Vincent van Gogh was a highly prolific artist whose paintings have stirred both admiration and controversy among art lovers. He was often thought to be deranged and greatly creative and it reflected in his work. Since he lived in the late 1800’s, it was difficult to validate which particular diagnosis was true for his case. His mental illness was best described from an “ear-cutting” incident that happened around Christmas time in December, 1888. It was believed to be an act of self-mutilation. He then sent the cut piece to his favourite prostitute named Rachel in the small town or Arles (Gopnik, 2010). His fellow artist, Paul Gaugin, who lived with him at that time, was also rumoured to have cut van Gogh’s ear himself with his own sword and both men, out of embarrassment have kept the real story in secrecy (Gopnik, 2010). Soon after, Gaugin contacted van Gogh’s brother, Theo, and recommended that he be confined to an asylum. After studying van Gogh’s case, with the help of the data from van Gogh’s personal letters, it was diagnosed that the artist suffered from an inherited disorder known as Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP) which is characterized by the excessive production of porphyrins or similar chemicals in the patients’ excretions (Arnold, 2004).
AIP’s symptoms include neurological problems ranging from gastrointestinal pains to episodes of hallucinations. It can also be characterized by manic-depressive symptoms wherein the individual expresses excessive joy and mania followed by periods of melancholia. In the opinion of Hemphill,‘‘van Gogh was a manic-depressive who developed confusional episodes and fits in the last two years of his life due to the toxic action of thujone, the active agent of absinthe’’ (Hemphill, 1961,p. 1084). The AIP condition was worsened by lifestyle habits such as alcohol and substance abuse, inadequate nutrition, chronic smoking, harmful environmental exposure and ingesting of non-food, toxic items such as terpenes (Arnold, 2004). All of the symptoms were manifested by van Gogh. He suffered from gastrointestinal pains, neurological disturbances, intermittent crises with abrupt onsets and rapid recoveries. In between his major attacks of insanity, he was remarkably normal and lucid, being able to write letters brilliantly, discuss his condition with his doctors objectively and maintain the quality of his art work (Arnold, 2004). He was known to be a chronic smoker, drink large amounts of absinthe, an alcoholic drink that brought about harmful effects and nibble on his paints, which may have contained lead, a possible cause of lead poisoning.
Despite his illness, van Gogh was still able to create masterpieces that became valuable pieces of art, especially after his death by suicide in 1890. His famous spiral brushstrokes have been recognized by scientists to be near-perfect depictions of turbulence of river eddies and cloud rotations. Most popular are his works created while in confinement in a French insane asylum, namely “Starry Night”; “Road with Cypress and Star”; “Wheat Field with Crows”, among others (Garfield, 2006).
Van Gogh’s talent was further enhanced by his deep philosophical thinking. He dreamt of a collaborative community where all artists worked together in harmony in pursuit of a common goal to be productive members of society. However, as his psychotic episodes became more frequent, the subject of his works also shifted from shared, happy lives to morose, depopulated pictures (Gopnik, 2010). It reflected his existence and feeling of being alone. His dream of a collaborative community was not to be, and the truth that artists do not really share a common vision was realized.
Van Gogh did not only leave behind a legacy of valuable paintings borne by thoughts of madness, but his literary work, through his letters to his family, were also studied by physicians for clues on his mental condition, and by scholars, who gained nuggets of wisdom from his musings. One example is his acceptance that his dream of a collaborative community of artists will not come to fruition and his resignation to his own fate. He writes to his sister-in-law, Jo, who compiled all his letters, “I’m thinking of squarely accepting my profession as a madman just as Degas took on the form of a notary…. One must seize the reality of one’s fate and that’s that.” (Gopnik, 2010, n.p.).
Would van Gogh be as famous for his art had lived a normal existence without any illness, mental or otherwise? This writer thinks he still would. His excellent skills in painting and writing were enough to make him stand out from the rest of his colleagues and other artists of his time. On top of that, his idealism and deep, creative and critical thinking could have pushed him to action, had he not been afflicted with his illness and confined in an asylum. Some people think it was his mental illness that further deepened his creative impulse (Garfield, 2006). However, it should be recognized that he was deeply creative to begin with.
Vincent van Gogh embodied the true artist. His bouts of insanity may have given him more clarity and direction for his art. The rest of humanity may not think the same way, moreso, produce the same calibre of art as he did. Insane or not, his superior, inherent talent and creativity are what make him a maestro in most people’s eyes.
Bibliography
Arnold, Wilfrend Niles (2004) The illness of Vincent van Gogh, Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 13 (1), 22-43.
Garfield, Kathryn. (2006) A turbulent mind, Discover 27 (10).
Gopnik, Adam (2010) van Gogh’s ear, New Yorker, 85 (43).
Hemphill, RE (1961): The illness of Vincent van Gogh. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medine 54: 1083–1088.