Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands. In his early years, Van Gogh was home-schooled by his mother and a governess. During the next 6 years he was sent to boarding schools where he felt abandoned and alone. His interest in art began at a young age though it did not approach the intensity of his later work.
In the years that followed, Vincent endured the emotional roller coaster of rejection in love, tumultuous relationships and impecuniosity. Art became his emotional escape from the vicissitudes of life, yet he continued to suffer depression and the deprivations of poverty. Out of this anguish, emerged a creativity that was manifest in art that spoke to the souls of many people. In a span of a few years, he created about 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings of landscapes, still lifes, and portraits resplendent in bold colors and dramatic, expressive brushwork. Van Gogh’s first exhibitions in the late 1880s, drew attention to his artistic creations and his reputation grew steadily, to the extent that in 1889, his work was praised by French president Marie François Sadi Carnot. But, Van Gogh’s art was not yet commercially viable, and Vincent continued to struggle with severe depression and poverty. On July 27, 1890, at age 37, Vincent Van Gogh is believed to have shot himself in the chest, dying 30 hours later. According to Theo, his younger brother, Vincent’s last words were: “The sadness will last forever”
