(1853–90). During his lifetime, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting. By the end of the 20th century, however, people regularly paid millions of dollars for his work. He is well known for his self-portraits, for vivid landscapes such as Starry Night, and for colorful paintings of objects, including Irises and Sunflowers.

Early life

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in the town of Zundert in The Netherlands. His father was a Protestant clergyman. At age 16 Van Gogh became an apprentice to art dealers. The job gave him a look at much modern and classic art, but it did not make him happy. Searching for a new beginning, he turned to religious studies. Eventually he did missionary work in Belgium. He lived in poverty and served humble coal miners. Church leaders thought he took the idea of charity too far and removed him from the position.

Artistic career

Van Gogh did not begin his career as an artist until 1880, when he was about 27 years old. In the following ten years he produced more than 800 oil paintings and 700 drawings.

Van Gogh moved around frequently during these years. He studied in Belgium at the Brussels Academy and then in The Netherlands with Dutch landscape painter Anton Mauve. In 1885 he returned to Belgium to attend the Antwerp Academy. There he was inspired by the works of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. Like Rubens, Van Gogh wanted to show a mood through a combination of colors. During a two-year stay in Paris, Van Gogh met many modern artists and his style became less traditional. In 1888 he moved to the village of Arles in southeastern France, where he did some of his best work.

Many of Van Gogh's works feature coarse brushwork. He was known to work with great speed and passion. Van Gogh had a great influence on the art form known as expressionism—showing the emotions that objects and events stir up in the artist.

Illness and death

To many people, Van Gogh is remembered as much for his mental problems as for his artistic talent. A famous event took place in Arles on Christmas Eve 1888. After a quarrel with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh cut off the lower half of his own left ear. Van Gogh spent much of the rest of his life in and out of hospitals.

Van Gogh shot himself on July 27, 1890. He died two days later near Paris. He is buried next to his brother Theo. Much of what is known about Van Gogh's life comes from his letters to Theo, who regularly gave money to the struggling artist.