Why Are People Fascinated By Van Gogh?

The average person knows more about Vincent Van Gogh's life than about his artworks. Oh, they'll know about "The Starry Night" (because of the Don McLean song) and perhaps "Sunflowers" but not much else. Yet they'll know about the whole ear thing and that he killed himself and that he lived in dire poverty all of his artistic life and now his works sell for millions.

So, what is it about Van Gogh's story that attracts people? On the surface, it's a tragic story. Genius painter reviled and ignored winds up offing himself before his works sell for astronomical sums. You'd think people would be repelled by a story like that.

Just the opposite.

As you've probaby figured out, I'm no art critic and I'm no psychologist, sociologst or any other kind og "ist". I'm just a failed freelance writer who likes Vincent's artwork (and yes, I also like the Don McLean song.)

So, I can only tell you what I see in Vincent's sad story. I think this may be what others see in it, too. Feel free to tell me what you see in Vincent's story in the comments below.

I think Vincent knew that his artwork was special. He certainly had it in him to paint in a way that catered to popular tastes of the time. That's seen in early works done under the tutlage of Anton Mauve (and I like a lot of Mauve's stuff, too.) But he stubbornly took the road less traveled by (apologies to Robert Frost.) The stuff he painted was considered weird and ugly and common as muck.

During the last year or so of Vincent's life, he did start to receive some positive press. He clearly was not comfortable with any adulation. I think he'd gotten used to being a starving artist and worried that creature comforts could damage his artistic abilities. He know he was good and that's all he really cared about. He thought he knew best -- and turns out he was right. It's nice to be right.

I don't have any proof of this. That's mere conjecture on my part, based on studying Vincent's art and reading many books about him (both fiction and non.) It could be that Vincent was just plain crazy. Considering that he suffered from syphillis, it's not a wacky thought that he could not think straight for the last years of his life.

You do also have to wonder that he somehow knew that his art would be so successful after he died. His long-suffering family finally got their investment in him back in spades, so to speak, soon after he died and interest in his work began to soar. I think people who believe in an afterlife think that Vincent finally got to see all of his success after he was dead.

But me (who does not believe in any afterlife), I think Vincent knew he was right and that his art would eventually win over the world. And that's what people like about his story -- he didn't give up, even dying, becasue he knew he was right.