Van Gogh perfectly encapsulates the toxic idea of the ‘tortured artist’. Often, it’s hard to sort the myth from the truth when discussing Van Gogh, especially since so much of his life is still debated by art historians. There’s lots of questions about Van Gogh, some which will never be answered.
Did he really eat yellow paint to feel happy?
How much of his ear did he actually slice off?
How did he die?
Van Gogh’s death is widely considered to be a suicide; the perfect ending to a tragic life. Even Van Gogh himself told the people around him he had shot himself and (curiously) told them to not look into a possible murder.
But let’s walk through it.
Vincent Van Gogh suffered from a deteriorating mental condition through most his life and most large amounts of time in mental asylums. In these asylums is where he produced some of his most famous work like Starry Night, Almond Blossom Tree, and Irises. Despite his long battle with his health, Vincent was solemnly against suicide and never discussed any plans with those around him.
After a lengthy stay in an asylum, Vincent took residence at an inn in Auvers-sur-Oise, France (the Northern outskirts of Paris). He enjoyed painting the fields around the area, as well as the easy access to his family in Paris. Unfortunately, this is where Vincent would pass.
On July 27th, 1980, Vincent took his art supplies to paint the fields he enjoyed so much and returned with a gunshot wound. He passed two days later in his inn room, still insistent the wound was self-inflicted.
Seems pretty straightforward, right? A tortured soul tragically died in the place he thought beautiful enough to leave his soul. A poetic ending that has helped his biography become so famous.
Well unfortunately, it’s not as straightforward as you might think.
Some things just didn’t add up about Van Gogh’s story. The bullet wound was in Vincent’s abdomen (an odd and painful place to shoot if aiming to kill), the wound suggested he had been shot at from a distance, his art supplies went missing after the incident, and (perhaps most suspiciously) no one could find the gun.
Meet René Secrétan, a local boy who loves hunting, fishing, and teasing Van Gogh. He and his friends would often taunt the artist and play tricks on him (putting salt in his coffee or chilli flakes on paint brushes he chewed).
René was lucky enough to go see Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in Paris and came home with a whole Western themed outfit. A fringed coat, cowboy hat, and a pistol.
It’s thought that René might have had an altercation with Vincent, accidently shot him in the field and, in an attempt to hide his mistake, took Vincent’s art supplies. Fortunately for the boy, Vincent knew René’s shot to be an accident didn’t want the boy to suffer for his misdeed for rest of his life and claimed the wound to be self-inflicted.
However, this is just one of a million theories. We’ll likely never know what truly happened to Vincent Van Gogh, but (in a twisted way) it only adds to the artist’s mysterious legacy.
To learn more, check out Buzzfeed Unsolved video on the incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrsdntds9kM
