Along with the present and potential future, I need to learn about the past. Instances in the history of art and design that stood out, cases of artists who had issues but never received the needed attention, and artists who took advantage of their position. When the clash between a person’s interests and the art they do come into question, taking a side is not so easy. Regarding Vincent Van Gogh, his art seemed to supersede his emotional trauma and depression, which led to his apparent suicide. More importantly, the idea that his art supersedes his health is quite interesting. Whether an artist’s art can be separated from the artist as an identity is a debacle, which is what I have written on.
Over the last 10 years, the much-needed attention that mental health has received has increased exponentially. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case in previous centuries. In the 19th Century, such illnesses were mocked, ignored, and the suffering received no attention for their pain. For a profession respected by society like a doctor or a trade merchant, the drawbacks were nowhere as bad as compared to those with unorthodox professions, like artists. Vincent Van Gogh was no different.
The stereotype that money can buy a man anything is debated nowadays, but in older times it was commonly believed. Van Gogh’s childhood was that as an artist, but a quiet and reserved one. Starting as an art dealer, he would travel often but became depressed after being transferred to London. After that, he began his art career but was relatively unsuccessful. His brother Theo helped him financially, but Van Gogh’s health remained poor. His health continued to decline and ended with Van Gogh fatally shooting himself, succumbing to his wounds. After his death, Van Gogh received an unprecedented amount of fame and was known as the misunderstood genius, in stark contrast to the titles of madman and failure given to him while he was alive.
While the art may be spectacular, the fact that Van Gough suffered from a mental illness does not allow his art to be separated from him. Since Van Gogh was suffering from an illness that at the time was unknown, and even till this day is quite subjective in analysis and solutions, anything that he chose to do would bear the invisible stamp of depression. If someone was to ever buy a Van Gogh art piece, that stamp would be there. Van Gogh’s conditions can’t leave his paintings since it’s the same hands that shot him that painted the art we now celebrate and herald. An artist while is known for what they make, is nonetheless also known for who they are. This applies to all humans, regardless of the walk of life they choose.
Van Gogh’s overall impact on art is massively celebrated. Often referred to as the ‘Mad Artist,’ van Gogh is today regarded as one of the most popular post-impressionist painters. Van Gogh’s definite brushwork and contoured forms have massively influenced Expressionism, Fauvism, and early abstraction as well as various other aspects of 20th-century art. Since it is none but the man who comes up with the style, like Salvador Dali was the father of Surrealism and not his paintings who founded it, Van Gogh is the artist who had such an impact, through the paintings he made over his life.
As quoted by Lemony Snicket, “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so”, mental illnesses need more attention and support. Seeing how Van Gogh died of depression, no one knows how many talents are being plagued by the ever-rising topic of mental illnesses.
