Van Gogh, a Life in Places

Early in his career, as he grappled with the idea of becoming an artist, Vincent van Gogh attempted portraiture, possibly with a mission in the religious sense. His models were impoverished miners, weavers and peasants. Later, his great achievement was in still life, landscape painting and further portraits all closely related to the places where he lived. He moved from place to place, from his parents’ vicarage to the homes of impoverished peasants, from seaside Ramsgate, and landmarks in London to the heights of Montmartre, from the famous Yellow House in Arles to hospital then a nearby asylum. Finally, he wandered the fields and streets of Auvers, near Paris. Wherever he lived, he drew and painted. As well as the places where he stayed, he painted the homes of others, and monuments that attracted him, such as churches or even suburban factories. These became the subject of an alternative kind of portraiture – one that did not involve people. His developing, emphatic and highly individual style suited the different character of the buildings he so carefully recorded. Each place, about which he also wrote at length, provides us with a solid framework with which to follow and understand him. Van Gogh’s life will be revealed not only through the included illustrations of his art, but with much quotation from letters. ‘Van Gogh, a Life in Places’ hopes to answer the questions: Why was he there?