Where does genius end and madness begin, does love drive us crazy?Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “There is always madness in love, but there is also always a reason in madness. “He was right; Sometimes it is very difficult to find the limits of many aspects of human life. Van Gogh’s paintings can help us think about it.
Why did most great artists have eccentricities that often went crazy?Remember some examples, such as Edvard Munch (author of? The scream?) Or the paranoid crises of the great Dala; artists who have found in art the perfect expression of the torments and wonders of their privileged but also mourning minds.
- Epilepsy.
- Menyre syndrome.
- Manic-depressive psychosis.
- Van Gogh suffered from various diseases and was never known or valued.
- Studies of his life.
- Letters and works suggest that his life was not easy.
- Despite the support of his brother and close friend Paul Gauguin.
- Committed suicide at the age of 37.
His works had darkened, with wavy lines and stars that looked like eyes, observing his sadness and bringing echoes of his own madness.
But it wasn’t always like that; There were good times, especially when he finished his training in Paris and rented a nice house in Provence. There lived other artists of the time and had the constant company of Paul Gauguin. They went out often, got drunk and had fun in Paris nights, where originality and all aspects of the city inspired them to make new paintings. It was at this time that he painted “Café Terraza at sunset”.
The perfect balance in his vertical lines conveyed his inner peace and happiness, but soon after the manic episodes began, where insomnia, panic and madness led him to change the style of his art, his features became heavy, nervous, the crows flew through its endless wheat fields and drew attention to its vibrant colors.
Did he really cut off his ear? Much research has been done on this incident and some investigators believe it was not. Van Gogh’s life focused on a very special person for him: Paul Gauguin. One afternoon, during a visit to a brothel, Gauguin announced his intention to quit, because he could no longer bear his mood swings, eccentricities and weaknesses. They started fighting in the street with swords and Gauguin was a great fencer. Maybe he accidentally cut off his friend’s ear.
Van Gogh went home and the next day wrapped his ear in a handkerchief and sent it to prostitute Rachel, who was Gauguin’s friend, told him it was an act of despair and that he had cut off her ear for madness. . He did not blame Gauguin and did not want his friend to be tried and convicted. After this incident, Paul Gauguin disappeared forever from his life, leaving him overwhelmed by his madness and despair, which can be seen on the screen “The Starry Night”. “, in a sky marked by violent spirals and bright stars.
He committed suicide a short time later with a bullet in his chest, and said goodbye to his brother Theo with the phrase “Misery will never end. “