BellaOnline Forums Education Art Appreciation Van Gogh

Hello everyone!

I bought this very old book from a neighbor's garage sale yesterday. It was about Van Gogh's life story prior to his death and his fame as a painter. I really feel bad every after reading a chapter in the book. It's like reading a very sad life story of someone so great yet under appreciated.

I liked hearing about how you related to reading his biography. I visited the room where he put a bullet in his chest, a stark chamber of a bedroom. Wasn't much there, but I was taken in the same way you were, by reading about his suicide anecdotes like...stale bread taken with beer to ward off suicidal impulses. There was such sorrow trapped inside with the genius.

Here's an image of the room and his tombstone...
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Yeah, would you say he was the most widely known depressed artist?

Van Gogh was probably the most widely known depressed artist if you are looking from the viewpoint of the malady itself. I think a lot of famous artists were depressed but their disease was just either never discovered or kept private. Van Gogh's brother was always there for him and I believe he is the one who insisted Vincent get help. "I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you." The medical field was not qualified at the time or knowledgeable enough about depression to help him in time. Sad...very sad.

Strangely, experts propose that some artists owe their success to their mental illness. I tend to agree. The reason is that, although I am an artist and greatly enjoy doing art, I just can't fathom doing it so obsessivly. I have other interests and hobbies that take me away from artwork sometimes. I just can't do it day and night. But it seems that that is what's required to really make a mark in art. Any comments on this?

I think maybe you are right regarding artists of the old days when there was little they could do for mental illness or depression. As for the artists of today, there are so many other outlets for them and they usually do not depend on their art alone for income. I imagine most of the old Masters did not have a primary job to support them. On the other hand, someone who is obsessed with their art can create profound beauty.

I agree that someone who is obsessed with their art can create profound beauty. I also think they can create works of art that are not necessarily beautiful but masterpieces, nevertheless. But then again, maybe that depends on the definition of beauty. I have seen some art created by the mentally ill that is quite disturbing and even grotesque but at the same time, extraordinary.

The human mind is a mysterious thing. What lies in the depths of a disturbed mind can be beautiful or horrendous. Have you ever seen the movie 'A Beautiful Mind' starring Russel Crow. It is fantastic! If he was an artist, I think he could have created profound beauty.

I did see that movie, Phyllis. I thought it was quite poignant. I have always thought there was a kind of art to mathematics -- a sense of harmony and beauty.

There's just something about the expression of the human mind that is "beautiful" no matter what shape it takes. Even if it is grotesque, it is something to cherish. Perhaps I believe this though because I believe in the inherent goodness of The Child Within.

AS a teen I wanted to be an artist. I majored in fine arts in college and loved every minute of it. Many times the instructors would load up a bunch of us and take us to SOHO or so many of the other museums in Manhattan. (I lived in northern New Jersey at the time) I found the lofts of the artists in SOHO to be very inspiring but depressing at the same time and knew I just didn't have it in me to live only for my art. I still paint, and love all crafts as well as art history, and occasionally there is a painting in me which must be painted as soon as possible. But the lifestyle and the sacrifices of the "starving artist" I could never do. I new then that I needed more balance in my life and I think the life of someone who must live only for and through their art must be very difficult, painful and lonely. I love them for it and am grateful that they make the sacrifices that I could not.