Vincent Willem van Gogh was born March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Holland. As a Biographical criticism is an analytical approach to viewing art through information from the artist’s background. I personally enjoy learning about different artists backgrounds, but I think that you shouldn't use that knowledge while looking at an artwork. To me, the piece seems to lose all meaning and personal connection when looked at this way. Also when viewing art from a biographical criticism standpoint you are giving up the idea that the narrative could be completely made up from imagination as James Thomas says here: “It neglects the purely imaginative aspects of the arts” “ It does not consider that playwrights use their imagination when they write and …show more content…
From that rejection, he became a highly emotional person and struggled with identity and direction. As Vincent got older he thought his one true calling was to preach the gospel. He then later decided to become an artist and live in Paris with his younger brother, Theo. In 1888, after living in Paris for two years and establishing himself as a painter, he decided to open an art school in Arles, France. Vincent was later joined by his friend and painter, Paul Gauguin. Their partnership wasn’t ideal, Van Gogh was stubborn and temperamental, the union of the two artists ended at the end of the year in 1888, when Van Gogh pursued Gauguin with an open razor and ended up cutting off a piece of his own earlobe. After that incident, Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to a mental hospital in Saint-Remy, France. During the two-year period he spent in the hospital, he created over 150 paintings including The Irises and The Starry Night. Van Gogh was then released from the hospital and moved to Auvers-Sur-Oise, France to live closer to his brother Theo, who had been supporting him financially and his doctor, Paul Gachet. He died only two months after his release from the hospital, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Vincent van Gogh produced over 2,000 artworks in his life with only one sold, now his artwork is the most expensive in the world and he is considered one of the most influential