The Effect of Vincent Van Gogh's Psychopathology on His Works

Year 2023, , 507 - 519, 27.10.2023

Umut Hallaç

https://doi.org/10.53048/johass.1375262

Abstract

Vincent van Gogh, whose life was summed up in the phrase "Sorrow will last forever", opened the door to a new era and led his successors to question art in a process that evolved from the abstract to the concrete, from style to substance, from nationality to universality. The artist, who personally considered himself a failure, did not stop working, despite his increasing pathological disorders, and became a great beacon of hope for the painters who would be his successors. Many competing claims have been made about Vincent van Gogh's physical and mental health, but no consensus has yet been reached. After his death, in addition to the old diagnoses, discussions inspired by his writings and letters continued about depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, sunstroke, self-harm, anxiety disorder, etc. Vincent van Gogh's rejection of Impressionist art, his refusal to submit to the artistic authority of the time, his disregard for academic rules and his declaration of his own manifesto on art in France, the cradle of art, are either an expression of the artist's spirit or a reflection of his pathological condition. In the context of many conflicting claims about Vincent van Gogh's physical and mental health, this study proposes an alternative interpretation of his work. It concludes that an interdisciplinary study of Vincent van Gogh's work is important for understanding him and making sense of his work.

Keywords

Vincent van Gogh, art, psychopathology, work of art

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