History Creator / VincentVanGogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a famous [[PostSomethingIsm post-impressionist]] artist, famous for his hard life, insanity and vividly colored paintings.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Film/{{Lust for Life}}'', ''Film/{{Vincent and Theo}}'', ''Film/VanGogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Film/AkiraKurosawasDreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''[[Film/AtEternitysGate At Eternity's Gate]]'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]. He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler:though she isn’t ''actually'' him [[CompositeCharacter completely]]. Rather, "Van Gogh" is a FusionDance of Vincent's soul and memories with the mind and body of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology water nymph Clytie]].]]

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Film/{{Lust for Life}}'', ''Film/{{Vincent and Theo}}'', ''Film/VanGogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Film/AkiraKurosawasFilmDreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''[[Film/AtEternitysGate At Eternity's Gate]]'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]. He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler:though she isn’t ''actually'' him [[CompositeCharacter completely]]. Rather, "Van Gogh" is a FusionDance of Vincent's soul and memories with the mind and body of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology water nymph Clytie]].]]

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Film/{{Lust for Life}}'', ''Film/{{Vincent and Theo}}'', ''Film/VanGogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Film/{{Dreams|1990}}'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''[[Film/AtEternitysGate At Eternity's Gate]]'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]. He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler:though she isn’t ''actually'' him [[CompositeCharacter completely]]. Rather, "Van Gogh" is a FusionDance of Vincent's soul and memories with the mind and body of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology water nymph Clytie]].]]

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Film/{{Lust for Life}}'', ''Film/{{Vincent and Theo}}'', ''Film/VanGogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Film/{{Dreams}}'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''[[Film/AtEternitysGate At Eternity's Gate]]'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]. He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler:though she isn’t ''actually'' him [[CompositeCharacter completely]]. Rather, "Van Gogh" is a FusionDance of Vincent's soul and memories with the mind and body of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology water nymph Clytie]].]]

* PosthumousPopularityPotential: Possibly the TropeCodifier. Barely sold a painting during his lifetime, but attracted great acclaim after his passing. Nowadays his works sell for millions. This can be attributed more to his tragically early death, however, than the contemporary art world "just not getting it." Vincent had already attracted attention as a very talented new artist with a lot of potential, and had he lived a few more years he would likely have been considered one of the masters of his time.

Van Gogh fell into depression but decided to enroll in a school to do something with his life. He befriended Creator/HenriDeToulouseLautrec there, but because of his [[NotGoodWithPeople problems]] they fell out. He then moved to Arles, a city in the south of France which he described as [[WretchedHive disgusting and filthy]]. This didn't show in his artwork, as he made some of his most colorful and vibrant pictures of the city there. He found a friend in Paul Gauguin, who came to stay with him at the yellow house he bought in the countryside. However, the two men did not get on. The main issue was that Gauguin treated Van Gogh as a pupil, whereas Van Gogh wanted to be treated as an equal. After an argument in which Van Gogh allegedly threatened Gauguin with a razor blade, Gauguin ran out and Van Gogh [[NeverLiveItDown cut off his ear in a fit of mental illness]][[note]]Some accounts say it was only part of his ear[[/note]]. [[CloudCuckooLander He gave the bit of flesh to a prostitute at a hotel]].

* CreatorBreakdown: In general, his art was inspired by his mental problems. It's not clear what disorders he may be diagnosed with in modern time (if he had any) but some scholars think he may have had manic depression.

* FloralMotifs: According to Gogh, he associated sunflowers with gratitude.

* ArtImitatesArt: Just one example: [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sailormoonvangogh.jpg Look]] [[Anime/SailorMoon familiar?]]

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Lust for Life'', ''Vincent and Theo'', ''Van Gogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Dreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''At Eternity's Gate'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Vincent and the Doctor". He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler:though she isn’t ''actually'' him [[CompositeCharacter completely]]. Rather, "Van Gogh" is a FusionDance of Vincent's soul and memories with the mind and body of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology water nymph Clytie]].]]

After increasing tension and a state of angry paranoia and mental illness, including psychotic episodes that lasted days or even weeks, he returned to Arles. There, 30 townspeople made a petition to get rid of him. He was having [[TheSchizophreniaConspiracy paranoid delusions of people trying to poison him]]. They called him ''fou roux'' ([[MeaningfulName "the redheaded fool/madman"]]) and had him committed to an asylum. There, he threw himself into painting, making brilliant painting after painting. After he left, he moved to the outskirts of Paris and remained reclusive. In 1890, he shot himself in the chest with a revolver in the middle of a field. Unfortunately for him, [[RasputinianDeath he survived and had to stay in the hospital another two days, eventually dying of infections from the gunshot wounds]].

!!Works of Van Gogh with their own pages:

!!Tropes applying to the artist:

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Lust for Life'', ''Vincent and Theo'', ''Van Gogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Dreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''At Eternity's Gate'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Vincent and the Doctor". He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler:though she isn’t ''actually'' him [[CompositeCharacter completely]]. Rather, "Van Gogh" is a FusionDance of Vincent's soul and memories with the mind and body of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology water nymph Clytie]], created by an EldritchAbomination due to the actual Vincent refusing to have any part in its schemes [[HeroicSuicide to the point of killing himself]].]]

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Lust for Life'', ''Vincent and Theo'', ''Van Gogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Dreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''At Eternity's Gate'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Vincent and the Doctor". He even has a Foreigner servant that takes inspiration from him in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[spoiler: though they aren’t actually supposed to ''be'' him, instead being someone posing as him.]]

* NiceHat: His yellow straw hat that often appears in his self-portraits.

In short: [[TheWoobie poor guy]]. He remains influential and recognizable today and a subject of many ArtImitatesArt situations.

->''For they could not love you but still your love was true, \\
And when no hope was left in sight on that starry starry night, \\

This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.''
-->-- '''Music/DonMcLean''', "Vincent" from his album ''Music/AmericanPie''.

[[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY His last name is pronounced the Dutch way]]: [ˈvɪnsɛnt vɑn ˈɣɔx]. The parts "Vincent" and "van" are more or less pronounced as you'd expect, although in Dutch the second V is more of an "f" and the A is more of a short "ah" sound. People have many ways of pronouncing "Gogh". In regular Dutch, there would be a guttural Dutch G, a short O (as in "log"), and another guttural G. In the dialect that Van Gogh spoke, the G sound is similar but softer, like the "h" in "human". English speakers are more divided. Some pronounce it as "van Goch", as though it rhymes with the Scottish word "loch", while others say "van go" or "van Goff". As with any Dutch last name, the "van" is spelled without a capital letter unless his surname is written on its own.

* PosthumousPopularityPotential: Possibly the TropeCodifier. Barely sold a painting during his lifetime, but attracted great acclaim after his passing. Nowadays his works sell for millions.

The letters written by him to his supportive brother Theo not only give a detailed account of his life but [[HeAlsoDid are fascinating literature in their own right]]. Also, he once got into [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor a fight with an invisible alien]]... Alright, alright, it didn't really happen. Sorry.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Lust for Life'', ''Vincent and Theo'', ''Van Gogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Dreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''At Eternity's Gate'', ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Vincent and the Doctor" and even as a Foreigner servant in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: No other artist has as many movies about his life as Vincent: to name a few, ''Lust for Life'', ''Vincent and Theo'', ''Van Gogh'', ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Dreams'' (where he's played by Creator/MartinScorsese of all people), ''At Eternity's Gate'', and even the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Vincent and the Doctor."

* DeadArtistsAreBetter: Possibly the TropeCodifier. Barely sold a painting during his lifetime, but attracted great acclaim after his passing. Nowadays his works sell for millions.