Vincent Van Gogh Critique

Vincent Van Gogh was and still is, a well know artist, but did people really know him? Did they have any idea what was going on in his brain? From the looks of his final self-portrait, I think not. This painting was completed just months before his suicide, while he was living in Auvers, a hospital which treated paitents, like Van Gogh, for mental illnesses.

From my point of view, I feel that Van Gogh's intent was to show his strong emotions. He obviously wanted to show his strong effort of will during his reoccuring moments of insanity. The painting seems to express his dissatisfaction with his life, or perhaps where he is going in life.

His original intent is very easy to pinpoint. His facial expression tells all. The way his parched lips are pressed firmly together to form a slight frown, his furrowed brows and hypnotic eyes show that he could be in deep contemplation. Van Gogh's clothing looks unyielding and still like he is waiting for something. I also feel that the backround plays huge part in telling a story about his life. The white swirls could be his way of saying that he has many unsettled thoughts. They also suggest that he might feel like he is stuck in the middle of a tornado, where everything is in constant motion and he is the only thing standing still. He could feel like he is not accomplishing anything.

I strongly feel that his last self-portrait fully matches his original intent. Of course I know this, for a fact because we all know the outcome. Vincent ended his life with these last words: "I wish I could go home now" .

I do not like this piece of art work by Vincent Van Gogh, although I do appreciate and have some understanding of it. It is much too depressing for me to look at, I would much rather look at happy abstract paintings or artwork.