The most successful or famous artists are not always as happy as successful
people are portrayed- living a life of fame, fortune, and glamour. The
following examples will show some of the problems that four different artists
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter who lived from March 30, 1853 to July 29,
1890. He is now one of the most famous painters in modern art (World Book 306).
He only sold one painting in his living days, but now his paintings are
Some of his paintings and drawings include:
Langlois Bridge with Women Washing 1888
Those are just a few of his accomplishments, though he has created many, many
In 1888, artist Paul Gaugin moved into Vincent's house with him. At first
everything worked out fine, but within the year, their personalities started to
clash, and big problems arose. Then, on December 23, 1888, Paul Gaugin was
taking a walk in the nearby public garden, when, according to his memoir "Avant
et Apres," Vincent chased after Gaugin with an open razor blade. But, when
Gaugin turned around, Vincent turned and ran home. Gaugin decided that this
threat was too much for him to take, so he checked into a hotel room for the
night. When Paul Gaugin arrived at home the next morning, he saw a crowd of
police officers and citizens surrounding the house. When he went in the house
he saw that there was blood everywhere- on towels and blankets, then a trail
leading up the stairs. When he got to Vincent's bedroom, he found him curled up
on his bed covered in sheets pink with blood. Gaugin thought Vincent was dead,
but when he went to touch his friend's hand, it radiat!
ed warmth from his friend's body (Sweetman 290). Gaugin found out later that
Vincent had cut off almost his whole left ear, wrapped it in newspaper, and
given it to his friend Rachel. He then said "Guard this object carefully"
Some reasons speculated for this unusual self-destruc...