Van Gogh Kill Himself?

The incident with the ear was Vincent van Gogh’s most significant mental low point. On the one hand, he continued to create. “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” from 1889, in which he documented himself with a bandaged head, pale face, and a gloomy look, describes his mental state after that incident.

Shortly after cutting his ear, Van Gogh admitted himself to the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in France. During this period, he created some of his most famous paintings – including, as mentioned, “The Starry Night” – but his mental condition got even worse. He suffered from repeated bouts of depression, hallucinations, and psychosis, which peaked in 1890, the year of Van Gogh’s suicide.

It’s time to present you with another mystery, which has no complete solution to this day. The facts are that Van Gogh left the psychiatric institution then and began to be treated at Dr. Paul Gachet’s clinic near Paris, partly to be close to his brother. He lived in a village called Auber and suffered from different mental problems, including depression.

On July 27, 1890, when he was only 37 years old, he was shot in the chest while hiking in the fields but managed to reach the inn where he was staying with his remaining strength. However, the injury was so severe that it caused his death two days later. Brother Theo said that Van Gogh’s last words were, “The sadness will last forever” (initially: “La tristesse durera toujours”). About six months later, a heart attack claimed the broken Theo’s life, and they buried him next to his beloved brother.

In 2011, a pair of experts from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam published a study according to which Van Gogh did not commit suicide but was shot to death accidentally by two boys he knew and met in the field. One of their main arguments was the angle of penetration of the bullet into the body, which was diagonal (unlike most suicide cases, in which the bullet enters at a right angle).

The Connection Between Van Gogh And Alcohol Started A Long Age

Today, when we talk about alcohol in the context of Van Gogh, we mainly refer to the vodka brand that comes to us from the south of the Netherlands. Van Gogh vodka is very popular since it uses only natural ingredients (without extracts or coloring agents), has a unique distillation process, and has a wide variety of flavors. However, it is impossible to talk about alcoholic beverages in the context of the famous artist and ignore the fact that Van Gogh was probably addicted to alcohol or at least drank alcohol in excessive quantities. Yes, quantities that may explain his extreme behavior and precarious mental state.

Van Gogh is considered one of the well-known consumers of Absinthe, known as “the green fairy,” a distilled alcoholic beverage from the group of aniseed beverages. This drink has a high alcohol percentage and uses ingredients like plant extracts to obscure the taste. It is a drink with a high alcohol content by any standard, even compared to other distilled drinks.

Among its possible effects on a person are – you guessed it – hallucinations and loss of grip on reality. People once believed that Absinthe in large quantities could cause the drinker to see a yellowish hue around objects, the same hue that recurs in some of Van Gogh’s most important works.

Is this part of the story here that caused Van Gogh’s precarious mental state or the terrible deeds he did to himself? It is impossible to assess today, but it does not sound like science fiction.

Van Gogh’s Legacy Is Still Alive

In the case of painters, fame can come many years after death. We saw this in the case of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” or Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” which we wrote about a while ago, and we see it precisely with Van Gogh.

Today, his works are among the most famous in art history and, of course, the most expensive. About ten of his paintings are on the list of the most expensive paintings sold, such as “Sunflowers,” sold in 1987 for 24.75 million euros (in today’s money terms, this is almost three times as much).

Van Gogh’s “Portrait du Dr Gachet” is currently the most valuable painting ever sold, having sold in 1990 for 82.5 million euros – with the adjusted price being about twice as high. In total, Van Gogh’s works have sold for close to a billion dollars. Here you can read about the ten most expensive Van Gogh paintings.

Where Are Van Gogh Paintings Today?

If you want to see Van Gogh’s original works or at least impressive copies, you can find what you’re looking for in several museums and exhibitions.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam holds the most extensive collection of his works. The museum, which opened in 1973 in an impressive modern building designed by Gerrit Rietveld, attracts about 1.5-2 million visitors annually (except in exceptional years, such as the Covid-19 period). You will find over 200 paintings by Van Gogh, about 500 drawings, and 750 original letters. The leading exhibition chronologically references key stages in Van Gogh’s turbulent life. Among the leading works in the Van Gogh Museum, you will find “The Potato Eaters” (1885), “Bedroom in Arles” (1888), and one of the three versions of the “Sunflowers” paintings (1889).

Many of the world’s most important art museums house Van Gogh’s works, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where the masterpiece “Starry Night” stands out, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (where you will find “Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat,” “Portrait of Madame Ginoux” and others) and dozens of other galleries and museums across the globe.

In recent years, we have seen several successful traveling exhibitions of Van Gogh. Van Gogh Immersive Experience – that is, a vast and advanced exhibition based on video and sound, in which the works are projected around visitors in 360 degrees until they feel like they are inside the paintings – has been visited In about 50 cities around the world, attracting more than 10 million visitors.

Another Van Gogh exhibition was presented in many locations a few years earlier, with technological innovations such as paintings that come out of the frame and are projected in 360 degrees, sound and image effects, animation and 3D projections, VR glasses, and more.

Cinema Brings Van Gogh Back To Life

Like other vital painters, Vincent van Gogh became a cultural icon after his death. His character influenced pop culture, although, unfortunately, we do not yet know of a horror film that places him as the real villain.

Among the cultural references to Van Gogh are:

The biography “Lust for Life” was written in 1934 by American writer and biographer Irving Stone and was made into a film in 1956 in which Kirk Douglas played the tormented artist.

The film “Dreams” (1990) by the brilliant Japanese director Akira Kurosawa is based on his various dreams. One of the episodes in the movie is “The Crows,” in which no other than legendary American director Martin Scorsese played Van Gogh. The dream tells the story of an art student who enters one of Van Gogh’s works in a museum, meets Van Gogh, and tries to locate him in the paintings after the artist has fled.

Robert Altman’s film “Vincent and Theo” (1990) deals with the life of Van Gogh (this time played by Tim Roth) and the complex relationship with his brother.

A biographical drama film called “At Eternity’s Gate” (2019) – whose name is based on another famous oil painting of Van Gogh – by the excellent French painter and director Julian Schnabel (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), which focuses on his life and creative process.

The animated film “Loving Vincent” (2017), is considered the first film in history to consist entirely of oil paintings brought to life, following Van Gogh’s style. The film deals with the artist’s life, with a significant emphasis on the mental processes he went through and the circumstances of his death.

Not Only Paintings: The Catalog Of Van Gogh Products

It is not sure how pleased the artist was with this, but it is clear that he has become, at least to some extent, a consumer icon. We are referring to various products inspired by him, some of which, quite ironically, belong to the realms of pop culture, which contradicts the artistic culture from which Van Gogh himself came. And no, we will not be referring here to the very popular Van Gogh vodka drinks, whose name mainly expresses Van Gogh’s complex relationship with alcohol.

Among the Van Gogh products that we found in a quick search on the Internet are:

Van Gogh costumes

Van Gogh Lego sets, for example, the work “Starry Night” from the Lego Ideas series

Van Gogh Puzzels, based on his works (for example, “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers”). From basic and relatively simple puzzles for children to 1,000 or 1,500-piece puzzles aimed at an older audience

Vincent Van Gogh Funko Pop, from the “Funko Pop! Artists” series

Paintings in various sizes (like duh!)

T-shirts and other fashion items

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