Vincent Van Gogh was the son of a Dutch shepherd, Theodorus Van Gogh. Vincent was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, a village in the south of the Netherlands. Art was part of Vincent when he was little because several uncles in the family were art dealers. Art and religion, therefore, were among Vincent's first experiences growing up in the family home with his three sisters and two brothers. Vincent tried his hand at many things before dedicating himself to painting. He worked in the family art business, devoted himself to religion, and enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1880, at the age of twenty-seven, Vincent suffered from severe depression. He had failed in the family gallery business, he had failed as a teacher, and he had failed in love. After all this, Vincent decided to become an artist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Even before moving to Paris, Vincent was aware of the artistic trend that surrounded him. It is certain that in the years spent working with the art dealers Goupil and Cie in Paris and London, Vincent would have been aware of what was happening in the art world around him, and by the end of the 19th century, Paris was precisely at the center center of that world. When Vincent moved to Paris in 1886, he came into contact with many artists through his brother Theo, who helped sell most of the famous paintings. Vincent began to experiment with a type of painting known as open-air painting. Vincent relied heavily on his family and friends to support him throughout his life as an artist. It was his brother Theo who agreed to support him financially when, at the age of twenty-eight, Vincent decided to learn to paint. That support continued until Vincent's death. His love affair with painting was intense and painful, as were his earlier passions for the church and his unsuccessful relationships with women. Vincent left his family and friends when he moved to Paris, but he never stopped writing to them. Vincent's letters to his family and friends were very much like an autobiography of himself. He wrote regularly to his brother Theo and it is mainly thanks to the existence of these replies to his brother that today everyone knows so much about him. Vincent stayed with his brother Theo in Paris from March 1886 to February 1888 and obviously had no need to send him letters. When he moved to Arles, he sent letters every week to Theo and these letters describe his struggle with himself and his art. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay It is said that it is impossible to read the letters written by Vincenzo towards the end of his life without experiencing a deep feeling of grief. His illness drove him to madness when he had full hallucinations of voices and visions. These hallucinations were an indication to people of what would happen next. Vincent shot himself on July 27, 1890, dying two days later. Her last unfinished letter to Theo was found on her body. Some think he planned his death to increase the value of his work and repay his brother.