Vincent Van Gogh, Lust For Life

I lately listened to the sound majority of Lust for Life, a biographical novel on Vincent van Gogh's life. The majority was written past times Irving Stone inward 1934 after a lot of inquiry in addition to processing through 200+ letters betwixt Vincent van Gogh in addition to his younger brother, fine art dealer Theo van Gogh.

The majority is long at around 500 pages. But I enjoyed the majority because I was mesmerized to larn nigh Vincent van Gogh's life in addition to the hardships he endured. On the other hand, this majority was written xc years ago, in addition to it shows.  In many places, the majority is cheesy, novelized alongside cheesy romance, oversimplification, sentimentalization, in addition to chivalry. It is ironic that the majority explicitly violates the principles of avant-garde fine art movement, which it narrates from Emile Zola's oral cavity piece narrating Van Gogh's life at Paris.


A brusk biography of Van Gogh

Courtesy of Wikipedia
Born into an upper-middle-class family, Van Gogh drew equally a kid in addition to was serious, quiet, in addition to thoughtful. As a fellow he worked equally an fine art dealer, oftentimes traveling, but became depressed after he was transferred to London. He turned to religious belief in addition to spent fourth dimension equally a Protestant missionary inward southern Belgium. He drifted inward sick wellness in addition to solitude before taking upward icon inward 1881, having moved dorsum abode alongside his parents. His younger blood brother Theo supported him financially, in addition to the 2 kept a long correspondence past times letter. His early on works, generally silent lifes in addition to depictions of peasant labourers, comprise few signs of the vivid coloring that distinguished his afterwards work. In 1886, he moved to Paris, where he met members of the avant-garde, including Émile Bernard in addition to Paul Gauguin, who were reacting against the Impressionist sensibility. As his piece of occupation developed he created a novel approach to silent lifes in addition to local landscapes. His paintings grew brighter inward coloring equally he developed a mode that became fully realised during his remain inward Arles inward the southward of French Republic inward 1888. During this menses he broadened his dependent area affair to include serial of olive trees, wheat fields in addition to sunflowers. 
Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes in addition to delusions in addition to though he worried nigh his mental stability, he oftentimes neglected his physical health, did non consume properly in addition to drank heavily. His suicide at 37 (in 1890) came after years of mental illness, depression in addition to poverty.

Van Gogh, equally a monument of grit

In simply over a decade, Van Gogh created nigh 2,100 artworks, including around 860 crude paintings, most of which appointment from the final 2 years of his life.
I am really amazed past times the persistence of Van Gogh. How tin someone last so prolific to the human face upward of debilitating doubt, uncertainty, unrecognition, in addition to fifty-fifty ridicule?
Van Gogh gave his 1889 Portrait of Doctor Félix Rey to Dr Rey. The physician was non fond of the icon in addition to used it to repair a chicken coop, in addition to so gave it away. In 2016, the portrait was housed at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in addition to estimated to last worth over $50 million. 
In March of 1889, the constabulary shut his solid [in Arles] after a petition past times xxx townspeople who described him equally "le fou roux" (the redheaded madman).

Van Gogh was a monument of grit exclusively if y'all discount his before professions. He quit existence an fine art dealer, existence a teacher, existence a missionary, before deciding to stick alongside icon against all odds. This was discussed inward the majority "Range:Why generalists triumph inward a specialized world",  as follows:
Van Gogh was an event of check lineament optimization, Robert Miller’s multi-armed bandit procedure come upward to life. He tested options alongside maniacal intensity in addition to got the maximum information signal nigh his fit equally rapidly equally possible, in addition to and so moved to something else in addition to repeated, until he had zigzagged his agency to a identify no 1 else had ever been, in addition to where he solitary excelled. Van Gogh’s Grit Scale score, according to Naifeh’s assessment, was level alongside hard piece of occupation but depression on sticking alongside every goal or project. He landed inward the 40th percentile.
He did commit fully to existence a painter though, to the expense of his health. He slaved for his arts and crafts for 10 years. He was told repeatedly that he sucked at icon in addition to he volition never amount to a painter. His rich uncle controlled fine art dealing inward Europe, in addition to afterwards his blood brother Theo acquire an fine art shop manager, but he got surprisingly footling elevator from that.

Theo supported him through out his entire life alongside nigh 100 Franks a month. This coin was insufficient for food, equally he spent the coin on painting. And he simply went alongside simply breadstuff in addition to java for many months, effectively starving himself. Yet, he kept on icon a icon demo a 24-hour interval for 10 years, despite the constant criticism in addition to discouragement.


His outset promising painting, The Potato Eaters, came after 5 years of incessant practice. And, he exclusively received some express recognition inward the final 2-3 years of his life. But it looks similar the piece of occupation was its ain vantage for him, he persisted through all odds, in addition to became the patron saint of dedication to the craft.

Van Gogh, the becoming

If y'all human face dorsum closely at history, many of the people who nosotros think of equally lone geniuses were really business office of “a whole scene of people who were supporting each other, looking at each other’s work, copying from each other, stealing ideas, in addition to contributing ideas.” *Scenius* doesn’t remove maintain away from the achievements of those groovy individuals; it simply acknowledges that skillful piece of occupation isn’t created inward a vacuum, in addition to that inventiveness is always, inward some sense, a collaboration, the outcome of a hear connected to other minds.

The scenius inward Paris was real instrumental inward Van Gogh's increment in addition to becoming. He has ever been inward affect alongside the fine art world, cheers to his constant correspondence alongside his blood brother Theo. But living inward Paris in addition to coming together alongside other artists inward the post-impressionist in addition to avant-garde motility really opened Vincent's eyes. He pulled many all-nighters alongside other artists discussing nigh art. He started copying them. He stole similar an artist in addition to flora a agency to internalize the thinking behind these styles. At Paris, his palette started to lighten up.


But what is interesting is that, he really bloomed after he deserted Paris. He made a witting conclusion that although he was enjoying his fourth dimension at Paris a lot, he needs to go out it to focus on his icon in addition to observe himself. He traveled to Arles so he tin piece of occupation in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than without disruption. And piece of occupation he did! He labored nether scorching Sun inward the fields, in addition to produced a icon a 24-hour interval alongside a manic lay out energy in addition to dedication. Again, he was malnourished, but he did everything he tin to continue painting. That is dedication.







Van Gogh, equally a sensitive soul

Despite the whitewashing inward the book, it was clear that Vincent had brusk temper, did many bad in addition to irresponsible things. On the other hand, he also had many redeeming qualities in addition to displayed an unwavering moral compass towards justice.
In Jan 1879 he took upward a postal service equally a missionary at Petit-Wasmes inward the coal-mining district of Borinage inward Belgium. To demo back upward for his impoverished congregation, he gave upward his comfortable lodgings at a bakery to a homeless person, in addition to moved to a small-scale hut where he slept on straw. His squalid living atmospheric condition did non endear him to church building authorities, who dismissed him for "undermining the dignity of the priesthood". He in addition to so walked the 75 kilometres (47 mi) to Brussels.
the Breakfast of the Champions respond.
   The icon did non be until I made it,” Karabekian went on. “Now that it does exist, cypher would brand me happier than to remove maintain it reproduced in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than in addition to again, in addition to vastly improved upon, past times all the five-year-olds inward town. I would love for your children to observe pleasantly in addition to playfully what it took me many angry years to find. 
    I straightaway give y'all my discussion of honor,” he went on, “that the icon demo your metropolis owns shows everything nigh life which genuinely matters, alongside cypher left out. It is a icon demo of the awareness of every animal. It is the immaterial nitty-gritty of every brute - the ‘I am’ to which all messages are sent. It is all that is last inward whatsoever of us - inward a mouse, inward a deer, inward a cocktail waitress. It is unwavering in addition to pure, no affair what preposterous remove chances may befall us. A sacred icon demo of Saint Anthony solitary is 1 vertical, unwavering band of light. If a cockroach were nigh him, or a cocktail waitress, the icon demo would demo 2 such bands of light. Our awareness is all that is last in addition to perchance sacred inward whatsoever of us. Everything else nigh us is dead machinery.” 
Here is some other supporting quotation from Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
It is a rare hear indeed that tin homecoming the hitherto non-existent blindingly obvious. The proper name 'I could remove maintain thought of that' is a real pop in addition to misleading one, for the fact is that they didn't, in addition to a real pregnant in addition to revealing fact it is too.

Van Gogh also reminds me nigh this book: The War Of Art, past times Steven Pressfield. He is this majority personified actually, because he has acquire his art, in addition to his fine art himself.
The professional person dedicates himself to mastering technique non because he believes technique is a substitute for inspiration but because he wants to last inward possession of the total arsenal of skills when inspiration does come. The professional person is sly. He knows that past times toiling beside the front end door of technique, he leaves room for genius to go into past times the back.
The Bhagavad-Gita tells us nosotros remove maintain a correct exclusively to our labor, non to the fruits of our labor. All the warrior tin give is his life; all the athlete tin do is go out everything on the field.
Of whatsoever activeness y'all do, inquire yourself: If I were the final mortal on earth, would I silent do it? If you're all solitary on the planet, a hierarchical orientation makes no sense. There's no 1 to impress. So, if you’d silent pursue that activity, congratulations. You're doing it territorially.
If y'all were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or fissure mutual frigidity fusion in addition to y'all don't do it, y'all non exclusively wound yourself, fifty-fifty destroy yourself. You wound your children. You wound me. You wound the planet.
Creative piece of occupation is non a selfish deed or a bid for attending on the business office of the actor. It's a gift to the world in addition to every existence inward it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.
Of course, at that topographic point is a alternative bias at piece of occupation here. Van Gogh became famous posthumously, that is how nosotros know of him, in addition to perchance that is why nosotros think his dedication to the arts and crafts is vindicated. But at that topographic point remove maintain been many talented in addition to hardworking in addition to dedicated artists that did non acquire recognition fifty-fifty after death. I am non suggesting dedication gets y'all success. I am simply maxim that dedicating yourself to your arts and crafts tin give y'all fulfillment in addition to a life good lived. I suspect, Van Gogh did non assist for the reward, equally the piece of occupation was its vantage for him. I promise everyone tin remove maintain the chance to observe in addition to pursue a crusade to dedicate themselves without worrying whether they would acquire inward at the destination or not.

Related Links 

Earlier I had written nigh my see to the Van Gogh museum inward Netherlands in addition to to impressionists in addition to Van Gogh exhibit at Orsay inward Paris. 

Going through this book, I was also reminded nigh this postal service from final year. Especially these parts seem most relevant.

You don't involve to remove maintain others views/expectations of y'all equally the guide, in addition to y'all should explore your tendencies/talents past times trying dissimilar things. And y'all should shout out back that it doesn't necessarily come upward piece of cake first. Struggling/suffering is inevitable, in addition to y'all should force through in addition to grow from it. There is a saying: "Don't quit on bad days." Push through the hard part, in addition to and so view if y'all prepare a gustatory modality for this. 
In fact, sometimes the people who remove maintain difficulty learning something, whom others would non telephone telephone a natural, may remove maintain the freshest perspectives on things. If y'all are the type that do non sympathise things quickly, that is non necessarily bad. This may fifty-fifty brand y'all to a greater extent than suitable for explaining things to others, because y'all pass longer fourth dimension inward agreement them. This may also acquire inward easier for y'all to synthesize these hard-earned dissected information into novel insights. 
DILLER:​ ​By piece of occupation or past times temperament, I'm exclusively interested inward those things where I haven't figured it out, in addition to I really do think that silent it happened, that when I was presented endlessly alongside things I didn't understand, the exclusively thing I could do—because my encephalon is slower, in addition to hence is to a greater extent than literal--and hence my procedure is, I remove maintain to acquire it downwardly to its tiniest particle, or else... I can't come upward inward in addition to sympathise an equation, if y'all tin lay it inward equation terms, unless I de-equation it--I can't pick it up. So I'm forced – past times a lack of encephalon matter, I am forced to – no I'm non maxim it – it's true! To intermission it downwardly equally hardly depression equally I tin acquire it, in addition to exclusively then--and that's learning. That's existent -- that is joyous piece of occupation to me, is getting through those layers, downwardly to something, in addition to and so in 1 lawsuit I'm downwardly there, in 1 lawsuit I'm really at the very, real base of operations of it, I tin really start to do something good.

This site which contains links to all of Van Gogh's paintings was a squeamish observe from subreddit on Van Gogh

This documentary (where Andy Serkis plays Van Gogh) is a skillful watch.

Here is some other documentary.

And hither is the famous Dr. Who clip nigh Van Gogh traveling inward fourth dimension to view his paintings existence adored.

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