The Mystery of Van Gogh's Severed Ear Van Gogh was a Dutch painter. Born in 1853—his full name was Vincent Willem van Gogh he is considered today one of the greatest geniuses of Post-Impressionism.

On the night of December 23, 1888, following a heated argument with fellow painter Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh cut off his left ear. Police found him the next morning, unconscious from blood loss; upon waking, he had no memory of the event. According to the popular version of the story, he bandaged his head himself and went to a brothel to present his severed ear wrapped in a cloth to a prostitute named Rachel. However, it appears this was not the case: in 2018, art historian Bernadette Murphy, an expert on Van Gogh, located the woman's descendants and discovered she was a local woman who worked as a cleaner at various establishments including the brothel in question and was possibly a friend of the painter, though this does not explain why he gave her the macabre gift. His artistic development began late, at the age of 27; after failing in theology and the art trade, Vincent van Gogh embarked on his artistic career as a self taught, itinerant painter, dedicating the final ten years of his life to a frenetic output of canvases. He reached his first major milestone with The Potato Eaters. His style underwent a radical transformation after he moved to Paris. Eventually, seeking the sun of southern France, he settled in Arles and later in the sanatorium at Saint-Rémy; it was during this final period of intense mental turmoil that he created his absolute masterpieces, such as The Starry Night and Sunflowers.

The painter's mental health deteriorated further; he suffered from anxiety attacks and delusions of persecution, and even claimed that someone was trying to poison him. In March, he was hospitalized again, and eventually shortly after Theo (his brother) and Johanna's wedding—he decided to voluntarily commit himself to the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He produced around 800 paintings (including 43 self-portraits and 148 watercolors) and created more than 1,600 drawings. A central figure in his life was his younger brother Theo van Gogh, an art dealer in Paris, who provided him with continuous and selfless financial support. The deep friendship between the two is documented in the numerous letters they exchanged starting in August 1872. Of the 800 surviving letters written by the painter, approximately 650 were addressed to Theo; the others constitute correspondence with friends and family.

He died at the age of thirty-seven from a gunshot wound; it remains uncertain whether it was suicide or accidental homicide. Although there is a general tendency to speculate that his mental illness influenced his painting, art critic Robert Hughes believes the artist's works were executed with complete control; in fact, the painter never worked during periods when he was ill.

Vincent van Gogh's most famous and heartbreaking words were those he spoke on his deathbed: La tristesse durera toujour (Sadness will last forever). He whispered them in French to his brother Theo—who was holding him in his arms—in the early hours of July 29, 1890, shortly before succumbing to the gunshot wound.

Van Gogh fue un pintor neerlandés, nacido en 1853, cuyo nombre completo era Vincent Willem van Gogh, considerado hoy uno de los mayores genios del postimpresionismo. La noche del 23 de diciembre de 1888, después de una acalorada discusión con su colega pintor Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh se cortó la oreja izquierda. La policía lo halló a la mañana siguiente, inconsciente a causa de la hemorragia y, cuando despertó, no recordaba lo que había sucedido. Según la versión popular, después de eso se vendó él mismo la cabeza y acudió a un burdel a entregar su oreja mutilada, envuelta en un pañuelo, a una prostituta llamada Rachel. Sin embargo, parece que no era así: la historiadora del arte Bernadette Murphy, experta en la figura de Van Gogh, consiguió en 2018 localizar a los descendientes de esta mujer y descubrieron que era una chica del pueblo que se dedicaba a limpiar varios locales ; entre ellos, el burdel en cuestión y que posiblemente era amiga del pintor, aunque eso no explica por qué le hizo el macabro regalo.

Su crecimiento artístico comenzó tarde, a los 27 años,tras fracasar en la teología y el comercio de arte, Vincent van Gogh comenzó su etapa artística de forma autodidacta e itinerante, dedicando sus últimos diez años de vida a una producción frenética de cuadros. Alcanzando su primer gran hito con "Los comedores de patatas". Su estilo se transformó radicalmente al mudarse a París. Finalmente, buscando el sol del sur de Francia, se estableció en Arlés y luego en el sanatorio de Saint-Rémy; fue en este último periodo de máxima turbulencia mental donde creó sus obras maestras absolutas, como La noche estrellada y Los girasoles.

La salud mental del pintor se deterioró aún más: tenía ataques de ansiedad, manías persecutorias e incluso decía que alguien intentaba envenenarle. En marzo volvió a ser ingresado en el hospital y finalmente, poco después de la boda de Theo (su hermano) y Johanna, decidió internarse voluntariamente en el sanatorio de Saint-Remy-de-Provence. Pintó unos 800 cuadros (entre ellos 43 autorretratos y 148 acuarelas) y realizó más de 1600 dibujos. Una figura central en su vida fue su hermano menor Theo van Gogh, marchante de arte en París, quien le prestó apoyo financiero de manera continua y desinteresada. La gran amistad entre ambos está documentada en las numerosas cartas que se intercambiaron desde agosto de 1872. De las 800 cartas que se conservan del pintor, unas 650 fueron para Theo; las otras son correspondencia con amigos y familiares.

Falleció a los treinta y siete años de edad por una herida de bala; aún no se sabe con seguridad si fue un suicidio o un homicidio involuntario. A pesar de que existe una tendencia general a especular que su enfermedad mental influyese en su pintura, el crítico de arte Robert Hughes cree que las obras del artista están ejecutadas bajo un completo control; de hecho, el pintor nunca trabajó en los periodos en los que estaba enfermo.

Las palabras más famosas y desgarradoras de Vincent van Gogh fueron sus últimas palabras en su lecho de muerte: La tristesse durera toujours (La tristeza durará para siempre). Se las murmuró en francés a su hermano Theo mientras este lo sostenía en brazos la madrugada del 29 de julio de 1890, poco antes de morir por la herida de bala.

Van Gogh

Fontes consultadas:

• Mythology: Vincent - Wikipedia
• Analysis: Van- Gogh - Nationalgeograp
• Photo: Vincent - Wikipedia
• Photo: Starry Night - Wikipedia
• Photo: Potato - Wikipedia
• Photo: Cut ear - Wikipedia

As fotos são de minha autoria e foram tiradas com meu celular Redmi.

A inteligência artificial não foi usada para escrever a postagem; o Google Tradutor foi usado para escrever as partes em inglês E português.