Vincent van Gogh's works of art are considered among the best in the world, but in his time they were not appreciated. How did this dramatic change come about? Furthermore, what led Van Gogh to be the artist and person he was? Van Gogh led a difficult life. Struggling with his mental health, he wanted to be a successful artist; but not many people appreciated his artwork as much as he did. Van Gogh's journey through life was unique and sadly ended with his death. Despite the many challenges that Vincent van Gogh faced in his early and later life, he managed to have an enormous influence on both the world and his family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay From a young age, Vincent van Gogh was always interested in becoming an artist. Seeing his mother draw flowers when he was just a child, he was fascinated by her and was inspired to become as good an artist as her. Soon, nature began to increase Van Gogh's interest in art. When the young Van Gogh became very interested in art and nature, his uncle Vincent saw his immense interest and invited Van Gogh to work for him. His uncle Vincent worked as an art dealer in a place called Haugue which was an art gallery in Holland. This was a new and exciting opportunity for Van Gogh. When he began working in The Hague, his fascination with art grew significantly day by day. As a result, one day while he was working, his uncle suggested that he accept a better job offer in London; and the young Van Gogh accepted the job enthusiastically and left for London. After traveling to London, Van Gogh had problems with his new job; and soon left because he wanted to pursue a different career. Trying to figure out what the best career would be, he began to travel more and eventually decided to pursue a career as a preacher as his father had done. Soon he began school for evangelists. Although he didn't go to school, he was offered a job as a lay preacher in a poor coal mining area. Unsure of where else to go, Van Gogh took the job and devoted himself completely to helping needy coal miners in the area. He sent a letter to the shepherds who had sent him there, asking for supplies and further help for people in need. A few weeks later, Van Gogh received a letter saying that he had been fired from his job as a lay preacher just because he had asked for more help for the coal miners. The pastors did not like or understand how such a selfless and generous lay preacher had been towards the less fortunate. As Van Gogh struggled with being fired from his job as a lay preacher, he began drawing as a way of comfort, which made him his family was worried and scared for him as it was not a stable career. He spent all day drawing sketches of the people around him. He admitted that his sketches were not good, but somehow they were able to capture something unspeakable in human emotions. Because he lived the same way the poor lived, he was able to understand and draw their raw, unfiltered emotions. "Drawing was Vincent's only solace, and he devoted himself to it." Concerned for his well-being, Van Gogh's family sent his younger brother, Theo, to try to convince Van Gogh to return home and figure out what career path he should pursue. After talking for a while, they both thought it would be best for Van Gogh to pursue a career as an artist. Although in difficultyfinancial, Van Gogh returned home to work once again in The Hague; this time he was determined to focus on being a full-time artist. Seeing that Van Gogh was in financial difficulty, Theo supported him and even offered to give an allowance to his older brother until he could earn enough money on his own. Motivated, Van Gogh accepted Theo's offer and began purchasing art supplies. Van Gogh became so devoted to his art that he spent a considerable amount of money on art supplies and ran out of money; he wouldn't buy food to be able to feed himself, to be able to concentrate completely on his art. Often, while waiting for Theo to send him more money, Van Gogh would take walks to relieve his mind of stress and draw inspiration from the nature around him. Stressed, Van Gogh soon learned of another artistic opportunity in Paris and decided to take it in the hope that things would improve. When he arrived in Paris, Van Gogh began to study the ways of painting of the Impressionists and to practice painting. Theo began to notice that Van Gogh was improving noticeably, and he and the rest of Van Gogh's family finally felt relief for Van Gogh. However, just when Van Gogh's life seemed to be improving, things began to get worse. Van Gogh's pride got the better of him and he began to be irritable and argumentative with everyone around him. Theo took pity on him because, although Van Gogh was very talented, he had difficulty getting along with people. Realizing how physically and mentally difficult it was for him to stay in Paris, he once again decided to move away and isolate himself. This time, Van Gogh moved to a small town called Arles in France. In Arles he found himself indescribably invigorated and excited. Enthusiastic about painting in Arles, he woke up early every morning so he could have enough daylight to paint. He painted from before dawn in the morning until late at night using candlelight to be able to see. Within ten months of his stay in Arles, Van Gogh completed over 180 works of art. Van Gogh's personal painting style first developed in Arles. As he spent so much time outside in the Arles countryside, he began to use the color yellow more because he had been inspired by and developed a deep appreciation for the sun. As Van Gogh ran around the Arles countryside, most people in Arles thought he was disorderly and crazy and would try to avoid him, except for two people in particular. Despite what people thought of him, Van Gogh had managed to make two friends, the post office worker and his wife. The postmaster's wife, in particular, was very concerned about Van Gogh and would help him by making sure he ate. His concerned friends also managed to help Van Gogh find a small yellow house he could rent. Once Van Gogh moved into his new home, he thought it would be a good idea to allow another artist to live with him and paint. next to him; but unfortunately his optimistic idea did not turn out as well as he had hoped. After a few months of living together, the other painter that Van Gogh had invited to live with him, Gauguin, began to irritate Van Gogh. Van Gogh and Gauguin began to argue bitterly. As the discussions continued, both painters became mentally tired; therefore, Gauguin was considering leaving before any topic became more physically harmful. The desperate Van Gogh begged Gauguin to stay, but nothing he said could convince Gauguin. Feeling alone and abandoned, Van Gogh was mentally pushed to the limit. Overwhelmed, Gauguin told Van Gogh that he had finallydecided to move; but Van Gogh thought he could still convince Gauguin to stay, which led to a more disastrous situation. Suffering from the effects of anxiety medications and sunstroke after painting all day, Van Gogh chased Gauguin and attempted to attack him with a razor. Gauguin, although larger and stronger, did not fight Van Gogh; but, instead, he managed to calm Van Gogh and send him back to the yellow house. After returning home, Van Gogh could not think clearly and had a sudden seizure. When he regained consciousness, his head was still reeling. Van Gogh took his razor with which he had originally stalked Gauguin and cut off his ear as a way to "punish himself for all his failures". With his ear freshly cut off, Van Gogh found his way to the brothel and he decided to listen to one of the girls there. He found a girl and ordered her to guard her ear as if it were a treasure. The girl was disgusted and horrified by this unique gift and handed the severed ear over to the local police. Concerned about the severed ear, the police began searching for a crazed individual. The next morning, the police managed to find Van Gogh, but he was in a very distressed state. He was found lying in his bed with several towels around his head, soaked in his blood. Without delay the police took Van Gogh to hospital where he remained for several days. The doctor then gave Van Gogh simple instructions: wear a hat when exposed to direct sunlight, eat well, avoid alcohol, and avoid anything that could cause excitement. Van Gogh left the hospital early; and although he followed the doctor's instructions for some time, he eventually deviated. At first he began to feel better and began to paint again. However, Van Gogh began to return to his old habits. After painting a whole day in the direct sun without a hat, he had many attacks and was locked up in the local prison. Van Gogh was then told by his concerned doctor that it would be in his best interests to be initiated into a psychiatric hospital. After everything that had happened, Van Gogh, wanting to feel better, willingly admitted himself to a psychiatric hospital. At first, Van Gogh was quite happy in his new temporary home at the mental hospital; but he still felt like he was going crazy, as seen in his paintings. Van Gogh allowed painting, which made him feel content while he was in the psychiatric hospital. Van Gogh's time in the psychiatric hospital can best be described as follows: The doctor in charge of the sanatorium allowed Vincent to use an empty room as a studio so that he could paint the countryside around St.-Remy. The anxiety Vincent felt during that time shows up in some of these paintings, but they are considered great works of art. Indeed, it was during this period, in June 1889, that Vincent painted one of his greatest works Starry Nights. Using beautiful blues and yellows, he paints the story of a quiet village and a night alive with burning, swirling stars. It is a painting that shows the power of an artist who can take a painted canvas and bring a landscape to life. While painting in the mental hospital, Van Gogh only signed 7 of the 140 paintings he completed during his stay there because of how he felt. After completing so many paintings, Van Gogh still felt mentally lost even while in a psychiatric hospital; Not sure what to do, he turned to Theo for help. Luckily, Theo knew a doctor, Dr. Gachet, who had a passion for helping painters. To start a life of his own while still receiving help, Van Gogh moved to live near Dr. Gachet in a small town near Paris. Theo finally felt himself.