Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who became one of the most influential figures in Western art.

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter whose expressive brushwork and vivid colour made him one of the most influential figures in Western art. He produced a large body of work in a short career and died in 1890 at age 37.

What it is

Van Gogh was a Dutch painter born in Zundert, Netherlands, in 1853. He is known for emotionally intense paintings like *The Starry Night* and *Sunflowers*, and is a key figure in the Post-Impressionist movement. His career spanned only about a decade, from roughly 1880 to 1890.

Why it matters

Van Gogh's work revolutionized modern art with its bold colour and emotional depth. Despite selling only a few paintings during his lifetime, he is now one of the best-known artists globally. In Canada, his art is widely studied in education and featured in major museum exhibitions.

Key details

He produced over 800 paintings and 700 drawings, totaling around 2,100 works. He died in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, after shooting himself in the chest. The popular ear-cutting incident involved part of his ear, not the whole ear.