An Impressionist — Vincent Van Gogh  

Vincent Van Gogh was a man in a hurry, an artist of tremendous energy and prodigious¹ output. He killed himself when he was only 37, but he left behind him more than 2,000 paintings and drawings, which established his reputation in a way he would never have considered possible.  

Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1835 at Groot Zundert in the Dutch province of Noord Brabant. He was the son of a clergyman. His first artistic² impressions were formed as a boy, from his uncle who was an art dealer³. The motivation bore early fruit and from the age of 12 the young Vincent was drawing. The interest led to an apprenticeship⁴ in an art dealer’s firm, Groupil’s, in the Hague. When he was only 20, he was transferred to the firm’s London office.

In London Van Gogh faced his first major crisis, when he was rejected in love. After that, he turned to religion, expressed disapproval⁵ with art-dealing and neglected his work, Groupil transferred him from London to Paris but, when his work was still unsatisfactory, dismissed him in 1876.

The young Van Gogh made religion a consuming interest and during the next few years traveled in Britain, Belgium and Holland, trying to establish himself as a preacher, but without success. He developed strong opinions on social morality, customs and church life and alienated⁶ those he mixed with by an uncompromising attitude.

In 1880, at the age of 27, he found himself drawn⁷ back to art. He had a job as an assistant evangelist in the mining village of Borinage in Belgium but realized an artistic drive which was to motivate him unceasingly until his death 10 years later.

Although he returned to Noord Brabant and his family early in 1881, his first recognized works were set in Borinage and reflected the rural culture in which he was living and his belief in order and symmetry in both society and art. The period resulted in what became known as the Brabant canvases.

At this time he was becoming obsessed⁸ with artistic development. Although he was limited in practical experience, his work showed confidence and maturity⁹ from the start, no doubt influenced by the strength of his personal convictions. It was not an easy time, however, emotionally. There were tensions within the family, now that he was living back with his parents in Brabant. He was short of money and rebelling against social and academic standards.

Late in 1881 he moved to the Hague and established a relationship with a woman, Christine Hoornik, with whom he lived for a time. He broke with her in 1883, however, and never again established a significant intimate relationship with a woman.

Between 1883 and 1886, at Noord Brahant again, his painting developed into characteristic dark landscapes and scenes of country life. He stressed character and expression rather than perspective and physical accuracy; he was already experimenting with impressionism.

In 1886 Van Gogh left Holland forever and traveled via Antwerp to Paris, and to major changes in artistic style. Van Gogh’s work became more youthful in Paris. He lived with his brother, Theo, who managed the modern department of an art dealer’s. A new, more animated¹⁰, painting style emerged and the impressionist tendencies of earlier work weakened somewhat.

Van Gogh developed a taste for personalized brushwork and brilliant, unmixed colours. Among his most prominent experiments with colour were a series of some 30 flower paintings, a fascination¹¹ which stayed with him until his death.

文森特·凡高是个闲不住的人，是位精力超凡而又多产的艺术家。尽管他在年仅三十七岁时就自杀身亡，但留下的绘画作品却超过了两千幅，这使他名声鹊起，如果还在世，这也会令他始料不及。

 凡高1853年3月30日出生于荷兰北布拉班特省的格鲁特·宗德尔特，是位牧师的儿子。孩提时代，由于受到做画商的叔叔的影响，他就对艺术已有了初步的印象。这种动力在他十二岁时就初见成果，年幼的文森特开始作画了。对绘画的兴趣使他在海牙的古比尔画店开始了学徒生涯。当他刚满二十岁，就被调到画店的伦敦分店。

在伦敦凡高面临着他的头一个重大危机：他失恋了。自打那时起，他皈依宗教，表现出对绘画交易的不满以及对工作玩忽职守的态度。古比尔把他从伦敦调到巴黎，可看到他的工作还是不尽人意时，就在1876年将他解雇了。

年轻的凡高对宗教痴迷不悔并在随后的几年中遍游英国，比利时和荷兰，试图使自己成为传教士，然而未能如愿。他对社会道德、习俗及宗教生活产生了强烈的想法并且态度坚定地疏远那些与他交往的人。

1886年，他27岁时，发现自己重又对绘画产生了兴趣。在比利时的波里纳日的采煤村他有一份做福音传道者助手的工作，可他感受到一种艺术的冲动，这种冲动持续不断地激励着他直到十年后去世。

虽然在1881年初，他回到北布拉萨市班省家人身边，他最初被认可的作品却是以波里纳日为背景，所反映的是他长期生活在其中的乡村文化以及对社会与艺术秩序和对称的理念。这段时间产生了后来被称作布拉班特的绘画作品。

这时他开始沉迷于艺术的发展。尽管他受到实际经验的限制，但其作品从开始就显示出信心与成熟，毫无疑问这是受到了他个人信仰力量的影响。然而从情感上说这是一段不轻松的时期。因为他回到布拉班特后与父母住在一起，家庭关系有些紧张。他手头拮据并反对当时的社会和学术准则。

1881年末，他移居海牙并与一名叫克里斯廷·胡尔尼克的女人同居了一段时间。然而1883年他们关系破裂，他也再没有与其他女人有过明显的亲密关系。

在1883年到1886年间，还是在北布拉班特省，他的画风发展成独具匠心的晦涩的风景画和乡村生活画。他强调性格与表现而不是透视与精确。他已经在试验印象派风格了。

1886年凡高永远地离开了荷兰取道安特卫普前往巴黎，他的艺术风格也发生了重大的变化。在巴黎凡高的作品变得更加青春洋溢。他和弟弟西奥住在一起，他弟弟管理着一家画店的现代画部。一种新的，更加充满活力的画风出现了，同时早期作品中的印象派倾向有所削弱。