Vincent Van Gogh was a post-impressionist Dutch painter born in 1853 who lived and worked in France. He painted over 800 paintings in just over a decade and is considered one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Despite having little success during his lifetime, his fame grew after his death by suicide in 1890 at the young age of 37. Some of his most famous paintings include The Starry Night, Irises, and Portrait of Doctor Gachet.

1. Vincent Van Gogh Dutch Post-Impressionist Painter, 1853-1890

2. About Van Gogh Name Vincent Willem van Gogh Date of Birth March 30, 1853 Date of Death July 29, 1890 Place of Birth Groot-Zundert, Netherlands Birth Family Sanna Cornelia Carbentus and Theodorus van Gogh Marriage/Spouse never married Children no children Starry night over the Rhone Sept 1888

3. He painted over 30 self-portraits between the years 1886 and 1889. His collection of self-portraits places him among the most prolific self-portraitists of all time. Van Gogh used portrait painting as a method of introspection, a method to make money and a method of developing his skills as an artist. About Van Gogh

4. Relationships Theodorus (Theo) van Gogh (1857-1891) Vincent's younger brother who worked as an art dealer and was Vincent's closest friend. Over three fourths of the more than 800 letters Vincent wrote during his life were to Theo including his first and his last letters. Johanna Gesina van Gogh (Bonger) Theo's wife. Johanna was the first to publish the letters Vincent wrote to Theo after his death.

5. Relationships Dr. Félix Rey (1867-1932) Doctor who treated Van Gogh in Arles after he cut off part of his left ear lobe. Dr. Paul Gachet (1828 - 1909) Doctor and friend who treated Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise. Theodorus van Gogh - (1822-1885) Vincent's Father Anna Cornelia van Gogh (Carbentus) (1819-1907) Vincent's Mother

6. About Van Gogh At age 37 and greatly depressed, he shot himself in the chest, survived the impact, but died two days later. He had little success during his lifetime, but his fame grew rapidly after his heath. Van Gogh’s painting Irises was sold for a record $53.9 million and his Portrait of Doctor Gachet was sold for $82.5 million, thus establishing a new price record. Irises 1889

7. Vincent Van Gogh His Paintings

8. Portrait of Dr Gachet 1890 Dr. Paul Gachet, who took care of Van Gogh in his last months. In 1990, it fetched a record price of $82.5 million ($75 million, plus a 10 percent buyer's commission). There are two authentic versions of the portrait, both painted in June 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris. Both show Doctor Gachet sitting at a table and leaning his head onto his right arm, but they are easily differentiated. Portrait of Doctor Gachet (first version) Portrait of Doctor Gachet (second version)

9. The Potato Eaters Van Gogh spent his young adult life working for art dealers. He also took an interest in the vocation of his father, and became a missionary worker in an impoverished mining region in Belgium in 1879. In the following year Vincent took the suggestion of his brother Theo, and decided to become a painter. After several years of study he completed his first major work, The Potato Eaters (1885).

10. The Red Vineyard The only painting he sold during his lifetime, The Red Vineyard , was created in 1888. It is now on display in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia.

11. Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in an Asylum at Saint-Remy in 1889. Starry Night

12. References http://www.vangoghgallery.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Dr._Gachet http://makingartfun.com/htm/f-maf-art-library/van-gogh-biography.htm http:// www.vincentvangoghart.net /#Life and Work