The Story of Vincent van Gogh

             

       You may have heard about Vincent van Gogh, the dutch painter known all over the world for his self-portraits, art style, and of course Starry Night. He is one of the most influential and prevalent artists today, but how did he fare in his time?

        In a word: terribly.

        Van Gogh was born in 1853 to a family made up of preachers and art dealers in a small town in the Netherlands. As an upper middle-class child, van Gogh was sent to boarding school. He felt abandoned and wished to return immediately. When his parents tried again at a middle school, he disliked it as well, later describing his childhood as a "austere and cold". 

        

        Vincent van Gogh drew much as a child, but didn't respond to formal classes. At the age of 16, van Gogh received a job at an art dealership, but was dismissed in 1875 because of a disagreement with the principles of the art dealership. Van Gogh, who was sad and sorrowful throughout his life, had just been rejected from an art-related job, something he had wished to do because his family had done it and he enjoyed art. 

        After van Gogh was dismissed as an art dealer, he sought to carry out the other family profession: that of a pastor. He prepared and studied for the theology entrance exam given by the University of Amsterdam, but failed. He took a small course in a missionary school, but failed. Only in 1880, when van Gogh was 27, did he first start to explore his calling in earnest. He studied at the fine arts academy in Brussels, Belgium. 

        After learning art, van Gogh took up oil painting as a preferred medium, although he was still yet to actually sell pieces and make a living. That didn't stop him from trying to make a family. However, the girl van Gogh asked rejected him outright, leaving him even more depressed. Van Gogh was almost entirely financially supported by his brother, and emotionally supported by nobody at all. He ate poorly, lived poorly, and his paintings did poorly as well. 

        Vincent Van Gogh had suffered from depressive thoughts all his life, but things came to a head when, after an altercation, he cut his ear off. He was rushed to a hospital, and soon committed to it for delirium and mania.

        In his life, Van Gogh is rumored to have created over 700 paintings and drawings. During his life, not a single one was acclaimed, and very few sold. But despite all these resounding failures, he pushed on and did what he loved. His own parents said that his "persistence is disgusting", but it is exactly Vincent van Gogh's persistence that we can learn from.

        No matter what the situation looks like, if you persist at doing what you love, you have the potential to have as impressive and long-lasting an impact as Mr. van Gogh.