Karyn Davis
9/23/14
Contemporary Art
Research Paper Outline
OUTLINE – VINCENT VAN GOGH
Thesis: Vincent van Gogh might have been considered a failure in his lifetime, which ultimately led to various mental disorders and eventually suicide, but is today considered as one of the foremost representatives of postimpressionist art.
INTRODUCTION
Vincent van Gogh might have been considered a failure in his lifetime, which ultimately led to various mental disorders and eventually suicide, but is today considered as one of the foremost representatives of postimpressionist art.
Early life
Interest in art, career
Depression and mental illness
Later life/death
First great painting – The Potato Eaters
Most famous painting – Starry night
Conclusion
EARLY LIFE
A) Who was van Gogh and where did he come from? Who was he?
Born on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands.
Served as a pastor before turning to art.
INTEREST IN ART
What sparked van Gogh’s interest in art? Where did it all begin?
Van Gogh was interested in people and scenes around him, so he recorded his time and sights in his drawings.
Began to study art at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. He aspired to become an artist in God’s service.
He had little money and ate poorly, spending the money on art supplies.
His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and his health was failing.
DEPRESSION AND ILLNESS
What caused van Gogh to slip into such terrible health?
Van Gogh poured all of his health and energy into his work, neglecting his own health, physical and mental.
He began suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy, which was then considered to be a mental illness.
He began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and checked himself into a mental hospital for treatment.
Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime, and that added to his depression, as he did not feel his work was worth anything or appreciated.
LATER LIFE/DEATH
Why did van Gogh commit suicide?
Feeling unappreciated, an overwhelming sadness clouded over van Gogh and he slipped into a deep, dark depression. He felt as if, “the sadness would never end”.
On July 27, 1890, van Gogh