Vincent Van Gogh

Born on March 30th in the year 1853 in Holland, Vincent Van Gogh was the son of a Protestant Minister. Before becoming known as one of the most unbelievable Dutch 19th century painters, Van Gogh sifted through several careers. He was an employee of art dealers, a language teacher, student of practical evangelism, and a missionary. Not settling on any of these careers, Van Gogh began to develop his art work in the traditional Dutch style in 1881. Moving to Paris in 1886 caused for Van Gogh to come across impressionism. Throughout Van Gogh's life, he had several unfortunate encounters mainly dealing with his love life and friendships. These included his absolute obsession with a French prostitute, to whom he sent his ear that he had dismembered. Another example was his chaotic relationship with fellow artist, Paul Gauguin. Later on, throughout his entire adult life, Van Gogh was frequently hospitalized due to severe mental illnesses. These, mainly being schizophrenia and manic depression, caused for Van Gogh's early death on July 29th, 1890. Many of his most famous pieces were produced in mental institutions in hospitals in Arles and Saint-Remy. After he was released, he went to Auvers where he eventually shot himself in the chest with a pistol and died two days later.

I, personally, chose this artist due to the fact that I adore his use of color and movement throughout his paintings with expressive brush strokes. As an impressionist, Van Gogh frequently used oil on canvas with which he created some of his best known works. Some these works include The Potato Eaters (1885), Starry Night (1889), and Irises (1889). Although Van Gogh did was only able to experience 10 years as an artist, he still left a huge impact on the art world. Vincent Van Gough is, and will remain, one of the best known artists this world has seen.