Fame came to him not immediately.
Vincent van Gogh is one of those artists who the experts are unanimously referred to the category of mentally ill artists. On this occasion, written a number of works, whose authors are psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, art historians and cultural experts, and even “Wikipedia” at the request “insane artists” gives information about it.
Researchers argue about diagnoses, making assumptions about the presence of van Gogh’s bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or epilepsy, aggravated by abuse of alcohol. But all of these diagnoses, only the interpretation of a unique ensemble of texts written by Vincent van Gogh.
1. Few artists take pen in his hand, left us with observations, diaries, letters, the meaning of which would be comparable to the contribution made by them in the field of painting.
2. But the letters of van Gogh is a stunning, nothing on similar document spanning hundreds of pages, it is a dialogue with the recipients of letters but also with himself, God, the world.
3. Not in need of mediators and translators, Vincent van Gogh, himself, talks about his experience of mental disorder, to submit to the readers of the amazing, thoughtful, hardworking and very empathetic person, who in between bouts of terrible illness was much more healthy than most of his interpreters and diagnosticians.
4. Heart touching story of artist about the experience of mental disorder begins January 2, 1889 in a letter, addressed to his brother Theo, from the psychiatric hospital of the French city of Arles, where Vincent was after all the famous incident with his ear cut off.
5. “To dispel all your fears on my account, I write you a few words from the study already familiar to you Dr. ray, passing practice in the local hospital. I will stay in it for another two or three days, and then expect to quietly return home. I have only one request — not to worry, otherwise it will be for me a source of unnecessary worry”.
6. By the way, in gratitude for the assistance that Mr. ray had a van Gogh during bouts of illness, the artist painted his portrait. Contemporaries claimed that the portrait was very similar to the model, however, Felix Rey, was indifferent to art. Van Gogh painting lain in the attic, then she has for some time closed the hole in the coop, and only in 1900 (10 years after the artist’s death) the picture found in the yard of Dr. ray. The work was purchased by the famous Russian collector Sergei Shchukin and was kept in his personal collection until 1918. Going to immigration, the collector left the picture at home, so it was in the collection of the State Museum of fine arts. Pushkin in Moscow.
7. After this first hospitalization, Vincent van Gogh would write to his brother Theo: “I Assure you that a few days spent in the hospital, was very interesting: patients should probably learn life. I hope that with me nothing happened — just as is the case with artists, found a temporary Eclipse, accompanied by high temperatures and considerable loss of blood, as he severed an artery; but immediately the appetite was restored, my digestion is good, loss of blood every day filled, and head is clearer”.
8. In a letter to his brother Theo dated January 28, 1889 Vincent van Gogh proposes his own answer to many question about the relationship of genius and insanity, art and psychopathology: “Not to say that we, the artists, the mentally healthy, especially not say this about myself — I soaked in the madness to the bone; but I say and affirm that we have these antidotes and these medications, if we show a little good will, will be much stronger than the disease”.
9. 3 Feb 1889 Vincent van Gogh makes an interesting observation in relation to the inhabitants of Arles — not patients of the local psychiatric hospital, and ordinary citizens: “I Have to say that the neighbors are exceptionally kind to me here, because every something is suffering — with fever who who hallucinations who insanity; therefore, all understand each other perfectly, as members of the same family… But to believe that I am quite healthy, still should not be. Locals suffering from the same malady, told me the whole truth: the patient may live to old age, but he will always be moments of Eclipse. So do not tell me that I’m not more sick or not sick.”
10. From the letter of the artist’s brother, dated March 19, 1889, we learn that the inhabitants of Arles appealed to the mayor, a statement, signed by certain citizens, that van Gogh has no right to live in freedom, after which the police Commissioner has ordered to be hospitalized again artist. “In short, for many days I sit in solitary confinement under lock and key and watched over by the servants, although my insanity is not proven and generally unprovable. Of course, deep down I’m hurt by such a treatment; it is equally obvious that I will not allow myself to resent aloud: to make excuses in such cases, means to plead guilty”.
11. 21 APR Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo about his decision after leaving the hospital to live in a shelter for the mentally ill in Saint-rémy-de-Provence: “I Hope it will be enough if I say that emphatically is not able to find a new Studio and live there alone… my Health is slowly recovering, but I’m afraid of losing her, if I was to take it easy and if I, moreover, will bear the responsibility for the workshop… I was beginning to console the fact that now I’m beginning to consider madness is the same disease, like any other”.
12. The stay of Vincent van Gogh in a psychiatric hospital and later in an asylum funded by the artist’s brother Theo. In addition, Theodore, for more than 10 years and provided Vincent’s livelihood, providing money for rent, and Studio, canvases, paints, and current expenses. “I don’t know of such a medical institution where I would be willing to accept free of charge on the condition that I will paint at their own expense, and all their work to give the hospital. This is not to say large, but still injustice. I find such a hospital, without objection I would have moved her.”
13. Before leaving Arles in the asylum of Saint-rémy-de-Provence, Vincent van Gogh wrote brother the following letter: “I have to take a sober look at things. Of course, there are a bunch of crazy artists: life itself makes them, to put it mildly, somewhat abnormal. Well, of course, if I manage again to go to work, but I touched will remain forever.”
14. Vincent van Gogh spent in the asylum of Saint-rémy-de-Provence year (from may 1889 until may 1890 on), the Director of the orphanage allowed the artist to work with and even provided a separate room for a Studio. Despite repeated seizures, Vincent continued to draw, seeing it as the only means of fighting the disease: “the Work on the paintings — a necessary condition for my recovery: I only with great difficulty moved the last days, when he was forced to sit back and not let me even in the room allotted to me for painting…”
15. In Saint-Remy-de-Provence, the artist paints landscapes, depicting views from the Studio Windows and the garden, and when Vincent was allowed under supervision to leave the orphanage, on his canvases appeared and the surroundings of Saint-Remi.
16. Despite three severe seizures, which for many weeks have brought Vincent down, he wrote this year more than 150 paintings, made over 100 drawings and watercolors.
17. From van Gogh’s letters to his sister: “Here, however, there are several seriously ill patients, but the fear and loathing that was instilled in me before insanity, greatly weakened. And although there are constantly hear horrible screams and howling, resembling a menagerie, residents quickly get to know each other and help each other out when one of them starts the attack. When I’m working in the garden, all patients go to see what I’m doing, and I assure You, behave gentle and polite than the good citizens of Arles: they don’t bother me. It’s possible that I’ll be here for quite a long time. Never felt such peace like here and the hospital in Arles”.
18. Sincere admiration is the desire of Vincent van Gogh’s work, despite illness, to continue to paint and don’t give up: “Life goes and it can not be undone, but this is why I work unsparingly: the opportunity to work is not always repeated. In the case with me — and even more so: after all, stronger than usual, the attack may forever destroy me as an artist”.
19. It is important to note that van Gogh was probably the only resident of the shelter, who worked on the case: “to comply with the treatment applied in this place, very easily even in the case of moving from here, for here nothing doing. Patients is to vegetate in idleness and be comforted by the tasteless (and sometimes stale food.”
20. At the end of may 1890, Theo invited the brother to move closer to him and his family, and Vincent did not object. After spending three days with Theo in Paris, the artist settles in Auvers-sur-Oise (a small village near Paris). Here Vincent is working, not allowing himself a moment’s rest, every day from his brush out new work. Thus, in the last two months of his life he created 70 paintings and 32 figures.
21. In Auvers-sur-Oise observation of the artist takes on Dr. Gachet, who was a specialist in the field of heart disease and a great lover of art. This doctor Vincent writes: “As I understand it, count on Dr. Gachet is not necessary in any way. First, I think he’s sick even more than I — in any case not less; so there’s that. And if the blind leads the blind, won’t crash if they’re both in the ditch?”
22. Collapsed… 29 Jul 1890 will leave from the life of Vincent van Gogh, having shot himself in the chest, he will die in the caused by the presence of Dr. Gachet. In the pocket of the artist will find the last letter to Theo van Gogh, which ends like this: “well, I paid with his life for his work, and it cost me half my sanity, so…”
23. The death of his elder brother would be disastrous and Theodore van Gogh: after an unsuccessful attempt to organize a posthumous exhibition of paintings brother Theo will show signs of insanity, his wife decides to put a patient in a psychiatric hospital, where he dies on 21 January 1891.
24. The joint work of the brothers will be highly appreciated posthumously, and the incredible injustice it seems that none of them lived to see the day when Vincent van Gogh came international fame and recognition.
