Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionist period. He worked as an art dealer (1869-1876) before devoting the remainder of his life to painting.
His painting style is influenced by the Impressionist style and by Japanese prints. His work is characterized by intense colors.
In 1886, Van Gogh moved to Paris to live with his brother, Theo in the artists’ quarter, Montmartre, and to work in the Paris branch of the Goupil art gallery, where his brother worked. He became familiar with the works of the Impressionists while working in the gallery, and he painted — in the Impressionist style — a number of Parisian street scenes and landscapes of locations in the surrounding suburbs between 1886 and 1888. He also painted several self-portraits.
In 1888, Van Gogh moved to Provence, in southern France.
He is perhaps best known for the paintings of sunflowers which he made during his residence in Arles in Provence in 1888—1889. He began a series of sunflower paintings with backgrounds of various shades of blue, but only four were finished. He also painted The Bedroom while in Arles.
Van Gogh struggled with mental illness for the last fifteen years of his life. During 1888—1889 he was hospitalized for several periods in Provence. In 1890 he produced several famous paintings, such as Irises and The Starry Night. He died shortly after returning to the Paris suburbs in 1890.
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