The Art and Life of Vincent van Gogh
             Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most distinguished modern artists. His early work depicts humble subjects, peasants mostly, with a gentle hand. Many of his other paintings are mostly room settings, and still lifes of flowers with such intensity that it would seem as if he had captured a piece of the sun and used it in his painting. It is truly ironic that during his lifetime, he received no recognition whatsoever, and only sold one painting. Van Gogh faltered repeatedly in every career he attempted to pursue and felt extremely unloved by others. He did not have any friends. Van Gogh turned to art to express his strong religious feelings and his deep need for love and respect. During the latter years life, he completed over 800 oil paintings.
             Vincent van Gogh was born on 1853 in Groot-Zundert, which is located in the Netherlands. At the tender age of 16, van Gogh was sent to The Hague to work for an uncle who was an art merchant. During the time he worked for his uncle, van Gogh realized that a business career did not suit him.
             In 1878, van Gogh applied for admission into a theological school, but was sternly rejected. Van Gogh then decided to become a preacher. He acquired his training from a missionary society in Brussels, Belgium. Late in 1878, van Gogh represented the society as a minister to the extremely poor coal miners in the Borinage, a poor district in Belgium. "He sympathized with their dreadful working conditions and did his best, as their spiritual leader, to ease the burden of their lives." (http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/bio.htm) Van Gogh was so obsessed with his work that he went without food and other necessities so he could
             give to the less fortunate. (World Book, p229) The missionary society disapproved van Gogh's actions and chose to relieve him of his duties in the summer of 1879. Van Gogh began to draw while he as in Borinage, and he decided to...