Vincent Willem Van Gogh was a Dutch painter who lived in the late 19th century and is generally considered to be the greatest artist after Rembrandt van Rijn. In one decade of his short life, he created about 2,100 artworks, mostly landscapes, still life, portraits and self-portraits. His most famous painting called “Starry night” very well represents his unique artistic style, characterized by bold colours put together with dramatic brush work that greatly paved the way to modern art.
Unfortunately, Van Gogh was not that successful in his career, selling only one artwork during his life, which burdened the artist mentally and caused him severe depression. His mental health was very unstable as the time passed and he suffered severe psychotic episodes with delusions which led to many hospitalisations, but without any improvement because of the limited therapeutic options. Van Gogh´s mental health also affected his physical health, he starved himself and drank heavily most of the time. As mental disorders were even more stigmatized in the past as they are today, he was considered a madman and a failure. His depression took its toll at the very end of his life and he committed suicide at only 37 years old. After his death, he came to be seen as a misunderstood genius in the public eye and finally received well needed recognition.