Why I LOVE Vincent Van Gogh’s Brilliant Mind and Haunted Soul

In the past few years, I have had a growing interest in all types of paintings. Vincent Van Gogh gives me that introspective feeling I crave in art, giving me melancholic and intense pieces to reflect on life. I have been to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam; it is difficult to hear Vincent’s story and the struggles he had as a young man. He was plagued by depression, but more than that, he was plagued by his genius mind. The world he saw was of comfort to him, something beautiful out of the chaos of reality. He plays with dreamy images and idyllic views of landscapes. I love those paintings, but I am also drawn to his self-portraits. 

Each portrait is unique and different from the next. What I find most interesting is that this is not an idyllic view of himself. The letters to and from his brother, Theo, break my heart, revealing the inner struggles Vincent went through. Theo’s ultimate belief in Vincent is what compelled him to pursue drawing/painting. Without Theo, there would be no Vincent. Theo has all the confidence that Vincent couldn’t create on his own. Their distance did not help Vincent’s mental game, as he was far away from the person he loved most in life, and only communicating through letters must have felt even more detached—this suffering, I want to think, dug itself into Vincent, infiltrating how he felt day-to-day. His obsession or familiarity with suffering can be seen plainly through his art.

BELOW: Vincent on the left with his younger brother, Theo, on the right.

The fact of the matter is that Vincent needed help. Theo had a life of his own, so he couldn’t always be there for Vincent. The loneliness felt was ultimately so much, and as I am sure you know, Vincent sadly took his own life. Poetically, only six months after Vincent’s death, Theo joined him in the ground. It’s sad to think that he never knew how important and touching his art became to people worldwide, how his work continues to speak to people like poetry in the night, how the self-portraits show the connection between the self and the outer parts of the soul. Countless great artists do not know the extent of their impact on the world. It makes art both a gift and a curse to artists, as it mirrors reality and creates dreams and haunting nightmares. 

This conclusion leads me to Vincent’s last work: Tree Roots. You can see the painting at the top of this page. As you may notice, the painting is not finished and, like a lot of his paintings, is full of vibrant color. Even though he has a lot of works similar in theme, I find this work dauntingly introspective. When I discovered the painting, I stood in front of it for a while, staring into the roots, seeing where the roads end. I looked deep into each color with curiosity. I stared into the blankness of the unfinished bits, wondering what it would have looked like completed. If only Vincent had a clear and unsullied mind…but then he wouldn’t have been Vincent. 

Tree Roots makes me think about how people become who they are. Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do we do the things we do? What are our roots? I ponder these questions daily. Experiences mold the person: good, bad, and ugly. Nobody can control the life they get, just like we can’t control the cards we’re dealt. Although Vincent had a beautiful gift, the loneliness haunting him was too much. His obsession with the melancholic nature and the image of struggle makes some of his earlier drawings compelling and deep. He used his girlfriend’s crying as a model to capture life’s real and most genuine moments. Although his depression weighed him down, when he painted, I like to believe he was at peace. He must have thought deeply about life from day to day…but that could just be my hopeful imagination. 

I could talk about this forever, but I hope you’ve enjoyed my discussion of Vincent. His brilliant mind will inspire people (and me) for the rest of time. I encourage you to ponder the questions I mentioned above and leave some down below! Peace!

Header Image Credit: https://images.app.goo.gl/3j9GwiJHeib1NpkbA

Post Image Credit: https://images.app.goo.gl/oagECHh2FJZN4MpW6

1. 

   I love this dissection of Van Gogh’s life and your perspective on it. I love that we saw the unfinished…