Vincent Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter born in 1853 in Holland who died in 1890 in France. He had a difficult early life trying different careers until focusing on painting at age 27. He was influenced by Rembrandt and Monet. His early works had dark colors depicting the poor, but his style brightened using impressionist techniques with vivid colors. Some of his most famous works include The Starry Night and Sunflowers. He struggled with mental illness and sold only one painting in his lifetime but is now among the most famous artists in the world.

1. Post-Impressionist Painter

2. Biography
Vincent Van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853.
He died in France in 1890.
His father was a minister. His mother came from
a family of famous art dealers. He was one of 6
children.
Theo, his favorite brother was born 4 years after
him.

3. More about Van Gogh
Van Gogh spoke many languages: Dutch,
French, English and German.
He dreamed of teaching and helping poor
people.
He drew all the time as a child.
"If you hear a voice
within you say "you
cannot paint," then by all
means paint, and that
voice will be silenced."
- Vincent Van Gogh

4. Photos

5. Biography
As a young man he tried many professions…art
dealer, teacher, Minister, working in a bookstore,
until he became a painter at age 27.
Vincent wrote over 600 letters to his brother,
Theo. This is how we know much about Vincent,
how he felt and how he worked in his own words.
Theo encouraged him and sent him a lot of
money to help him become an artist. What a
great brother!

6. Early Influences
Rembrandt was a Dutch
painter of light & shade
who lived 200 years
before Van Gogh
He had an amazing
ability to draw people’s
moods.
He told a story with his
paintings
He did many self-
portraits

7. Art Style – The Early Years
Van Gogh's first paintings were mostly of poor
people he helped as a young man.
The colors in his early paintings are dark and
brown (muddy).
The feelings portrayed were of sadness. He
wanted people to know how hard the lives were
of the poor people.

8. The Potato Eaters-1885

9. Potato Diggers-1885

10. More influences
Claude Monet,
French Impressionist
Impressionists
painted everyday
outdoor scenes and
used small
brushstrokes to reflect
light and depict
movement
Used lots of bright

11. Artistic Style- His Later Years
Van Gogh now started to lighten his colors and paint
in short brushstrokes of the Impressionists.
His paintings started to look much happier, brighter
and more colorful.
Van Gogh’s next painting shows this change!

12. The Night Café-1888

13. The Yellow House-1888

14. Can you see the difference?
Look at the difference between the last painting and
the Potato Diggers

16. The Sunflowers-1888
Bright, beautiful
colors!
Very thick paint.
Sometimes he
painted so fast he
used paint right
out of the tube.
This sold in 1987
for
$39 million
dollars!

17. Portrait of an Artist
Van Gogh loved to paint himself. We call that a
Self – Portrait.
Why do you think he painted himself all the
time?
He could not afford to pay models but he owned a
mirror!
He never smiled in his portraits. He was usually
in a very sad mood. He used dark lines and
wide brush strokes to show sadness.

18. Self-Portraits

19. Self-Portraits

20. Self-Portraits

21. Self-Portrait Style
Those were all self portraits but they all looked different
because of:
Colors
Brushstrokes – short, long, wide, fine, heavy or light
Shading

22. Style
Van Gogh was especially known for:
Broad brushstrokes
Brilliant colors (no mixing, straight from the tube)
Swirling lines to show movement and strong
emotion….and to bring his subjects to LIFE!
Famous example is…

23. Are the stars shining and the clouds whirling?
Do you think the wind is blowing – why?
Can you feel all the colors in the trees shimmering?
Starry Night-1889

24. Van Gogh
Hardly anyone was interested in his work while he
was alive
He sold only 1 painting while he was alive
At the time people did not like the bright moving pictures he
created
He did some of his best work during the last 2 years of his
life
Painted over 800 paintings!
People today have learned how beautiful his
paintings are and his paintings are famous
throughout the world!

25. What makes a Van Gogh?
Do the brushstrokes bend, whirl and zigzag?
Do you feel movement and feel color?
If you feel emotions or moods when you study it,
such as sad, scared, tired or happy
Does it have the single word “Vincent” written in
cursive on his painting?
If yes, then it is a Van Gogh!

26. Today’s Art Project
1. Close your eyes and picture your
bedroom.
2. Draw outline of room for walls,
ceiling, floor.
3. Draw the bed, furniture,
accessories. Pay attention to
scale-large and small objects.
4. How can you add movement: the
bold strokes and swirls?
5. Optional-Trace all the pencil lines
with a medium size black marker.
6. Fill in the shapes with oil pastels. If
you color everything very solidly,
the picture will look much like an
oil painting.
7. Sign it!
The Bedroom-1889