Van Gough

Vincent van Gogh is one of the world’s most famous painters.

​He was born in the Netherlands Which means he was Dutch.

​Who was

Vincent van Gogh?

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• Born: March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands

• Died: July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France age 37

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Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. This painting is very famous. Look at its bright yellows and the way each of the fourteen sunflowers are painted differently. Van Gogh painted Sunflowers for the room in the yellow house he was renting in Arles, France. His friend, the painter Paul Gauguin, was coming to visit and Van Gogh wanted to redecorate.

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Today, most people know the name Vincent van Gogh. However, when he was alive, he was not very famous at all. Since his death, he has become one of the most successful painters in history.

In total, Van Gogh made around 2,100 artworks.​

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​Why was he so famous?

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Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands, but travelled across Europe. He went to France, Belgium and England. When he was in London, he was inspired by all the art he saw in galleries. Van Gogh’s brother, Theo, worked in an art gallery and introduced Van Gogh to many artworks. Van Gogh was interested in painters who were painting everyday life.

When he was 27, he decided to become an artist. Up until then, he had been a teacher, a shop assistant and had dreams of working for the Church. All of these experiences inspired his art.

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​What inspired him?

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Van Gogh liked to paint the places he visited.

He painted portraits of many different people he met, but he really liked painting portraits of himself. He made over 30 self-portraits.​

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​What did he paint?

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The Starry Night is an oil on canvas painting.

Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from a window just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village.​

One of his last paintings.​

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​Starry night

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