Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch artist who died at the age of 37. His young life was filled with adversity, from ill health to a number of failed romantic relationships. Only when he was in his late 20s did he begin focusing on his art. His younger brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris, encouraged him to take up the art. The brothers became close friends, and Theo wrote to Van Gogh hundreds of letters.
There are two theories as to how Van Gogh died. One theory holds that he shot himself in the abdomen while painting in a wheat field in Auvers-sur-Oise. He then walked a mile back to his hotel and died there two days later. This theory has not been confirmed by the Dutch National Gallery. But it does suggest that Van Gogh was afflicted with a severe form of schizophrenia.
While in Europe, Van Gogh struggled to make ends meet. His art internship ended and he wandered the continent in search of a purpose. Though he tried to establish an art collective, he continued his nomadic lifestyle, creating some of his most famous paintings during this period. In the meantime, he developed his signature style of painting, characterized by lighter tones and short brush strokes.
In his final days, Vincent Van Gogh's life was marked by a suicide attempt. According to the artist's diary, he had a severe attack on himself. He was still trying to recover from the trauma that he had experienced that night. After he died, his brother Theo van Gogh and his sister Johanna worked tirelessly to promote their work, making him famous.
