The Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh
In the last stretch of his life, the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh withdrew to the French countryside, with intermittent stays in various psychiatric hospitals. During this time, the letters that Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo were compiled into a book titled Letters from Madness.
In this correspondence, young Vincent Van Gogh narrates to his brother his experiences in France, as well as his artistic needs. Sometimes he writes to his brother asking if he could send him brushes or paints to continue his work, which would become his obsession during the last months of his life.
Amid a state of deep emotional suffering, young Vincent finds refuge in his paintings to give meaning to his life. He compares himself to other painters and seeks sources of inspiration in nature and his daily life.
Gauguin told me the other day that he had seen a painting of sunflowers by Claude Monet; it's a great Japanese vase, very beautiful; but he likes mine more, Van Gogh related about his beautiful sunflower painting.
Towards the end of his life, Van Gogh begins to spend time with the young psychiatrist Paul Gachet. Despite Vincent's sympathy towards Gachet, the French doctor will become the true antagonist in Van Gogh's story as expressed by the French writer Antonin Artaud in the essay Van Gogh, The Society's Suicide.
In the last part of the book, we learn about Van Gogh's decision to cut off his ear and we become witnesses to his last agony.
On July 29, 1890, the same day of his death, Van Gogh wrote a final letter to his brother Theo. In it, he shares his joy at having met his wife Jo-Johanna. He recounts the latest events of his life and praises him as an art dealer, unlike a traditional art salesman.
A few hours later, Vincent Van Gogh fell asleep forever, flying into an eternal starry night.
But his story does not end on that bed in Auvers-sur-Oise. Interestingly, Johana, Theo's wife whom Vincent never got to know deeply, was responsible for preserving and protecting Van Gogh's work so that all of us could enjoy it today.
Today, the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh adorn the most important museums in the world. In his lifetime, he was only able to sell a single painting. Despite his infinite sadness, Vincent gifted us some of the most beautiful paintings in the history of art. Van Gogh is a giant of painting for having turned his anguish into beauty.
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