Who Was Vincent Van Gogh?
The artwork of Post-Impressionist Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh is today some of the most expensive and highly prized art in the world. Starry Night, Crows in a Wheatfield, Sunflowers and Irises are all some of Van Gogh’s paintings that have all become iconic images with vibrant colors and undulating forms. These paintings are universally loved and adored.Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was the son of a minister and was born to a family that was involved in the art trade. Van Gogh wanted initially to be a clergyman in the Dutch Reformed Church like his father, but his religious superiors found that Vincent was a bit fanatical in his vocation.
Was Van Gogh Mad?
There is just a ton of physical evidence of the short life of Vincent Van Gogh in drawings, paintings, and in the many letters that Vincent wrote, particularly to his brother Theo Van Gogh who was an art dealer. All of the Van Gogh letters are available for reading online and if you read them chronologically, you can watch Vincent Van Gogh descend into madness slowly but surely.Some have claimed that Van Gogh’s madness can be explained by medical conditions of temporal lobe epilepsy, bipolar disorder or exterior causes of madness such as thujone poisoning or lead poisoning.
Let’s break down some of these possibilities or theories as to Van Gogh’s madness by theory.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
In the book Seized (1993) by Eve LaPlante, the author speculates that Vincent Van Gogh may have had temporal lobe epilepsy based on the vivid colors in his paintings.
Bipolar Disorder
The theory that Vincent Van Gogh had Bipolar Disorder is a highly credible theory based on Van Gogh’s periods of emotional highs, but mostly lows. Based on reading Van Gogh’s letters, the artist seems to be mostly low and based on his self mutilation and suicide, deeply depressed.
Thujone Poisoning
This theory of Van Gogh's insanity is based on the amount of absinthe that Van Gogh drank. More likely, Vincent Van Gogh was an alcoholic since absinthe’s big punch is in its high alcohol content, not it’s wormwood or hallucinogenic properties.
Lead Poisoning
The theory that Vincent Van Gogh was mad because of lead poisoning is based on the assumption that the lead content in the paints Van Gogh used were ingested by him in enough large quantities to have poisoned the artist.
Other theories include sunstroke, Meniere’s Disease and acute intermittent porphyria.
Other Clues of the Van Gogh Madness
Another possible clue that might be examined is the cause of death of Vincent’s brother, Theo, who was committed to an asylum and died of syphilis in January 1861, only seven months after Vincent’s suicide. Vincent had a previous hospital stay from what he called "the clap", meaning a venereal disease, so perhaps it is possible that Vincent had another disease of this kind that contributed to his mental downfall. Another of Van Gogh’s siblings, Willemina Jacoba Van Gogh (1862-1941) is said to have had similar psychological problems later in life, suggesting there was a shared familial chemistry of mental illness.
The evidence of Van Gogh’s madness lies not in his fabulous paintings but in his acts of violence towards himself. The paintings of Vincent Van Gogh are genius, but they are not mad. If anything, we get the feeling that Vincent Van Gogh felt the world very acutely and perhaps this sensitivity is what ultimately drove him mad.
Additionally and by all accounts, Vincent Van Gogh was a little strange even as a child. Van Gogh seemed very serious and aloof and lacking in the social graces. If all of the evidence can be weighed equally, it seems most likely that Vincent Van Gogh was predestined by his genetic makeup to be a depressed or depressive type of person.
Don' take my word for it. The letters of Vincent Van Gogh are quite accessible, articulate and fascinating to read. Check out all of Van Gogh’s letters here.
Source: http://cvc.csusb.edu/VincentVanGogh.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/vincent-van-gogh-s-medical-condition?cat=health
www.vangoghgallery.com/
