Where Van Gogh died. The mystery of Van Gogh's madness: what does his last painting say? He probably didn't cut off his own ear.

"Encyclopedia of Death. Chronicles of Charon»

Part 2: Dictionary of Chosen Deaths

The ability to live well and die well is one and the same science.

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VAN GOGH Vincent

(1853-1890) Dutch painter

It is known that Van Gogh suffered bouts of insanity, one of which even led to the fact that he cut off part of his ear. A little over a year before his death, Van Gogh voluntarily decided to settle in an asylum for the mentally ill in Saint-Paul-de-Mosole (France). Here he was given a separate room, which at the same time served as a workshop; he had the opportunity, accompanied by a minister, to wander around the neighborhood to paint landscapes. Here he has his first last time in life they bought a painting - a certain Anna Bosch paid 400 francs for the painting "Red Vine".

On July 29, 1890, after dinner, Van Gogh left the orphanage alone, without a servant. He wandered around the field a little, then went into the peasant's yard. The owners were not at home. Van Gogh took out a gun and shot himself in the heart. The shot was not as accurate as his strokes. The bullet hit the costal bone, deviated and missed the heart. Clamping the wound with his hand, the artist returned to the shelter and went to bed.

Doctor Mazri was called from the nearest village and the police. Either the wound did not cause Van Gogh great suffering, or he was insensitive to physical pain (recall the story with the cut off ear), but only when the police arrived, he calmly smoked a pipe, lying in bed.

At night he died. Van Gogh's body was placed on a billiard table, and his paintings were hung on the walls. Dr. Gachet, who treated the artist, sketched this scene with a pencil.

When 37-year-old Vincent van Gogh died on July 29, 1890, his work was almost unknown to anyone. Today, his paintings are worth stunning sums and adorn best museums peace.

125 years after the death of the great Dutch painter, it is time to learn more about him and dispel some of the myths that, like all art history, his biography is full of.

He changed several jobs before becoming an artist

The son of a minister, Van Gogh started working at the age of 16. His uncle hired him as an intern for an art dealership in The Hague. He happened to travel to London and Paris, where the firm's branches were located. In 1876 he was fired. After that, he worked briefly as a schoolteacher in England, then as a bookstore clerk. From 1878 he served as a preacher in Belgium. Van Gogh was in need, he had to sleep on the floor, but less than a year later he was fired from this post. Only after that he finally became an artist and did not change his occupation anymore. In this field, he became famous, however, posthumously.

Van Gogh's career as an artist was short

In 1881, the self-taught Dutch artist returned to the Netherlands, where he devoted himself to painting. He was supported financially and materially by his younger brother Theodore, a successful art dealer. In 1886 the brothers settled in Paris, and these two years French capital turned out to be fateful. Van Gogh took part in exhibitions of the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists, he began to use a light and bright palette, experimenting with methods of applying strokes. The artist spent the last two years of his life in the south of France, where he created some of his most famous paintings.

In his entire ten-year career, he sold only a few of over 850 paintings. His drawings (there are about 1300 of them left) were then unclaimed.

He probably didn't cut off his own ear.

In February 1888, after living in Paris for two years, Van Gogh moved to the south of France, to the city of Arles, where he hoped to establish a community of artists. He was accompanied by Paul Gauguin, with whom they became friends in Paris. The officially accepted version of events is as follows:

On the night of December 23, 1888, they quarreled, and Gauguin left. Van Gogh, armed with a razor, pursued his friend, but, not catching up, returned home and, in annoyance, partially cut off his left ear, then wrapped it in a newspaper and gave it to some prostitute.

In 2009, two German scientists published a book suggesting that Gauguin, being a good swordsman, cut off part of Van Gogh's ear with a saber during a duel. According to this theory, Van Gogh, in the name of friendship, agreed to hide the truth, otherwise Gauguin would have been threatened with prison.

The most famous paintings were painted by him in a psychiatric clinic

In May 1889, Van Gogh asked for help from mental asylum Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, located in a former monastery in the city of Saint-Remy-de-Provence in southern France. Initially, the artist was diagnosed with epilepsy, but the examination also revealed bipolar disorder, alcoholism and metabolic disorders. Treatment consisted mainly of baths. He remained in the hospital for a year and painted a number of landscapes there. Over a hundred paintings from this period include some of his most famous works, such as " Starlight Night” (acquired by the New York Museum of contemporary art in 1941) and Irises (purchased by an Australian industrialist in 1987 for a then-record $53.9 million)

At the age of 37, on July 27, 1890, the amazing and unique artist Vincent van Gogh committed suicide. In the afternoon, he went out into a wheat field behind the small French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, located a few kilometers from Paris, and fired a revolver into his chest.

Prior to that, for a year and a half, he had suffered from mental disorders, ever since he cut off his own ear in 1888.

The Last Days of an Artist

After that high-profile incident of self-harm, Van Gogh was tormented by periodic but debilitating attacks of insanity, which turned him into an embittered and inadequate person. He could stay in this state from several days to several weeks. In the periods between attacks, the artist was calm and thought clearly. These days, he loved to draw and seemed to be trying to make up for the time taken from him. For ten and a few years of creativity, Van Gogh created several thousand works, including oil paintings, drawings and sketches.

His last creative period, held in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, turned out to be the most productive. After Van Gogh left the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, he settled in the picturesque Auvers. In just over two months spent there, he completed 75 oil paintings and drew over a hundred drawings.

Death of Van Gogh

Despite the extraordinary productivity, the artist did not cease to be tormented by feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Van Gogh became more and more convinced that his life was worthless and was wasted. Perhaps the reason for this was the lack of recognition of his talent by his contemporaries. Despite the novelty of artistic expression and unique style paintings, Vincent van Gogh rarely received laudatory reviews of his work.

Ultimately, the desperate artist found a small pocket revolver that belonged to the owner of the boarding house where Van Gogh lived. He took a weapon in the field and shot himself in the heart. However, due to the small size of the revolver and the small caliber, the bullet got stuck in the rib and did not reach the target.

Wounded, Van Gogh lost consciousness and fell into a field, dropping his revolver. In the evening, after dark, he came to his senses and tried to finish what he started, but could not find a weapon. With difficulty, he returned to the boarding house, where the owners called the doctor and the artist's brother. Theo arrived the next day and did not leave the wounded man's bed. For some time, Theodore hoped that the artist would recover, but Vincent van Gogh intended to die, and on the night of July 29, 1890, he died at the age of 37, saying to his brother in the end: "That's exactly how I wanted to leave."

On the verge of insanity

Today, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam opened a new exhibition called "On the Edge of Madness". It reveals in detail, carefully and as objectively as possible the life of the artist in the last year and a half, at that very time, overshadowed by bouts of madness.

Despite the fact that it does not give an exact answer to the question of what exactly the artist suffered from, the exhibition presents the viewers with still unexhibited exhibits related to the life of Van Gogh, and a number of his latest works.

Possible diagnoses

As for the diagnosis, over the years there have been a lot of different theories, well-founded and not very well-founded, regarding what Vincent van Gogh actually suffered from, what his insanity consisted of. Both epilepsy and schizophrenia were considered. In addition, among the possible ailments were listed a split personality, complications of alcohol dependence and psychopathy.

Van Gogh's first recorded bout of insanity and violence was in December 1988, when, as a result of conflicts with his friend Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh attacked him with a razor. Nothing is known for certain about the causes and course of this particular quarrel, but as a result, in a fit of repentance, Van Gogh cut off his own ear with this very razor.

There are many theories about the causes of self-harm and even doubts about the very fact of self-harm. Many believe that Van Gogh hid Paul Gauguin from responsibility and trial in this way. However, this theory has no practical evidence.

Saint Remy de Provence

After a bout of violence, the artist was taken to a psychiatric hospital, where everything continued until Van Gogh was placed in a ward for especially violent patients. At that time, the diagnosis of psychiatrists was epilepsy.

After the attack ended, Van Gogh asked to be allowed back to Arles so that he could continue painting. However, on the recommendation of doctors, the artist was transferred to a mental hospital located near Arles. Van Gogh lived in Saint-Remy-de-Provence for almost a year. There he painted about 150 paintings, most of which are landscapes and still lifes.

The tension and anxiety that tormented the artist during this period are reflected in the extraordinary dynamism of his canvases and the use of darker tones. One of the most famous works Van Gogh - "Starry Night" - was created during this period.

Curious exhibits

The exhibition "On the Threshold of Madness", despite the lack of precise diagnoses, gives an unusually visual and emotional account of the last stage of the artist's life. In addition to the paintings, over which in last days Van Gogh worked, letters from his brother Theo, notes from a doctor who treated the artist in Arles, and even a revolver from which the artist shot himself in the chest are exhibited here.

The revolver was found in that same field seventy years after Van Gogh's death. Its model and corrosion confirm that this is the same weapon that inflicted a mortal wound on the artist.

A note in a letter from Dr. Felix Rey, who was treating the artist after a sensational razor incident, contains a diagram showing exactly how Van Gogh's ear was cut off. Until now, it has often been mentioned that the artist cut off his earlobe. It follows from the letter that Van Gogh cut off the auricle almost completely, leaving only part of the lower lobe.

The final stage of creativity

The exhibition is interesting not only for those who are interested in the life and death of the great artist, but also for fans of his work, since the canvases, drawings and sketches presented in it appear before the viewer in a different light.

Against the background of evidence of the artist's practical insanity, the latest paintings look like a kind of visual timeline, showing when the artist visited periods of clarity and peace, and when he was tormented by anxiety.

last picture

The last painting that Van Gogh worked on in the morning of that very July day is called “Roots of Trees”. The painting remained unfinished.

At first glance, the painting is an abstract composition, unlike anything the artist has depicted before on his canvases. However, upon careful study, an image of an unusual landscape emerges, in which the main role allotted to tightly intertwined tree roots.

In many ways, "Tree Roots" is an innovative composition, even for Van Gogh - there is not a single point of focus in it, and it does not follow the rules. The picture seems to herald the onset of abstractionism.

At the same time, considering this painting as part of the exhibition "On the Threshold of Madness", it is difficult not to evaluate it retrospectively. Is there a secret in it and what is it? Involuntarily, questions are asked: while painting the intertwined tree roots, what was the artist thinking about, who in a few hours will try to shoot at his own heart?

Image copyright Van Gogh

On a summer day in 1890, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in a field outside Paris. The reviewer examines the painting he was working on that morning to see what it says about the artist's state of mind.

On July 27, 1890, Vincent van Gogh walked into a wheat field behind a castle in the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, a few kilometers from Paris, and shot himself in the chest.

By that time, the artist had been suffering from mental illness- ever since the December evening in 1888, during his life in the city of Arles in French Provence, the unfortunate cut off his left ear with a razor.

After that, he had occasional seizures that undermined his strength and after which he was in a state of clouded consciousness for several days, or even weeks, or lost touch with reality.

However, in the intervals between breakdowns, his mind was calm and clear, and the artist could paint.

Moreover, his stay in Auvers, where he arrived in May 1890 after leaving the psychiatric hospital, was the most fruitful stage of his creative life: in 70 days he created 75 paintings and more than a hundred drawings and sketches.

Dying, Van Gogh said: "That's how I wanted to leave!"

However, despite this, he felt more and more lonely and could not find a place for himself, convincing himself that his life was in vain.

Finally he got hold of a small revolver belonging to the owner of the house he rented in Auvers.

It was the weapon he took with him into the field on that fateful Sunday afternoon at the end of July.

However, only a pocket revolver fell into his hands, not very powerful, so when the artist pulled the trigger, the bullet, instead of piercing the heart, ricocheted off the rib.

Van Gogh lost consciousness and fell to the ground. When evening came, he came to his senses and began to look for a revolver to bring the matter to an end, but did not find it and trudged back to the hotel, where a doctor was called for him.

The incident was reported to Van Gogh's brother, Theo, who arrived the next day. For some time Theo thought that Vincent would survive - but there was nothing to be done. That same night, at the age of 37, the artist died.

“I didn’t leave his bed until it was all over,” Theo wrote to his wife Johanna. “Dying, he said:“ That’s how I wanted to leave! ”, After which he lived for a few more minutes, and then it was all over, and he found a peace he could not find on earth."

The life, death and work of Vincent van Gogh have been studied quite well. Dozens of books and monographs have been written about the great Dutchman, hundreds of dissertations have been defended and several films have been made. Despite this, researchers are constantly finding new facts from the life of the artist. Recently, researchers have questioned the canonical version of the suicide of a genius and put forward their own version.

Van Gogh biography researchers Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith believe that the artist did not commit suicide, but was the victim of an accident. Scientists came to this conclusion after conducting a large-scale search work and studying many documents and memoirs of eyewitnesses and friends of the artist.

Gregory White Smith and Steve Knife

Nyfi and White Smith designed their work in the form of a book called “Van Gogh. Life". Work on new biography Dutch artist took more than 10 years, despite the fact that scientists were actively assisted by 20 researchers and translators.

Auvers-sur-Oise cherishes the memory of the artist

It is known that Van Gogh died in a hotel in the small town of Auvers-sur-Oise, located 30 km from Paris. It was believed that on July 27, 1890, the artist went for a walk in the picturesque surroundings, during which he shot himself in the heart area. The bullet did not reach the target and went lower, so the wound, although severe, did not lead to immediate death.

Vincent van Gogh "Wheat Field with Reaper and Sun" Saint-Remy, September 1889

Wounded, Van Gogh returned to his room, where the hotel owner called a doctor. The next day, Theo, the brother of the artist, arrived in Auvers-sur-Oise, in whose arms he died on July 29, 1890, at 1.30 am, 29 hours after the fatal shot. Last words that Van Gogh said was the phrase "La tristesse durera toujours" (Sorrow will last forever).

Auvers-sur-Oise. Tavern "Ravu" on the second floor of which the great Dutchman died

But according to research by Stephen Knyfi, Van Gogh did not go for a walk in the wheat fields on the outskirts of Auvers-sur-Oise in order to take his own life.

“People who knew him thought he was accidentally killed by a couple of local teenagers, but he decided to protect them and took the blame.”

This is what Naifi thinks, referring to the numerous references to this strange story eyewitnesses. Did the artist have a weapon? Most likely it was, since Vincent once acquired a revolver to scare away flocks of birds, which often prevented him from drawing from life in nature. But at the same time, no one can say with certainty whether Van Gogh took weapons with him that day.

The tiny closet where Vincent van Gogh spent his last days, in 1890 and now

For the first time, the version of careless murder was put forward back in 1930 by John Renwald, a well-known researcher of the painter's biography. Renwald visited the city of Auvers-sur-Oise and spoke with several residents who still remembered the tragic incident.

Also, John was able to access the medical records of the doctor who examined the wounded man in his room. According to the description of the wound, the bullet entered the abdominal cavity in the upper part along a trajectory close to a tangent, which is not at all typical for cases when a person shoots himself.

The graves of Vincent and his brother Theo, who survived the artist by only six months

Stephen Nyfi in the book puts forward a very convincing version of what happened, in which his young acquaintances became the perpetrators of the death of a genius.

“It was known that these two teenagers often went out for drinks with Vincent at that time of the day. One of them had a cowboy suit and a malfunctioning gun with which he played cowboy."

The scientist believes that careless handling of the weapon, which was also faulty, led to an involuntary shot, with which Van Gogh was mortally wounded in the stomach. It is unlikely that teenagers wanted the death of their older friend - most likely, there was a murder by negligence. The noble artist, not wanting to ruin the life of the young men, took the blame upon himself, and told the guys to keep quiet.