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Vincent van Gogh

1853–1890 · Post-impressionism, Expressionism

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was a Dutch painter whose work moved from dark scenes of rural life to some of the most vivid colour in Western art. Associated with Post-impressionism and seen as a forerunner of Expressionism, he is best experienced in person, where the texture of his paint becomes clear.

Life and work

Vincent van Gogh was born in Zundert in 1853 and died in Auvers-sur-Oise in 1890. He came to painting relatively late, after trying other kinds of work, and his career as an artist was short but highly productive. The works in this gallery show its stages clearly. Early pieces such as Rooftops (1882), Still Life with Bible (1885) and The Potato Eaters (1885) use dark, earthy tones and focus on rural labour and sober interiors. In 1886 and 1887 his palette brightened. Views such as Le Moulin de la Galette and Montmartre at the upper mill, studies like Plaster-Torso, and the Portrait of Père Tanguy show him taking up new ideas about colour and broken brushwork. His copies after Japanese prints, Courtesan: after Eisen and Flowering plum tree (after Hiroshige), both from 1887, reveal how much he learned from flat areas of colour and strong outlines. His best-known year, 1888, centred on Arles and produced The Yellow House, Bedroom in Arles, Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, The Night Café, Café Terrace at Night, Starry Night Over the Rhône and Sower at Sunset. Irises and The Starry Night followed in 1889. He is classed among the Post-impressionists, and his expressive use of colour and line made him an important model for Expressionism.

From darkness to colour at the Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum lets you compare two very different moments. In The Potato Eaters (1885), look at the heavy browns and greens, the dim lamplight and the rough, bony hands of the figures, which he treated as part of the subject rather than flaws to smooth over. Then turn to The Yellow House and Harvest at La Crau, with Montmajour in the Background, both from 1888. The same painter now builds pictures from strong yellows and blues, clear outlines and wide, sunlit space.

Night skies and visible brushwork

Van Gogh painted night scenes without relying on black. At the Kröller-Müller Museum, Café Terrace at Night sets a glowing yellow awning against a deep blue sky dotted with stars. At the Musée d'Orsay, Starry Night Over the Rhône shows starlight and gaslight reflected on the water. The Starry Night at the Museum of Modern Art goes further: up close, look at the swirling, rhythmic strokes in the sky and the dark, flame-like cypress. Thick paint is an important part of the picture, so stand both close and far away.

Where to see the paintings

Van Gogh Museum
The Potato Eaters
Still Life with Bible
Harvest at La Crau, with Montmajour in the Background
The Yellow House
Wheatfield with Crows
Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette
Kröller-Müller Museum
Café Terrace at Night
At Eternity's Gate
Road with Cypress and Star
Blossoming chestnut trees
Langlois Bridge at Arles with Women Washing, The
Musée d'Orsay
Starry Night Over the Rhône
The Church at Auvers
The siesta (after Millet)
J. Paul Getty Museum
Irises
Museum of Modern Art
The Starry Night

Works may be off view or on loan. See each painting’s page for museum details.

Sources