Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890) was a revolutionary Post-Impressionist painter whose emotionally charged brushwork and vivid palette helped redefine the course of modern art. Born in the Netherlands, Van Gogh began pursuing painting in his late twenties and produced over 2,000 works - many of which were created during the last two years of his life. Although largely unrecognized in his lifetime, his paintings conveyed a raw, personal intensity that rejected academic polish in favor of unfiltered emotion.
Van Gogh's works ranged from humble still lifes and rural landscapes to iconic portraits and night scenes that seem to tremble with inner life. Pieces like The Starry Night and Sunflowers reflect both his profound sensitivity and his struggle with mental illness. He spent time in the south of France, particularly in Arles and Saint-Rémy, where the light and landscape intensified his vision. Despite his suffering, Van Gogh believed in art's ability to heal and connect the human spirit with nature. Today, he is seen as a visionary who turned pain into beauty and revolutionized the expressive possibilities of paint.
