Vincent van Gogh
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Vincent Willem van Gogh, usually known simply as Vincent van Gogh, (March 30, 1853 - July 29, 1890) was a Dutch painter. (His name in Dutch is pronounced to rhyme with Scottish "loch". The G and gh are both hard "g"s in the throat.)
After failing several jobs he decided to become an artist. He went to live in Paris with his brother, Theo, who was an art dealer, and met many famous artists who helped and influenced him. During his life he wrote many letters to Theo, and Theo kept them all. In these letters Van Gogh writes about his strong feelings for life and art.
He moved to the town of Arles and lived with another artist, Paul Gauguin. The two argued constantly, and shortly after that Vincent cut off part of his ear and sent it to a prostitute. His mental problems became so serious, he had to be admitted to an institute. 18 months later he wounded himself with a gun, and died two days later. Theo was very upset by his brother's death; he became seriously ill, and died six months later.
Van Gogh only sold one painting in his life for a small amount of money, but his paintings are now world-famous.
[change] Other websites
