© Jeannette D’Souza 2025

The National Gallery of London marked its bicentenary in 2024 by holding a splendid exhibition dedicating it to the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) inspired by his time in Arles and Saint-Rémy.
This unique exhibition was the first of its kind displaying a wide and varied collection of Van Gogh loaned by museums and private collectors across the world. It incidentally marked 100 years since the National Gallery purchased Van Gogh’s pieces – Sunflowers and Chair for its collection.
My sincere thanks to The National Gallery of London for letting me explore this exquisite collection and for enabling me to express my appreciation for the great works of artist Van Gogh.
It was a delight to study the stunning masterpieces and feel the wonder of the works created by Vincent Van Gogh! In my blog I have narrowed the selection of pieces to focus on his works that struck me the most!

Walking past the large banner that read: Van Gogh – ‘Poets and Lovers’ made me eager with exhilaration, there was so much to see… Van Gogh’s collection was flown across the globe and there was great excitement among the queue waiting outside. People from around the world had specially come here to view this very impressive exhibition of masterworks created during the artist’s time spent in Arles and Saint-Rémy(France).
It was a privilege to be present at this exhibition and I took every moment to let sink in this fabulous art collection ….

Van Gogh was very inspired by nature- especially the countryside, and also by poets, artists, writers and beyond. Yet above all, his own feelings for the plight of the vulnerable and afflicted evoked in him the need to convey the hardships borne by people to the world, and thus a new expression came to be born!
His works portray his gentle and powerful emotions that surface the agony, suffering together with the hope, positive reassurance and the inner stirring of love that he bore.
Reading through some of life’s narratives as penned by Van Gogh to his brother Theo made it very emotional too. His evoking art flowing in sentiments and emotions seemed to have been poured ardently and endearingly into every piece. Some of the excerpts from letters to Theo as below…

To Theo, 1888 – ‘In a painting l’d like to say something consoling, like a piece of music’.

• ‘The love of art makes one lose real love’
• ‘If you wake up in the morning and you’re not alone and you see in the twilight a fellow human being, it makes the world so much more agreeable’.

Van Gogh felt the need to express more on canvas through every undulating emotion- in every sense to bring to light the meaning of what he felt. When working through various pieces of art, he intentionally transformed them to echo those sentiments. There was also a yearning deeply felt for love, joy and above all “hope” to save him from despair. He loved narrating the works of poets and writers through his own unique aesthetic vision…

Letter to Theo, 26 September 1888 -“This garden has a funny sort of style that means that you can very well imagine the Renaissance poets, Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio strolling among these bushes on the flowery grass.”

Vincent Van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 in the Dutch village of Groot-Zundert (south of Netherlands bordering Belgium) to the parson Theodore and his wife Anna Carbentus. Van Gogh the eldest of 6 siblings was very close to his brother Theo and there was a devoted bond between them all through life. Their brotherly accord is endearing and speaks volumes through the survived letters that they exchanged throughout their lifetime.
One of the last letters to Theo, Vincent writes ‘Through me you are a part in the creation of these paintings, they keep their calm even in restless times.’

Vincent’s uncles were art dealers and so he was exposed to art from an early age, the art world illuminated his mind! It is when he begun his apprenticeship at a French art dealer company with his uncle that his first desire to create art was born. Vincent got a first hand exposure to art from various artists, through their works on sale and exhibitions. He spent time constantly observing the works of the artists and understanding their techniques, he felt inspired to create his own works someday…
Soon enough, Vincent’s promotion took him to London, working there gave him joy and heartache. After an unfortunate incident of unrequited love Vincent felt heartbroken. It was then that he started experiencing his first bouts of depression and his behaviour turned erratic.
Vincent found the emotional distress too hard to bear and as a result was sent to Paris to work there and recuperate. Nonetheless it did not help his condition. Vincent withdrew himself staying reclusive and while it affected his work he felt drawn into religious study and immersed himself deep into learning scriptures.

Later on, Vincent recovered and returned back to London where his love for England grew even more and he ventured into teaching to make a living. He was pleased to be in the company of a reverend and felt supported in a way, working and sharing accommodation with the reverend and his wife helped Vincent emotionally.
Vincent explored beyond the rural city, sketching the local countryside of London, the flora and fauna and edifices that he so adored. His passion for art grew especially after watching the life of people living in poverty and facing untold hardships, and throughout life he carried this compassion within him and depicted it in many of his famous paintings.

Moving home to Netherlands Vincent felt the need to start on a spiritual vocation, his outlook on human suffering and despondency made him resolute to pursue the life of a missionary. Vincent also found his desire for exploring art increase and thus he decided to travel beyond Netherlands to venture more into the field.
Travelling beyond his country he came to settle in the wearisome mining district of Borinage in Belgium, and it was nature and poverty that inspired Vincent. He began to sketch!
From the tall trees nestling under smoky coal aired mountains in Borinage, Vincent began his artist’s journey. He travelled around sketching and painting the sights he’d see, and also to capture the poignant nature of suffering. Watching the wearied plight and severe working conditions of miners and labourers in Borinage he decided to paint this harsh reality in order to bring it out to the world…

Through this realisation of human agony that so troubled Vincent, his religious fervour grew, he started living a hermit’s way of life- giving all his possessions to the poor, living in a squalid state and hardly ever eating. It was an attempt to live Christ-like.
During this phase of drastic religious outlook people found his extreme manner disturbing and as a result it cost him his job as a missionary. Vincent felt rejected and was covered in despair, the feelings of dejection returned back and he went into seclusion cutting all ties with family and people.

To Theo- “Life goes on like that, time does not come back…”

After this dark period Vincent somehow recovered and from then on decided to dedicate his life to painting. He resumed correspondence with Theo who also supported him financially and thus his new purpose for life came to be realised.

To Theo 1880 – I will set myself to work with pencil again which I had cast aside in my depression….

Through 1880s Vincent travelled to capture the motivational force in art, he painted and drew wherever he felt drawn into, he also felt evoked in the suffering of others and this was a very unique side to his creativity.
The sensitivity of Vincent’s persona and his immense feelings for the pain of others paved way to his styled expression!

Theo endeavoured to keep Vincent close to him through frequent letters and encouragement, he helped Vincent with regular subsistence so that Vincent could carry on exploring art.

To Theo – “It is true that my financial affairs are in a sorry state, and it is true that I could have done better.”

Theo was very supportive of his brother and further encouraged him to broaden his scope….
Their brotherly solidarity led Vincent to express his emotions on canvas and thus persuaded him to start a full fledged painting career.

To Theo 10 July 1888 – The two of us explored the old garden [at Montmajour] and we stole some excellent figs there. If it had been bigger it would have made you think of Zola’s Paradou.

Vincent travelled abroad and then back to Netherlands his hometown Groot-Zundert, at times he struggled through family relationships and that got him down. Getting through this unsettling despair he finally decided to leave for Hague and loved it there!
The city’s architecture and setting, its pulsating artistic circles enriched Vincent’s creative senses. His dedication to art carried on at an exponential rate with experimentation and constancy under the guidance and tutoring of the master artist Anton Mauve who was a leading member at the school of Hague. Here in Hague, Vincent was introduced to many well known artists and he began to read works of well known writers and novelists. As he moved more in the artist’s community his vision broadened and this new world enabled a prolific artistic development within him.
In Hague he felt drawn towards Sean Hoornik and moved in with her, he loved painting her and thus he developed a personal relationship with her.
Vincent explored sketching various body forms and he drew people in their daily routines. He explored painting scenes from the novels he read by Emile Zola, Dante Alighieri, Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, Giovanni Boccaccio and so on, all of which gave way to vivid illustrious art!

However the innate compassion towards the marginalised who were deprived, people in their poverty and mundane wretchedness together with sights of laboured exhaustion would always hold a special place within the Artist’s palette. This theme is repeatedly seen in the Vincent’s work and one among his most popular paintings – The potato Eaters 1885.
Vincent could see brilliant colours in plain surroundings, such was his innate imaginative processing that nature reflected its sublime colours in his paintings. The rich hues and deep tones, the kaleidoscopic nature of bright highlights on sunny and dark rainy days, all of these themes continued to grasp his attention as he wrote to Theo 1883- “….houses set among oak trees of a magnificent bronze, tones of gold green in the moss…, of reds, blues and yellows together with dark lilac grays of the earth, tones of black in the wet trunks, the golden rain of swirling autumn leaves….”

Vincent could not stay long in Hague due to his unconventional relationship with Sien and he parted her company thus carrying a heavy heart. He also suffered a breakdown in relationships with his father, so he travelled through various European cities trying to make a living from art and to recover.
Vincent finally left for Paris and this city was like a breath of fresh air to him. He felt elated with aesthetic passion in this bustling city of scintillating designs, sites and modern styles!
The city of romance, art and architecture captivated him- from Arc de triumph , Montmatre, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, the Latin quarter, Le Marais, Place Vendome, Eiffel Tower, museums including Louvre, the Bastilles, to the colourful bridges over river Seine, unending populated arcades and bustling boulevards with exciting shops all mesmerised Vincent…
Here in this vibrant city of Paris, Vincent met great artists – Henry de Toulouse Lautrec, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Alfred Sisley, Armand Guillamin. Emile Bernard, they all influenced his art… from Impressionism, Pointillism even beyond into Japanese art!

Here in Paris, Vincent felt at peace and productive in Theo’s company and produced many wonderful works that were very inventive and vibrantly rich! Despite getting into the exciting network of artists in France, Vincent felt the need to retrieve and re-energise. His constant passion and yearning for the countryside made him change course.
So he parted from his brother Theo and left Paris, moving to Provence he settled in Arles and this was where he attained a zenith in his career.
Drawing from all previous studies and now in Arles, Vincent approached his work with confidence in his own original technique, it was here that Vincent produced some breathtaking works!
He worked tirelessly on the canvas transforming scenes to convey his own style, reinventing, adjusting and recomposing through his innate interpretation.

He found a small house in Arles and rented it, the yellow house with green shutters which he later painted. Vincent had great ambitions for this house, he wanted to make it his studio for displaying art, to startup broad inclusive artists’ exhibitions. His friend Paul Gauguin lived with him in the yellow house for 2 months where the artists exchanged creative ideas.
The mesmerizing theme of contrasting primary colours catches the eye to fix the viewers gaze….

The atmosphere at Arles seemed to exceptionally heighten Vincent’s aesthetic sense which reflected in his works. The picturesque villages with colourful landscapes, the scenic mountains teaming with iridescent flora captivated Vincent’s imagination. In a letter to Theo he mentioned himself as a relentless machine creating works of art sometimes 3 pieces a day.
Portraits were radiant as if holding the reflections of many prisms, they also focussed on emotions, every part of a portrait was brought alive with his vision.

The pace followed on to produce some of the best and most popular works of his life – Sunflowers, The Harvest, Peach trees in blossom, Street in Saintes-Maries and more…

To Theo, 29 or 30 May 1888- ‘I have to draw a lot… things here have so much style.
And I want to arrive at a more deliberate
and exaggerated way of drawing’.

Vincent had a passion to draw subjects in his own style, there was the constant interpretation of what he seen and what he drew…

Vincent’s style was influenced through the various styles of his time and yet he produced his own unique one. From heavy brush strokes and richly laid layers of blurred objects to fine lines and thinner applications with sharp definitions, his styles were at times varied yet all greatly skilful, filled with vibrancy and light!

To Theo, 3 September 1888 – “To express the love of two lovers through a marriage of
two complementary colours, their mixture and their contrasts, the mysterious vibrations of adjacent tones.”

Through their previous contact and creative exchanges in Paris, Paul Gauguin visited Vincent in order to work together. Vincent desired to form an artists’ fellowship whereby the group could all learn and grow in each other’s company through experimenting styles and nurturing each other’s talents.
However this dream was short lived and after a huge quarrel the artists parted company.
This fall had a huge impact on Vincent and he suffered a severe mental breakdown. It led him to cut off his ear and as a result Vincent admitted himself at St Paul’s Asylum not far from St Remy’s. He ceaselessly immersed himself into painting to overcome his mental agony. He chose selective angles to work from, his canvas bore his inner visual portrayal of a beautiful world, be it even so from the hospital at Arles…

To Theo- “Art is jealous, she does not like taking second place to an illness. Hence I shall humour her,”

After a few weeks Vincent was discharged from St Paul’s and then went on to self admit himself at St Remy’s as he could not fully gain confidence over his positive mental state of mind.
Vincent’s letters to his siblings reflect his sadness and his disturbed state of mind yet he found great consolation through his art.
To his brother Theo, 18 August 1888 – ‘I’m now going to be an arbitrary colourist….Behind the head instead of painting the dull wall of the mean room, I paint the infinite’.
He wrestled with his illness however his very longing to create something from his elated imagination held strong within him and that helped to revive him.

To Theo- “I want to invent new fonts and colors, other than the ones with which our eyes stumble every day.”

Even the dull mundane themes were elevated through his aesthetic vision, the use of bright vibrant colours and expressions in strokes became dominant and the contrast of colours were depicted for shadows and light.

To his sister Willemien, 2 May 1889- “So it’s a painting chock-full of flowers and springtime greenery. However, three black, sad tree-trunks cross it like snakes, and in the foreground four large sad, dark box bushes.”

Vincent found comfort through art, and as a result he was allowed to explore the surroundings of St Remy’s and paint outdoors. It had a calming impact on him as he found solace in nature and that began his recovery.

The Asylum proved to be a healing space for Vincent, and its grounds and natural atmosphere motivated him. Even through agonising suffering and mental torture for over a year, Vincent drew inspiration from the verdant open spaces and luscious foliage.
Serene countryside scenes nurtured his art, they enkindled his creativity and inspired its unique portrayal, even the simplest of scenes became vividly kaleidoscopic in nature.
Such an uplifting impact!

Vincent painted over 200 works during his stay there, he portrayed in his own unique way the closed indoor spaces where he felt at times stifled and at times secure in and he also painted the landscapes around both in daylight and the night. The variations in tones through a wide spectrum of colours to project highlights and lowlights, the creativity in portraying hidden depths of shadows through bold colours and uplifting lights and the genius of marrying complimentary colours brought forth mesmerising results on his canvas!
Vincent became his own master….

To Theo, 28 September 1889 – “The olive trees are very characteristic, and I’m struggling to capture that. It is silver, sometimes more blue, sometimes greenish, bronzed, whitening on ground that is yellow, pink, purplish or orangeish to dull red ochre.”

Such wonderful use of colours, innovatory in application that create an impact and surge bright sentiments!

It was here at St Remy’s that Vincent created one of his most popular works ‘Starry Night’. Although Vincent himself did not find this painting satisfactory , his critics valued it deeply for its aesthetic portrayal and original sense. The swirls and fluid motions that swept the canvas created a positively energetic composition! The deep cool and bright warm colours contrasting to create a night sky, the quaint village with the church spire reminiscent of his own Dutch hometown and the pine trees curling in the foreground brought forth a masterpiece.
The painting below is a bit different and called ‘Starry Night over the Rhone’, its contrasting rich and deep blues with the bright yellow and orange reflections marry well, creating a dreamy like view of the Rhone. In the foreground a couple is seen walking over the shoreline. The use of striking complimentary colours with bold applications, and interval led strokes sets it distinctly apart…

The success of Starry Night gave Vincent the motivation to keep going further to create 70 more works down the line.
He felt rejuvenated and thus took discharge from the asylum, his new positive aura took him to Auvers-sur-Oise. His intention to move was possibly to be with Dr Gachet who was a physician, and benefactor of many painters at the time. Also the proximity of visiting Theo in Paris might have been reassuring.
The scenic countryside of Auvers-sur-Oise which is some miles from Paris inspired Vincent and he continued to work to create quite a few masterpieces. Vincent loved Japanese art and was influenced by it, however his original self in expression created a unique style of composition. His use of rich tones and vivid colours always intended to depict the emotions of the models…

There at the ancient Auberge Ravoux, Vincent decided to live in this modest accommodation. Together with his meagre belongings he had in the room just a bed, a wardrobe unit and a chair. Dr Gachet was an amateur painter and he understood Vincent’s condition very well and Vincent found an assurance in him and seen a brother in him. To his sister Wil- “I have found a true friend in Dr Gachet.”
Dr Gachet and Vincent shared some similarities and with this understanding Vincent found great support and felt settled within. Dr Gavhet’s home was a favourable place for discussions and this was their place for exchanging thoughts and ideas. The extraordinary setting of the place gave Vincent the ability to rejuvenate, thus grew their deep true friendship.

There at Auvers, Vincent enjoyed taking his easel out and wandering outside, every day he had a routine with his easel on back and he set out to paint something. He would walk at times towards the Auvers church, the Oise river, the Chateau de Lery , Auvers park, farms and houses, or taking a spot for afar to paint the village. The swirls and cascades, the thick applications and colour tones, the nuances and broad strokes all speak of the visionary mind of a genius.

To Theo, 9 June 1889- “When the thing depicted is stylistically absolutely in agreement and at one with the manner of depiction, isn’t that what creates the quality of a piece of art?”

After completing paintings Vincent would send his paintings to Theo in the hope that they would be sold favourably, as his brother was constantly supporting him. There were positive reviews about his work however at that time his unique style had not gained the buyer’s momentum to achieve a desired recognition with returns.
Nevertheless, Vincent found new definitions to ordinary motifs and thus embedded his interpretation onto the canvas, every brush stroke was laden with rich colours to create lyrical hues, minute details were captured with continual working through hours in order to attain various toned strokes.

To Theo 23 May 1889 -“ Eternal nests of greenery for lovers…. the neglected garden planted with tall pines under which grows tall and badly tended grass intermingled with various weeds, has provided me with enough work.”

Auvers with its historical streets and winding paths, the church and the fields, the park and the stone walls provided themes for Vincent as he continued to paint vigorously. The company of Dr Gachet was proving a remedy for him, and so a huge range of subjects were captured colourfully by Vincent in his paintings.

However the dull background of sadness never left Vincent’s mind, he knew it would never end, in his letter to Theo he expressed how the melancholy kept returning and would end only in one way. While Theo encouraged his brother always and supported him throughout it was hard to foresee what tragedy would unfold next.
Dr Gachet too could not ….
On 27th July 1890, Vincent sadly shot himself. He was taken to hospital where he suffered in pain as the bullet could not be taken out, Theo his brother arrived the next day and was beside him till the end. Vincent felt a sort of relief to leave this world and the suffering ended in 2 days.
Theo wrote later… “Vincent had expressed a desire to die, saying, ‘I would so like to go…’ and an hour later he had his wish. Life weighed so heavily on him.”

Vincent Van Gogh’s deliberate and exaggerated style of art speak of an original self expression from his heart, through his pain and agony he wrought his inner feelings to bring to the world beauty!
The quality of each of his expressions unfolded his tender and sensitive soul, its deep meaningful significance to surface creatively….
When unknown during his lifetime he struggled, yet after his death many would know him and love him. Many would feel for him a century later and then many would prize his work as immortal!

12 August 2025

© Jeannette D’Souza