About Vincent van Gogh

In Groot-Zundert, a village in North Brabant which is one of the southern provinces in The Netherlands, a second son was born to Theodorus van Gogh and his wife Anna Cornelia Carbentus on March 30, 1853. They named him Vincent Willem, after his grandfather and his oldest brother who was stillborn exactly one year before Vincent's birth.

Vincent's father was a minister and his mother an artist from whom Vincent inherited his talent and love for drawing and painting. Two more sons, Theo and Cor, and three daughters, Elisabeth, Anna and Willemina, were born into the van Gogh family and his younger brother Theo would become Vincent's best friend in and for life.

With so many mouths to feed, the family experienced financial problems, forcing Vincent to leave school and get a job at the age of 15. He got work at his uncle's art dealership Goupil & Cie. in The Hague, but was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London in June of 1873.

Vincent enjoyed visiting art galleries and the writings of Dickens and Eliot. He fell in love with Eugenie Loyer, his landlady’s daughter, and proposed to her.

She turned him down after which Vincent had a breakdown. His anger and change in attitude eventually resulted in the loss of his job. At that point in his life, Vincent was adamant to dedicate his life to God and follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a minister.

More about Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh's Life And Work
More About Vincent van Gogh's Life And Work
The Last Year Of Vincent van Gogh's Life
Vincent van Gogh's Death And Legacy