VANGOGH,VINCENT(1853-1890)

WhowasVincentVanGogh?

VincentvanGoghwasbornonMarch30,1853inZundert,atowninthesouthernNetherlands.VanGoghdiedathisownhandinFranceattheageof37.ThesonofaProtestantpastor,hewastheeldestofsixchildrenand,byallaccounts,hadanormal,happychildhood.VanGoghcamefromanupstandingfamilyofclergymen,art-dealers,andmilitaryofficers,andhisparentswishedforhimtofollowinthistradition.Asachild,hewasaninsatiablereader,withwide-ranginginterests,includingreligion.Althoughhismotherwasatalentedartist,vanGoghdidnotpursueartinhisearlylife.Hewasespeciallyclosetohisyoungerbrother,Theodore(Theo),hismoststaunchsupporter.

In1873,atage20,vanGoghtraveledtoLondon,fellinlovewithanEnglishgirlbywhomhewasrejected.Saddenedanddisillusioned,heresignedhimselftoasolitarylifeasalanguageteacherandalaypreacherinEngland.From1879to1880,vanGoghdidmissionaryworkinsouthwesternBelgium.Hehaddeepsympathyforthepoorandunfortunate.Hegaveawayallofhispossessionsandfellintodespairandpoverty.Inhissolitude,vanGoghbegantodraw.Healsounderwentaspiritualawakeninganddecidedthathismissioninlifewastoconsolehumanitythroughart.

VanGoghmovedtoParis,wherehisbrotherTheoworkedasanart-dealer.Theointroducedhimtomanyofthepopularpaintersofthetime,includingPaulGaugin,CamillePissarro,andGeorgesSeurat.In1888hesettledinArlesinProvence,wherehepaintedhisfamousseriesofSunflowers.HeinvitedGaugintolivewithhim,buttherelationshipsufferedbecauseofextremeconflictandpersonalitydifferences.Gauginleftshortlythereafter.Inextremedespair,attheageof35,onChristmasEveof1888,VanGoghcutoffapartofhisleftear.Mentallyill,hewastreatedatthehospitalinArlesshortlyafterthisevent.HewasthencommittedtotheasyluminSt.Remy,wherehewasundermedicalsupervisionfor12months.Hecontinuedtopaintwhileintheasylum.

VincentvanGoghshothimselfonJuly27,1890.HediedtwodayslaterwithhisbrotherTheopresent.(Theodiedonlysixmonthslater).Althoughhesoldonlyonepaintingduringhislife,vanGoghisnowconsideredoneofthegreatestDutchpainterssinceRembrandt.Hisfamewasprobablyenhancedbyhiswell-documentedmentaldifficulties.

ThewholeofvanGogh’simpressiveportfoliowascompletedin10yearsThisincludedapproximately800oilpaintingsand700drawings.Hisworkinglifecanbebrokenintotwoperiods.Manyapprenticeships,failuresandchangesindirectioncharacterizethefirstperiod,from1873to1885.Thesecondperiod,from1886to1890,isaperiodofdedication,rapiddevelopmentandfulfillmentinhiswork.Heisconsideredapost-Impressionistpainter,hisstylequitedifferentfromthatoftheImpressionists.Hisworkisheavilyconcernedwiththeexpressionismcharacteristicofmodernart.

VanGogh'svisualdisorder:xanthopsia?glaucoma?

Giventhemultiplictiyofdiagnoses,itisnotclearifvanGoghsufferedfromavisualdisorderandifso,itsorigins.VanGoghwastreatedbythewell-knowndoctor,Paul-FerdinandGachet,aphysicianforoneoftheFrance’srailroadcompanies.GachetmaywellhavetreatedvanGoghformaniaand/orepilepsywithdigitalis.Inthe19thcenturydigitalis,extractedfromthepurplefoxgloveplant,wasoneofthemaintreatmentsforthesedisorders.Itwasusedasasedative,ananticonvulsant,andananti-manicagent.Interestingly,ontheonlytwooccasionsthatvanGoghpaintedDoctorGachethewasholdingafoxgloveplant(right).WasthisvanGogh'swayoftellingusthathesufferedfromtheeffectsofdigitalispoisoningatDoctorGachet'shand?

Oneofthesideeffectsofsystemicdigitalistreatmentisadisturbanceinyellow-bluevision(xanthopsia),similartoviewingtheworldthroughayellowfilter.Glareandcoloredhaloesmayalsobeexperiencedasvisualsideeffects.ManyofvanGogh’sworkshaveadefiniteyellowcast.TheStarryNight(below),TheNightCafé,Sunflowers(below).Laterself-portraitsallhaveadistinctiveyellowhue.TheyellowtoneinhispaintingisespeciallynoticeableinthestarsinTheStarryNight,theworkEnclosedFieldwithReaper(above),andinvanGogh'sfleshinhisself-portraitdedicatedtoPaulGaugin(atleft).Itispossiblethatdigitalis-inducedxanthopsiawasmakingvanGoghperceivetheworldwithayellowtint.Thepredominanceofcoloredhalosaroundlightsourcesinvariousworks,suchasTheStarryNight,mayalsobeattributabletotheeffectsofdigitalis.

Countertothedigitalis-inducedxanthopsiahypothesis,DoctorGachetwaswell-knownforhisuseandwritingsonthecarefuluseofthisdrug.GachethasbeenchargedwithmishandlingvanGogh’scarebyadministeringexcessivedosesofdigitalis.AlthoughGachetwasawareofthepotencyofthedrug,administeringlargeamountsofdigitalismayhavebeenthedoctor’sonlyhopeintreatingapatientwhowasseeminglyuncontrollable.Inadditiontoanypossiblevisualdisorders,numerousotherdiagnosesofvanGogh’sgeneralhealthhavebeensuggested.Theseincludementaldisorderssuchasschizophrenia,bipolardisorder,neurosis,andepilepsy,aswellassyphilis,gonorrhea,alcoholpoisoning(fromdrinkingdarkabsinthe),andsunstroke(diagnosedbyDr.Gachet).

Alternately,ithasbeenproposedthatthehaloesinvanGogh’sworksareduetoaformofglaucoma.Theelevationinintraocularpressureassociatedwithglaucomacanleadtocornealedema(swelling).Theswollencorneadiffractslightintoitscomponentparts,causingtheobservertoperceivecoloredhaloesaroundlightsources.Sinceglaucomaisrarelyseenamongindividualsunderage40,itisunlikelythatvanGogh,whodiedatage37,wassoafflicted.Haloeshavebeenpaintedhistoricallytocreateatmosphere,mood,andsymbolism.VanGoghhaloesmayhavebeenpaintedforthesamereasons.

Alternativeexplanations

Therearemanyalternativeexplanationsfortheover-abundanceofyellowfoundinvanGogh’swork.Hewasfascinatedwithcoloranditseffects,