Vincent van Gogh the Maverick Genius - A Story of Passion, Tragedy, and Legacy

[Music] [Applause] ah good amour only spent Vince Minardi colossal noodle under shoulder you don't speak Dutch okay we're doing English yes my name is Vincent van Gogh the great Dutch artist and I was born here in Sun dirt in Holland in 1853 a time which is very different from yours look at the way we dress look at these poor boys they're 9 years old and they walked down the mine look at the transport that we use we have to use carts and carriages because there are no cars there are not computers no televisions telephones they don't exist because those wonderful trains they've just been invented wonderful would you like to meet my family this is my father Theodorus van Gogh he's a minister in the church and this is my mother Anna this is my grandad Vincent he's a pastor in the church and this is my uncle Vincent we call him Saint because we're not very imaginative with names in our family he's not dealer and this is my brother Theo have you got a brother my brother's wonderful he looks after me I wouldn't exist without him and this is me 8:14 a 90 looking very smart yes John I'll show you the rest of my life when I was a child we went to my father's church at Sunday every Sunday morning and we would watch him preach from the pulpit here we would have to listen very very carefully but there's something very strange about this church because in the graveyard over here was a gravestone with my name on it it said Vincent van gock died 1852 I thought I'm Vincent van Gogh why is that gravestone got my name on it turns out that this is my dead brother who died exactly one year before I was born I thought this was very very strange some years later I read a book by this man dr. Luthan who said that children brought up as replacements for a dead child off mandir harming themselves a dying young remember that because that's an important part of the story when I was 16 I left school I went to work for my uncle sent at Google's in The Hague the art dealers I am really enjoying it I did really well I was there for about two years and then they promoted me and they sent me to London why don't we add place that is it's following these people not speak English I speak Dutch I learned English when I was in London I stayed in a little house in Brixton here and in the house to live the lawyer family and they had a daughter called Eugenie she was 18 years old I was 19 years old she was very pretty so one day I said to her Eugenie would you like to come drink with me and she said no I thought that's right again so I bought some flowers I talked to her Eugenia would you like to come out for a drink with me and she said no I thought I'll try one more time but before I was about to ask her a father stepped in and said don't you ever ask my daughter out again she just don't want to go out with you I felt very sad the first girl I fall in love we didn't want to know me still I was doing very well at work in fact so well they promoted me yes they promoted me to the Paris office of Google's big problem because in Paris they all speak French I don't speak French I learned how to speak French I was doing very well at the Paris office but one day a man came in and he said to me young man he said the painting over here we said I'm interested in this painting how much is it I said it's one hundred thousand francs but I said there's another painting over here by the same artist it only costs fifty thousand francs who said I'd rather like that I think I'll buy it I wrapped it up for him he's signed the check he gave me the money he took the painting he walked out of a gallery I was so pleased I sold the painting for fifty thousand francs my boss came up to me and said you should be boy why did you sell me for that painting for fifty thousand francs did you not know that he's a millionaire he could have bought any painting in the gallery you sorted the cheapest one I lost my job he sacked me when I got back to Holland I had no idea what to do my father suggested why don't you become a preacher yes I brought a Bible and I used to read the Bible everyday yes because I thought if I'm going to be preached I need to know the line and walk down the street with a Bible in my hand and sometimes have a shouts of people you have you seen today because if you have you need to repaint before God's people thought that was a bit weird I don't know why people would walk the other side of the street when they saw me coming a bit strange but then my father suggested that maybe I should go to the seminary and learn how to become a preacher properly so I started the seminary but you had to do lots of tests you had to do lots of writing I failed the test I was there for three months I failed the test they said you have to take the test again I said I don't want to take the test again I just want to be a preacher I left but eventually the evangelists sacked me because I was too Seles my family thinks I'm a failure I lost my job as an art dealer I lost my job as a preacher at 27 years old like I sent home to live with my peers my father is a new job in Acton the preacher of the church there while I was there I met my father's friend Reverend Peterson was a part-time painter he suggested to me he said Vincent when you were a boy you were good at drawing and painting why do you think about becoming an artist a few days later I wrote to my brother Theo dear Theo I'm going to become an artist I need some materials I need an easel I need paints and canvases if you could send me some money he said yes isn't he a good brother I don't paint every day because I'm gonna become an artist yes this looks a good spot I could set up my easily in the middle of the road and do some drawing what do you think it's dangerous why cause but that although it comes they've not been invented yet oh you think a horse and carriage the horse might come over and walk all over me no it won't it's an intelligent animal little walk around me I'm perfectly safe you wouldn't be because you live in the mad world full of cars I spent the whole day drawing but I kept thinking about key keys my cousin and her husband has died recently I've fallen in love with her I asked her to marry me she said no she rejected me she disappeared I feel sad really sad my father said why don't you come back to the church embrace the church come back again I said no I don't want to do that the church rejected me I've got to be involved in the church again we had a big argument he threw me out the house I've now got no way to live I wrote a letter to fear dear fear do you think you could send me some money because I want to go to The Hague dad's throw me out the house I need somewhere to live he said yes he's me a good brother but he is a big place I need to find somewhere to live hmm this looks good I could work here and walk around the streets join River somebody was working old skin there and for them pulling a cartilage for them yes sometimes I'd spend 12 hours outside drawing just trying I won't stop won't stop sweet because I haven't got any money for food but I decided only these lessons I got some lessons with a man called out to move he's a friend of my father's but it costs money and I don't have any money dear feel could you send me some money I need some lessons I've got to take some art lessons he said yes so I have art lessons without till move you taught me how to draw and paint but the trouble is he kept going over the same things over and over again you should drag me up the wall eventually I said no I can't talk this anymore and I left I decided if I'm gonna become an artist I'm just going to become an artist I was walking home one evening after a day's painting when I saw a girl standing underlap pups holding a baby she smiled at me I smiled back she looks nice so I went up to her and I said would you like to come out for a drink with me then she said yes Wow it's wonderful so we went for a drink it turns out that she's got no job and she just hangs around a lamppost for some reason and she's got no way to live so I suggested by the income and live with me I haven't got a couple of little rooms you could come and stay with me apparently her name's Sienna she moved into my rooms it was wonderful oh I do like a baby screaming they are sent some more money so we had plenty of money for food I would draw same all the time sometimes she'd be just sitting by the fire contemplating all the time she'll be peeling potatoes Caitlin should be sewing but then one evening I came home it was about a year later I walked in the door and said CN I'm home there's no answer CN I went upstairs baby girl Oh closer or my closing thought BIA fear see Aidan's left me she's taken everything could you send me some money please he said yes there was nothing left for me in the hague so I decided to go to my parents new house anointed it took me five days to get there I hope I'll be welcomed I threw myself into my work painting the drawing every day I painted the house the church where my father preaches and the cottages that the poor living they worked so hard in the fields and have no look at them I've got fear he's a good man my father died in 1885 we didn't get on I'm going to be an artist have been joined and painting now for five years I've sold nothing so far I'm hopeful I know I haven't got there yet but I'm hunting for it I'm fighting for it I wanna paint something fresh something new something with soul in it onwards upwards that's where I'm going my parents can't understand why I want to paint the poor the workers the real people they think actually painting nice pretty pictures of nice people in nice houses because they'll sell they just don't understand I want to pick the real world I want to beat real people look at them do you think they look happy of course they don't because they saw poor look at what they are eating they're eating potatoes imagine eating potatoes for breakfast for lunch for the evening meal every day there's no meat no vegetables they can't afford them this off poor look at their fingers look at their how twisted they are well no because they work hard in the field every day I showed my picture Theo and some of his art friends they said it looked dull dismal dreary don't get it they just don't understand I want to pay real life I want to paint something with soul in it I'm beginning to feel like a stranger in my own country in my whole family maybe it's time I left yes maybe it's time I went back to Paris there there's lots of great artists they'll understand but to get back to Paris I need to get on the train to get on the train I need a ticket and to get a ticket I need money fear fear I took the train to Paris in March 1886 I lived in a lot of tiny rooms in boarding houses until feel gave me a room in this house I feel friends in Paris I was lonely I spent a lot of time painting myself looking in the mirror this is a first self-portrait I did in Paris have you noticed how dark the colors are how smooth my brush strokes are this time I thought you should paint but then I saw Monet's paintings and he paints in little dabs of color in bright bright colors it's wonderful so I copied him I wonder the streets of Paris I pick anything I could see I'd be looked at more March 20 or less I've been to de clichy I go into the bars I go outside the bars I stop people in the streets I pick the railway stations I think the skies I paint a landscape I pick everything sometimes I paint for 12 hours non-stop I get so tired I just collapse with exhaustion it's a choice it's a choice between buying food and buy bait I'm an artist so I play the paint I still don't us to having that could be successful Theo keeps displaying some of my paintings in his gallery but they don't sell no books to buy them they don't like my paintings I be painted seven years I've not sold the painting but one day I will one day I'm gonna be successful I know being in Paris now for two years it's so busy working so hard Tom Druce arrest I need some tranquility I need to be alone it's like holding Paris in the winter maybe it's time for a change I could set up in your school I could invite other artists do with me somewhere in the Sun the South of France it's a good idea to get to the South of France I need to go on the train to get on the train I need money dear fear so this is ours it's very quiet you haven't got lots of people rushing around like you're having Paris making lots of noise it's also war you know I've strung for six years to become an artist really tried hard but I think here I could recover my toys and I can paint but first I need to find somewhere to live I found this place to stay on the ruler Mateen I call it the yellow house because it's yellow I love the color so I painted it these are my lodges I read two rooms with the 250 francs a month that feel gives me it's not much and once that played the rate there's not much left over for food and paint I survived this is my room and this room is spare at the moment I'm hoping an artist's were moving and we can set up an artist colony who work together and produce lots of wonderful paintings would you like it's all in my room this is my bedroom here and this is my bathroom tiny isn't it imagine living here in this tiny room and this this is my lounge it's a single chair that's all I've got would you like to see the painting I did in my room just wait there I'll show you one night I went round the corner from the yellow house to paint the cafe it was quite like when I started but it soon got dark and I couldn't see really really frustrating I was getting really angry I couldn't see but then I had this brilliant idea I've got a hat and there's a candle shop I believe round the corner and look to the shop I bought the candles and I bought some cord as well and I tied the candles to my hat a little more went back to my painting now I can see I can see what I'm doing yes this is great I can see one doing I can finish my painting but the next few months I go out in the fields of paint every day I started so rise and go back so sick it gets really really hot [Music] [Music] ah I'm gonna let them feel surely I've shown it with milk look here look look like that we feel is it dear Vincent Paul Gauguin's gonna come down to stay with you okay these are clay eyes it's gonna stay with me we could set up the artists colony we can paint together I can have my dream of creating this colony it's gonna be wonderful I'm so looking forward to seeing him [Music] I thought Gorgons room looked very dolls I decided to paint some pictures too brightly top for his arrival I got some some files from the field and set them up to paint but I kept dying and only managed to produce two paintings but I hung them up on his wall I'm looking forward to his company to his friendship I'd be so lonely on my own I just hope he likes my work Goga has been staying with me now for nine months we don't get on well together we keep arguing you need to tell me that my work is rubbish that I should be painting things from imagination that should stop painting things that I see all the time use your imagination he says he keeps asking me I'm the paint design I sold I've sold any paintings I've been painting eight years now and I've not sold any paintings okay so I agree with him last week I ate him where a big fight and now it tells me it's gonna leave my idea that the artist Collin is just falling apart I'm gonna be on my own again I move so lonely then nice receive this letter from Theo Theo tells me it's gonna get married that means a room in this house will no longer be free it won't be a visiting anymore he doesn't want me he's rejecting me again everybody's rejecting me I'm gonna be on my own so lovely [Music] in stillness nice drama here open a piece of newspaper I took it outside went down the street and I gave it to a girl she burst into tears I don't know why they found me the following day and took me to hospital I was in the hospital for two weeks a week after I came out of hospital I painted this picture here the local people think I'm mad they've got a petition up they won't be locked away give me asylum Theo thinks I should go back to hospital too but I don't want to go back to hospital he too wants to send me to the asylum that's a hospital for people with problems with their minds I don't want to go after a few months of abuse and harassment from the people of ours pressure from feel and a few personal problems of my own I realized I do need some help so I've decided to come here to the asylum at son Remi I hope they can tell me what causes my attacks of madness I think after will come in here a change of surroundings will do me good I do hope so this is my room of a the asylum you'll notice there's bars of the windows here and they lock the door at night so I can't escape but they do let me paint when when I'm not having an episode and they'll let me paint and I painted this picture here that man calls for a book he sees the orderly he looks after me do you think he looks at a man jewelry dust me if I'm having having a necklace older and churches shaking they did they take all my clothes off so I'm naked and they put me into of this bath Peter look at it's full of ice and they put me in there until I calm down as I stop shaking back up top Jay thinks I'm so cold when I was feeling stable it's to let me go out and paint and sometimes they let me go and paint them here in the garden occasionally they let me paint out in the fields surrounding the asylum I had to be back before sunset good evening I decided take the view out the window but as I started painting it got difficult because the stars still I saw the church I paid to the church I'm painting my baby's a big tree and painting the village down here finish the preaching because I finished I finished the painting ah the following morning the doctor came into my room he looked at my painting he said did you paint my picture last night I said yes it's a view have a window look he looks at my picture and then he looked out the window and he said I can't see that cypress tree there I can't see the church then there's not village I said what a on it-- I could see them do that last night they said but what about of sky he's talking old swirly sin just like that movie so I don't much mind it puts an arm around me it's a countdown countdown then you walked out the room the next 11 months I stayed at the asylum I had a few breakdowns and got very confused but in between they let me paint here outside in the fields I painted lots of paintings here it's good to experience the solitude the birds nature I feel like a prisoner sometimes I write a lot to Theo and he writes to me the other day he wrote to me and he told me he has sold this painting the red vineyard for 400 francs I've been painting nine years it's my first sale oh I feel so much better now I want to go back to Paris to see see all I'm cured but to get to Paris I need to go on the train I took on the train I need a ticket and to buy a ticket I need money dear fear arriving Paris full of optimism even climbing the hill to Montmartre where Theo lives did not dealt with my spirits in bed asleep I've found his house number 54 I've been at fears house nail for two days but there seems to be an atmosphere feel does not look happy and your Hamlet feels white seems to spend most of her time either ignoring me or shouting at me Theo he's not staying in this house either he goes or I go it's your choice Theo came into the room with a big smile on his face he said Vincent have a really good idea I think it was so much better if you went to stay with my friend dr. Gachet he lives in all there which is 30 miles from here it's a doctor you could look after you [Music] we looked at me I agreed I didn't want to date it's quite plain that Johanna does not want me here I rounded over there for an enthusiasm it's such a beautiful place I think the nature here will inspire me there's lots to paint I eventually found dr. gachet's house it was up a steep flight of steps he welcomed me but doctor - he looked tired and sicker than I am he suggested that I should find lodgings from elsewhere I found a room in the house attached to the Revel in a short distance from dr. gachet's house it cost me three and a half francs a day and was up on the second floor it was here that I painted the owner's daughter thirteen year old Anna Lane dr. Gachet said I should establish a routine so I've got one I eat breakfast early and around nine o'clock I go out to - I'm here to paint the property around noon I returned back to the 8th for lunch then I finished my painting in my room I paid every day so far I printed 28 pictures in 26 days everything was going well that's all I decided to paint the church it was a boiling hot day the Sun was blazing down is so hot and the church he just they just stood there rejecting people just as it rejected me the path just goes round the church he goes it goes don't know where this is around around the church maybe a piggy sky black this colour is black it's got to be black it's all closing in it's all closing in I write to you every day but I try not to burden him with my troubles although I do feel lonely and sad here a bit of an outcast but at least my work keeps me going of explaining about the big fields around here I'm gonna go out and paint one next week a few days later I began painting in the field just north of all there it was very hot my head was swimming there were lots of clothes squawking and suddenly I began to feel very strange as I was disappearing into the painting but getting lost in the vastness of the fields the wheat glow Moss clothes I could only bring my map dried up and the thought just kept repeating itself inside my head go round and round I kept thinking could I ever again for your happy contented and most of all free of my loneliness [Music] I tried not to be sad as the Sun was flooding everything with a light of pure gold some time later I managed to get to my feet I staggered back to the end I dragged myself up the stairs to my room and got into bed dr. Gachet could do nothing the following day - you're arrived what have you done Vincent he cried I tried to explain but yeah [Music] life was such a burden for Vincent but now as so often happens everyone is full of praise for his talents witson died on the 29th of July 1819 age 37 his brother Theo who provided Vincent with unfailing financial and emotional support died six months later on the 25th of January 1891 he was just 33 years old this has been a very sad story but remember Vincent van Gogh had a dream of becoming a great artist and worked very hard throughout his lifetime to achieve it although his talents and achievements were not recognized while he was alive he never gave up on his dream today we celebrate him as one of the world's greatest artists if you have a dream don't let anyone tell you you cannot achieve it if you work hard and never give up you really can make your dreams come true [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Art History School

Views: 168,723

Keywords: The life of Van Gogh, van gogh documentary, painting, sunflowers, Arles, Van Gogh bio, Auver sur Oise, Paris, van Gogh, Vincent, expressionist, art, painter, artist in school, Dr Gachet, Paul Gauguin, Theo Van Gogh, preacher, Saint Remy, Loving Vincent, famous artist, Starry Night, Van Gogh famous paintings, dutch artist, van gogh paintings, van gogh ear cut off, vincent van gogh, Paul Priestley, van gogh sunflowers, Van gogh arles starry night, vincent van gogh documentary

Id: 7HeyyzPR_TM

Length: 35min 59sec (2159 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 28 2017