Introduction
The artist whose disorders are being discussed is the famous painter, Vincent Van Gogh [1853-1890], who is believed to have suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and also other conditions arising out of excessive and compulsive writings at one time, and complete idleness during other times. (Vincent van Gogh: Biography).
How these disorders affect different facets of Van Gogh’s life?
The volatile aspect of Van Gogh’s personality affected his love life in that he could not continue his relationship with any woman. There were many women in his life, but finally, unable to cope with his temperament, they were forced to leave him, forcing him to seek the company of morally low women. His fit of violent temper and epileptic fits, during which he was capable of violent behavior, alienated him from others. It is also believed that his use of an alcoholic concoction, absinthe provoked convulsive behavior and was mainly responsible for his continued ill-health and bouts of severe mental illness. (Blumer).
How these disorders affect personal and professional life of Van Gogh?
Although this painter was interested in landscapes to which he had devoted much of his painting career, he began portrait work from the year 1888 onwards, and it was this post-1888 period that was characterized by bouts of mental illness, which eventually led to his committing suicide during 1890. It is believed that Van Gogh’s self portrayals are lucid manifestations of his erratic mind. (West, p. 180).
He was prone to fits of violent behavior, and during one of these episodes, he even seized a razor and ran behind his roommate Gauguin, threatening him. When this act was not possible, possibly in an act of self-redemption, he slit his own left ear lobe. Subsequently, he was confined to a mental asylum for one year but left when there was no improvement to his health. His fundamental mental instability and lack of mental equilibrium are manifest in many of his self-portraits, which reveal a gloomy and morose personality, not contented with his life and environment. He could not continue stable relations with members of his family and was dependent upon his brother, Theodorus for support. Theo’s marriage and subsequent fatherhood in 1889 may have created a sense of loneliness and futility in Von Gogh’s mind from which he really could not recover.
From most of his paintings and portraits, the darker realities of Von Gogh’s personality are revealed, including his seclusive behavior, isolation from the mainstream of successful painters with whom he could not forge strong bonds, and his anxieties about his own mental state and its after-effects. It is seen that after 1888, his mental conditions worsened and he was often at a loss of control over his own mind.
Conclusions
While it is considered that most artists do possess a certain element of mental imbalances, most people consider that Van Gogh’s illness concealed a brilliant genius who could have achieved the greatest heights in his career. Critics agree that certain works of Van Gogh were incomparable during that era and no living artist could have performed at that level of excellence.
Perhaps, the greatest thought that could be provided to Vincent Van Gogh is that, after his death, he became a much-celebrated artist and his paintings and portraits are well sought after. It is believed that his works rank with Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat and Paul Cezanne as one of the all-time great Dutch painters, post-Rembrandt. (Vincent van Gogh).
Works Cited
- Blumer, Dietrich. Reviews and Overviews: The Illness of Vincent van Gogh. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 159 (2002): 519-526. Web.
- Vincent van Gogh: Biography. Vincent van Gogh Gallery. 2009.
- Vincent van Gogh. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Web.
- West, Shearer. Portraiture. Oxford University Press. 2004. Web.