Vincent Van Gogh - A Brilliant Artist

Today we commemorate the life of one of the most talented but troubled artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh, born in the Netherlands in 1853; considered one of the greatest Dutch painters after Rembrant. While a passionate and brilliant artist, Van Gogh struggled throughout his life.

Vincent’s mother held a strong belief in the importance of family. His Protestant minister father clung to faith. But through a series of tragic events, Van Gogh was torn away from both family and faith. 

Being the eldest of six siblings, he was expected to obtain an education in keeping with his family’s high social status. So at the age of only 11 he was sent away to boarding school to study. After having the importance of family life impressed on him as a youth, this move away from family was the first real blow to his mental health. Homesick and inconsolable, he spent his free time on long walks in the countryside – where he became lost in a sadness that would consume his life. 

When his father realized the depth of his son’s unhappiness, he brought him back home, where his uncle secured him a position at a prestigious auction house. This is where Van Gogh began to develop his love for art. He initially took inspiration from Jules Breton and other artists who were part of the realism movement. But his intense sadness led to his failure in this genre. His realistic paintings were too dark, reflecting the true hardship of poverty. They were not well received.

True to the ups and downs of his life, Van Gogh experienced a high when his sister spent time with him in London – a time said to be the happiest in his life. But this was immediately followed by the rejection of his marriage proposal to the woman he loved. This sent him into a spiral of self-sabotage. He became a priest and lived in destitution and depression. 

Then Vincent’s brother Theo, his biggest supporter, brought something to Van Gogh’s attention that would forever change his art. Color! After years of dark, sadness-filled paintings of the poor that failed to attract buyers, Van Gogh started to experiment with color. This was the most significant turning point in his career – as he soon began to sell his paintings. In 1883, his passion grew to new heights, and in his thirties he produced over 200 paintings over a five year period.

Then in 1888, after a falling out with artist Paul Gauguin, in an altered mental state, Vincent cut off his own ear – an incident which became a key and devastating part of Van Gogh’s story. Immediately after this event he was admitted to an asylum. Surprisingly, at least for a couple of years, hope arose from the tragedy. While in asylum, he completed some of his most beautiful and well-known paintings, including the world famous ‘Starry Night’ – shown above. Then sadly, after leaving the asylum in 1890, Van Gogh ventured out into a wheat field and took his own life.

At the opening of our debut novel Adam in Taoland, our main character lives a monotonous meaningless life in a gray land that has been stripped of all color and beauty. He struggles with the same mental anguish that Van Gogh once dealt with. Adam is pushed to the brink by the same sadness and loneliness Van Gogh experienced, including despair that led him to the brink of suicide. But one day everything changes. Adam is given an opportunity to live a better life when an Archangel visits him to escape to Taoland – to journey to Taoland, a magical place full of opportunity, life, color, challenges, and happiness. 

Every one of us experiences moments and periods where we become frustrated with our situation in life. But we should never make the final choice that Van Gogh made. Let the story of Adam, and of other gifted and passionate historical figures who overcome darkness, inspire us to push through our most challenging times – to dream new dreams – and to find opportunity, faith, hope and love at every turning point. 

Let us always remember that there is always light on the other side of every struggle. Life comes with ups and downs. That’s normal. Let us seek help from the angels, friends, and gurus  who always enter our lives when most needed and least expected. Let us discover color in the grayness of life. Let us hold fast to the good, be grateful for our abundant blessings, and always keep hope alive – with faith that we will emerge whole on the other side.