Who was Vincent van Gogh?

Who was Vincent van Gogh?

The last years of Vincent van Gogh's life were marred by mental breakdowns, but it was also his most creative period. Find out more about his life and the artworks he produced below. 

What to watch...

It's one of Vincent van Gogh's most iconic works, but what makes 'The Starry Night' so captivating? Nestled amongst the swirling blue sky and yellow stars, is the sleepy town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in southern France. It is, in fact, a view from Van Gogh's bedroom window at the asylum he was a patient in, in 1889. Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to the hospital after he famously mutilated his left ear. He painted the view 21 times, depicting it differently according to the weather and time of day; 'The Starry Night' is the only nocturnal version. To find out more about this painting, watch our film for ages 11-14 presented by Sienna. 
Watch Now

Did You Know? 

It is thought that Van Gogh painted around 37 self-portraits during his lifetime. Remarkably these were all made during the last 4 years of his short life. This number includes a hidden self- portrait found in July 2022 beneath another painting! Van Gogh didn't paint himself so many times because he was vain. It because he was low on funds to hire models, so he would instead practice by painting himself. Each one of his portraits is different and tells us about his personality. He 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.' Academy teacher Aleid Farnum-Ford discusses 'Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear' in the film Spotlight: Art and Mental Health. Click below to watch. 
Watch Now

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Back to Newsletters