Vincent Van Gogh

As an artist, one of my favorite painters was Van Gogh. I consider my self very lucky in that some of my artwork has actually sold. It is ironic that Van Gogh, now considered one of the greatest artists ever, and who works sell for millions of dollars today, only sold one painting in his lifetime at what would be considered $80 dollars today. Although not a French artist, his works created from 1886-1809 when he lived in France make him a necessary person to include in this blog.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist. His paintings and drawings include some of the world's best known, most popular and most expensive pieces.
Van Gogh spent his early adult life working for a firm of art dealers. After a brief spell as a teacher, he became a missionary worker in a very poor mining region. He did not embark upon a career as an artist until 1880. Initially, Van Gogh worked only with sombre colours, until he encountered Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism in Paris. He incorporated their brighter colours and style of painting into a uniquely recognizable style, which was fully developed during the time he spent at Arles, France. He produced more than 2,000 works, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches, during the last ten years of his life. Most of his best-known works were produced in the final two years of his life, during which time he cut off part of his left ear following a breakdown in his friendship with Paul Gauguin. After this he suffered recurrent bouts of mental illness, which led to his suicide. (courtesy of Wikipedia)