Birth: March 30, 1853, Groot-Zundert, Holland
Death: July 27, 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France - shot himself after suffering from mental illness
Early Influences:
- Uncle associated with an art gallery where he got a job at age 16
- Supported by his brother as he painted
Education:
- Began schooling in 1864 where he learned German, French, and English along with drawing
- Rejected traditional learning
- Received some art instruction between 1879-85 from his cousin, Anton Mauve
- 1885-6 studied at the Academy in Antwerp
Major Accomplishments:
- Numerous self portraits, still-lifes and cityscapes
- Self-Portrait with a Gray Hat (1877)
- The Potato Eaters (1885)
- Starry Night (1889)
- Self Portrait (1889)
- Crows in the Wheatfields (1890)
Significance:
- Focussed on peasant subjects
- One of the most widely known representatives of post-impressionistic art
- Influential as bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries in art
Contemporaries:
- Ulysses S. Grant - 18th President of the United States
- Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor
- Mark Twain - American Author
