Lena Rivera
Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous painters of all time. He is known for his unique post-impressionist style, characterised by bold colours and dramatic brushwork, which contributed to the rise of expressionism in modern art. Van Gogh's work was not appreciated during his lifetime, and he only sold one painting, The Red Vineyard, before his death. However, in the years following, his fame grew, and his paintings began to sell for millions. Today, Van Gogh's paintings are scattered across the world's greatest museums and private collections, with many housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Some of his most famous works include Starry Night, Sunflowers, Café Terrace at Night, The Potato Eaters, and Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of artworks | 2,000-2,100 |
| Number of paintings | 860-900 |
| Number of drawings and sketches | 1,100 |
| First full-sized painting confirmed post-1928 | Sunset at Montmajour |
| Most expensive paintings | Portrait de l’artiste sans barbe ($71.5 million), Portrait du Docteur Gachet ($82.5 million), Irises ($53.9 million) |
| Museums with collections | Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, The Netherlands, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Museum of Modern Art in New York |
| Style | Post-impressionist |
| Common subjects | Self-portraits, landscapes, portraits, sunflowers, nature, flowers, cafes, cityscapes, peasant life |
| Common colours | Blue, yellow, green, red |
| Common techniques | Bold colours, dramatic and emphatic brushwork, chiaroscuro |
| Common themes | Mental health, loneliness, nature, emotion |
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What You'll Learn
Sunflowers
The first two paintings to be completed were the one now in a private collection and the painting destroyed by bombing. The second two paintings – Fourteen Sunflowers (Munich) and the National Gallery’s picture – are the most important of the series. Van Gogh considered both good enough to hang and signed them ‘Vincent’, using his first name only as people found it difficult to pronounce his last name. They were also among the few works he felt confident enough to exhibit in Brussels in November 1889.
The series is perhaps Van Gogh's best known and most widely reproduced. The paintings show sunflowers in all stages of life, from full bloom to withering. They were considered innovative for their use of the yellow spectrum, partly because newly invented pigments made new colours possible.
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Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh is one of history's greatest painters and a significant contributor to the foundations of modern art. Van Gogh's unique post-impressionist technique, with swathing brushstrokes and striking colours, is instantly recognisable. During his lifetime, the artist's work was not well-received, and he sold very few paintings. However, he gained posthumous fame, and today, his original artworks sell for millions.
One of Van Gogh's most iconic and recognisable paintings is 'Starry Night', painted in June 1889. The oil-on-canvas painting depicts the view from the artist's asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village. The swirling blues of the moonlit night sky have become synonymous with the artist's style and the emotional quality of his use of colour.
The painting was inspired by the view from Van Gogh's bedroom window at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, where he admitted himself following a mental breakdown and an act of self-mutilation in late December 1888. In a letter to his brother, Theo, Van Gogh described the scene that inspired the painting:
> "This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big."
Researchers have determined that Venus, or the "morning star", was indeed visible at dawn in Provence in the spring of 1889 and was nearly as bright as possible. Thus, the brightest "star" in the painting, just to the viewer's right of the cypress tree, is Venus.
'Starry Night' has been the subject of various interpretations, ranging from religious symbolism to representations of Van Gogh's emotional turmoil. Some art historians link the swirling sky to contemporary astronomical discoveries, while others view it as an expression of the artist's personal struggles. Van Gogh himself was critical of the painting, referring to it as a failure in letters to his brother.
'Starry Night' has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941 and is regarded as a "touchstone of modern art".
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Self-portraits
Vincent van Gogh produced at least 35 self-portraits, with some sources placing the figure at 36 or over 40. He painted these works for a variety of reasons, including to practice painting people, to experiment with different techniques, and to express his emotions.
Van Gogh's self-portraits were largely created during his time in Paris (1886-88), when he was short of money and struggled to find models. He once wrote:
> People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it – that it’s difficult to know oneself – but it’s not easy to paint oneself either.
One of his earlier self-portraits, *Self-Portrait with Felt Hat*, was painted between December 1886 and January 1887, just after his arrival in Paris. In this work, Van Gogh presents himself as a respectable gentleman, wearing a cravat and smart hat. The painting is characterised by dark tones, similar to those he had employed when he had set out to become an artist in the Netherlands a few years earlier.
A few months later, Van Gogh swapped his conventional headgear for a wide-brimmed straw hat, as seen in his *Self-Portrait with Straw Hat* (August–September 1887). In this work, he presents himself as a working artist, with his blue garment suggestive of a smock. The colouring and looser brushwork demonstrate Van Gogh's discovery of Impressionism, with the artist revelling in his exploration of complementary colours, contrasting his orange beard against the blue fabric.
In January 1889, Van Gogh painted *Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear*, less than a month after cutting off his left ear in a state of total confusion. Rather than shy away from the trauma, the artist presents a highly confrontational image. He includes his easel, on which he has placed an almost blank canvas, and on the other side hangs a Japanese print, representing his homage to the art of Japan, which was a significant inspiration.
Van Gogh's final self-portrait, simply titled *Self Portrait*, was painted just a few months before his death. The compulsive, restless ornament of the background, which recalls the work of mental patients, has been interpreted as evidence that the painting was executed in a psychotic state. However, the self-image of the painter demonstrates a masterly control and power of observation, indicating a mind capable of integrating the elements of its chosen activity. The background also shares similarities with the rhythms of Van Gogh's famous work, *The Starry Night*.
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Landscapes
Vincent van Gogh was a prolific painter, creating around 2,000 artworks during his lifetime, including landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits. Van Gogh's distinctive style is characterised by bold colours and dramatic brushwork, with swirling brushstrokes and striking hues that are instantly recognisable.
Van Gogh's landscapes are among his most famous works. His love for nature is evident in his paintings, and he often painted outdoors. One of his most iconic landscapes is the "Starry Night" (1889), painted while Van Gogh was confined to a mental institution in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The painting captures the view from his bedroom window, with swirling blues of the moonlit night sky and the flame-shaped trees and stars that reflect the emotional turmoil he faced. Another interpretation of the same view is "Starry Night Over the Rhône", where he skillfully captured the predominant hues of Prussian blue, ultramarine, and cobalt.
Van Gogh also painted "Seascape at Saintes-Maries" in 1888, adopting a brighter palette and bolder attack, inspired by the portrait of Adolphe Monticelli. One of his final paintings was "Wheatfield with Crows", which captures the deep blues of the sky above a wheat field, with a small path in the middle of the canvas creating a sense of loneliness and uncertainty.
In addition to his more emotive landscapes, Van Gogh also painted vibrant scenes of "Café Terrace at Night" in Arles, capturing the colours at night. He expressed his joy in painting this scene in a letter to his sister Wil.
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Portraits
Vincent van Gogh produced an estimated 2,000 artworks during his lifetime, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches. Van Gogh's oeuvre includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, most of which are characterised by bold colours and dramatic brushwork.
Van Gogh painted portraits of friends and acquaintances, including a self-portrait in 1889, which is one of his most famous. In it, he depicts himself wearing a blue jacket and shirt, with sharp features, a furrowed brow, and striking red hair and beard. This was one of the final self-portraits he painted before his death the following year.
Van Gogh also painted a self-portrait with a bandaged ear, which is considered one of his most intimate and personal portraits. He created this work after cutting off part of his ear following an argument with fellow painter and housemate Paul Gaugin.
Van Gogh's self-portraits were not confined to the canvas. He also drew self-portraits in some of the letters he wrote to his brother, Theo, and his sister, Wil.
In addition to self-portraits, Van Gogh painted portraits of others. One of his most famous portraits is that of Dr. Gachet, which sold for US$82.5 million in 1990. Another portrait, 'Portrait de l’artiste sans barbe' (1889), sold for $71.5 million in 1998.
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Frequently asked questions
Some of Van Gogh's most famous paintings include:
- Sunflowers (1889)
- Starry Night (1889)
- Café Terrace at Night (1888)
- The Potato Eaters (1885)
During his lifetime, Van Gogh created approximately 2,000 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings.
Yes, but only one. The Red Vineyard was the only painting Van Gogh sold during his lifetime.
Many of Van Gogh's paintings are scattered across the world's greatest museums and private collections. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam holds a considerable collection of his paintings, as does the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.
