A Delicate Flower Emerging - Van Gogh's Life Quiz | People

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Vincent became serious about his art around 1880, and in 1882 he worked in the open air at a beach near The Hague. In what beach town did he create some of his early work, like the painting of a beach in stormy weather?

Answer: Scheveningen

Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30 1853 in Zundert, a town in the southern part of the Netherlands, near the city of Breda. In 1870 he received his first taste of the art world, while working at the gallery of art dealers Goupil et Cie in The Hague, London and Paris. He lost his love for art and decided to devote his career to becoming a minister for the poor and miners in the Borinage region. Gradually he found his way back to art, supported by his brother Theo.

In the "Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather" painting it is said that you can actually see grains of sand in the thickly applied paint.

2. At the end of 1883 he moved back in with his parents. In the same period he completed a painting that is generally considered to be one of the first major works. What was the name of this painting?

Answer: The Potato Eaters

In 1882 Van Gogh had been working with his cousin-in-law Anton Mauve. They parted ways later, apparently because of the friendship Vincent had with a prostitute called Sien. Vincent left Sien in 1883 and after living in the province of Drenthe, moved back to his parents in Nuenen.

In Nuenen he continued developing his art. In March 1885 his father died of a heart attack, which deeply saddened Vincent. In August of that year he completed a painting, that is considered to be one of his first major works of art. It was called "The Potato Eaters" and was the result of a series of character studies that he had done about peasant life. Van Gogh identified with the life of the working class, and he tried to paint the peasants as they really were.

3. At the end of 1885 Van Gogh moved to Antwerp. He did not have much money. His health started to deteriorate in this period, as he did not take very good care of himself. One of the self portraits he painted in 1886, shows him with one of his bad habits. What is the item shown in the self portrait?

Answer: Pipe

The time that Van Gogh spent in Antwerp was not a happy time. He lived in a small room above an art shop in the Rue of Images (Lange Beeldekensstraat in Dutch). He received support from his brother Theo, but he bought mostly paint supplies, hardly eating proper meals and smoking excessively. He also developed a fondness for absinthe. One of the self portraits he made in 1886, reflects his love of smoking, it is aptly called "Self Portrait with Pipe".

In this time period Vincent starting studying the works of painter Peter-Paul Rubens and was also inspired by Japanese art.

4. In March 1886 Van Gogh moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo. He was further inspired by Japanese art during this period. In 1887 one of his works was a three part series of paintings of a Parisian art dealer who sold his works. What was the painting called?

Answer: Portrait of P�re Tanguy

His move to Paris marked a change for Vincent van Gogh, finding new influences for his work. He stayed at the apartment of his brother Theo and studied at the studio of Fernand Cormon, a French painter. At this this time he collected more Japanese art, being influenced by painters like Hiroshige and Eisen.

In 1887 he created three paintings featuring Julien Tanguy, an art dealer from Paris, affectionately known as P�re Tanguy. Tanguy was one of the first to actually sell the work of Van Gogh. One of the paintings "Portrait of P�re Tanguy" shows Japanese images in the background. In the background you can see Mount Fuji and several Kabuki actors.

5. One of the works he created in the Paris period was influenced by impressionists like Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas. It pictures a caf� owner from Paris. What was her name?

Answer: Agostina Segatori

At the end of 1886 conflicts started arising between Vincent and his brother Theo and it became difficult for them to live together. After a year the brothers patched things up again, but by then Vincent had moved to Asni�res in the northwestern part of Paris. At the end of 1887 Vincent became friends with Paul Gauguin, who had just arrived in Paris.

One of the paintings Van Gogh made in this period was called "Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Caf� du Tambourin". The painting shows Agostina sitting at a table, a theme introduced by impressionist painters.

6. With increasing illness Van Gogh moved to Arles in the south of France, where he felt at home. One of the paintings reflects the use of colour in the Arles landscape and his own living arrangements. What is the name of this painting?

Answer: The Yellow House

Vincent arrived in the city of Arles in February 1888. He was amazed by the light and colours of the town and felt like a foreign country. He came to Arles with dreams of starting a utopian colony and for two months he worked with Danish artist Christian Mourier-Petersen. In May 1888 he rented a room in the Yellow House, on Rue Lamartine.

His period in Arles is characterized by the use of rich colours, like yellow, ultramarine and mauve. He completed "The Yellow House" in September 1888. It shows the house with the sun shining down under a clear blue sky and it was in this house where Paul Gauguin came to stay from October 1888.

7. In October 1888 his friend Paul Gauguin agreed to come live with Vincent in Arles and work together, but they soon had problems. One night Van Gogh confronted Gauguin with a razor blade. What happened afterwards, reflected later in one of Van Gogh's self portraits?

Answer: He cut off (part of) his ear

At first the collaboration between Gauguin and Van Gogh was a successful one. They frequently painted together and Gauguin made several portraits of his friend including "The Painter of Sunflowers". However the personalities of Gauguin and Van Gogh often clashed. Things turned sour on the night of the 23rd of December 1888, when Van Gogh confronted him with a razor blade. At this point there is now conjecture as to whether Van Gogh sliced his ear lobe or whether it was Paul Gauguin. In any event Van Gogh fled in panic to a brothel nearby with the ear wrapped up and given to a prostitute named Rachel.

He was taken to hospital and eventually returned to live at the Yellow House in 1889, but still needed frequent treatment. In one of his self portraits from this period he referenced the incident, showing himself with the bandaged ear. It's titled "Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear".

8. In May 1889 Van Gogh was admitted to an asylum near Saint-R�my. Most of his paintings had themes that related to his new environment, such as a painting completed in 1889 showing the view outside his room. It is considered one of his best works. What is the title of this painting?

Answer: The Starry Night

The asylum in Saint-R�my was a former monastery. Van Gogh had two small rooms there, one of which he could use as a studio. The topics of his painting were often related to his surroundings, for example "Vestibule of the Asylum".

During this period he painted "The Starry Night", widely regarded as one of his best works. It shows the view outside his room. Some of his work in this period is very strong in nature, for example "The Round of the Prisoners" from 1890, showing Van Gogh himself as one of the prisoners in the center of the painting.

9. In May 1890 he moved to Auvers-sur-Oise to be nearer to his doctor, Dr. Paul Gachet. Van Gogh painted a famous portrait of the doctor in this period. The end of his life was nearing. In the latter years he started using the double square technique. Which avian painting reflects this technique?

Answer: Wheat Field with Crows

Dr. Gachet was himself a painter and had treated other artists. Van Gogh commented that the doctor appeared to be sicker than he was. He painted a few portraits of Dr. Gachet, reflecting some of the melancholy that van Gogh felt to be characteristic of the man.

In the last part of his life van Gogh started using the double square technique which have unusually large canvasses. An example of this technique can be found in "Wheat Field with Crows". It depicts a very dramatic blue sky with wheat fields filled with crows.

10. At the end of 1889 Van Gogh's health declined even further and on 27 July 1890 he supposedly shot himself with a revolver. His fame had been growing since 1880, but did not come to prominence until after his death. Which of his floral paintings was sold in 1987, becoming one of the most expensive ever paid at the time?

Answer: Irises

The last years of Vincent van Gogh's life were not very happy. He had been plagued by illness during most of his adult life and at this stage was suffering from hallucinations, leaving him unable to paint frequently. It is said that he shot himself with a revolver on the 27th of July 1890 and was buried in Auvers-sur-Oise. There are also accounts however that suggest he was shot by others in an accident.

"Irises" was painted during his stay at the sanatorium in Saint-R�my and in 1987 the painting was sold for a record price of 53.9 million dollars.

Source: Author James25

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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A Delicate Flower Emerging - Van Gogh's Life Quiz

One of the most famous Dutch painters is Vincent van Gogh, a sensitive painter struggling with mental instability for most his life. Follow the course of his life through some of his own art.

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