Vincent Van Gogh

1853 - 1890

Born in Holland and the son of a pastor, Post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh received no recognition during his turbulent lifetime as a painter. However his life troubles did not stop him from producing captivating images that involved intensified bold uses of tone and colour. He believed that the secret to becoming an excellent painter was to master drawing then to gradually add shades of colour to sketched images. One of his most celebrated masterpieces, Sunflowers (1888) is an example of how Van Gogh applied this belief into executing well-defined still life illustrations. Vincent Van Gogh’s life came to an even more tragic end when he committed suicide at the age of 37, but he has left an immortal legacy that will continue to influence future generations of artists.