Perhaps the most widely known case is that of Van Gogh's severed ear. Of course, this act in itself is not so unique, but the very fact that he did it and the mystery that shrouds this incident still did their job. Now, even the most inquisitive reader, picking up a book about Van Gogh, will definitely try to find some information about it.
A small house in the province, or bouts of depression
In 1988, Vincent van Gogh rented a small house in a small southern French town called Arles. There Dutch painter, who suffered from bouts of depression, experienced periods of insanity and Here he painted several scenes of the French countryside and the famous series
Exhausted by despair and loneliness, Van Gogh hoped for new acquaintances with creative personalities who would provide him with communication, and, perhaps, help reduce his financial dependence on his younger brother Theo, who always supported Vincent Van Gogh. The lonely artist repeatedly turned to his friend Gauguin with a request to join him. And finally, he heeded his prayers. Thus begins the story of Van Gogh's ear.
Entertainment of two friends, or what two artists argue about
On October 23, Paul Gauguin knocked on the door of Van Gogh's small dwelling. They began to study numerous canvases in art galleries, brightened up their leisure time in local brothels. Their relationship was quite stormy. The two Post-Impressionists argued constantly, ranging from household expenses to the merits of Delacroix or Rembrandt.
Paul Gauguin constantly grumbled about the dirt in the studio. What's more, he threw away all of Vincent van Gogh's bedding. And he immediately sent for his own, which were to be delivered directly from Paris. The small house quickly filled with an atmosphere of tension. Paul became increasingly concerned about the state of Vincent, who kept an intermittent pensive silence and at times exhibited intermittent outbursts of madness. Gauguin often wrote about this in his letters to his friend's younger brother.
Another fit of madness, or a cry of despair
Finally, two days before Christmas, which Van Gogh, by the way, never liked, Paul told him that he planned to return to Paris. In the evening he went for a walk, when suddenly Vincent overtook him from behind and began to threaten him with a razor. Gauguin reassured his friend, but just in case, he spent the night at a nearby hotel. How could Paul then imagine how this decision would affect further developments and in Van Gogh's ear.
Vincent returned to his deserted house. Alone again... All his dreams for the eternal stay next to him Paul Gauguin were destroyed. In another fit of madness, the artist took a razor, pulled back his left earlobe and cut it off. The torn ear artery began to bleed profusely, and Vincent bandaged his head with a damp towel. But the story about Van Gogh's ear does not end there. The artist carefully wrapped it in a newspaper and went to a brothel located next door, where he found a friend of her, he handed over this bundle and asked her to carefully keep it. Seeing the contents, the poor woman fainted, and Van Gogh, staggering, went home.
Van Gogh's ear. Photo of a self-portrait with a bandaged head
The alarmed woman decided to report this incident to the police, and the next morning the artist was found unconscious in bed, covered in blood. He was admitted to a local hospital. Vincent van Gogh repeatedly asked a friend to visit him. But Paul Gauguin never came. Hospitalization continued for several weeks, and then Van Gogh returned to his small house.
There he continued to write his works and even documented the last violent episode, which readers know as the story of Van Gogh's ear, in the form of a self-portrait with a bandaged head. Manic attacks continued from time to time, and Vincent van Gogh spent most of the next year in the psychiatric clinic of Saint-Rémy. But the treatment did not save the shattered psyche of the famous artist, and on July 27, 1890, he shot himself.
The most famous moment in life, or what loneliness leads to
What else can be said about Van Gogh's severed ear? The story, which took place on December 23, 1888, remains the most famous fragment from the life of famous artist. Most of the narrative of those events was compiled from the words of Paul Gauguin, whom the police initially suspected of committing this act. Until now, among art historians and biographers, there is an opinion that in fact the situation looked somewhat different.
Most likely, this story served only as a cover that two artists came up with to protect Gauguin, who cut off Van Gogh's ear with his fencing sword during another quarrel. Considering how desperately Vincent wanted to keep his friendship with Paul, this version can also be believed.
Nevertheless, more friends never saw each other. And this story has forever remained an unsolved mystery, which interested not only contemporaries, but also many today's admirers of the talented artist's work. Moreover, it turns out that there is even a song called Van Gogh's Ear. Kashin Pavel, famous contemporary performer, apparently, tried to convey in it the emotions that Vincent van Gogh experienced at the time of this crazy act.
The artist also portrayed himself in various ways. He was very fond of all sorts of hats and smoked a pipe, so he painted himself directly - in a hat and with a pipe. And I noticed an amazing pattern. If these two objects are present in the picture, then the artist is in a good mood; the picture is light.
Here is another option. He is sadder than the picture taken as the title of the post, but not intimidating as in many other portraits. True, there are already some troubles with the left ear: 
I must say that without a hat he does not really suit:
One of the self-portraits is dedicated to his friend Paul Gauguin. Their friendship was difficult. They created together, drank (absinthe was especially respected), argued about art ... there are rumors that during one of these disputes, Van Gogh cut off his left earlobe in his hearts. Then he put it in an envelope and gave it to his favorite prostitute named Rochelle. She fainted and reported to the police. The police came to Vincent van Gogh's house, and he was bleeding in bed. It was considered that there was no corpus delicti - the artist said that he mutilated himself. Having recovered a little from the wound, he did not fail to paint a portrait of himself:
According to another version, Gauguin cut off his ear, who was also a very hot-tempered character and had a complex character. In addition, Paul Gauguin lived on the content of Theo van Gogh, who was Vincent's brother, was a lover and patron of painting. Probably, this somehow offended Gauguin, well, maybe he was jealous, or something ... We are unlikely to find out how it actually happened, but the life of fellow artists was interesting. Self-portrait for Gauguin, a rather menacing look, it should be noted:
All this creepy story took place in December 1888. As a result, the artist voluntarily went to a psychiatric hospital, where he worked hard, was inspired by the view from the window and recovered. The most fruitful period of his work began, unfortunately, a very short one, ending in suicide. Van Gogh went out into nature to paint landscapes, and suddenly shot himself with a pistol right in the heart. However, he did not die right away, but went home and lived for another day. The artist died in the arms of his brother Theo on July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. There was no doubt that it was suicide. Apparently, because the attempt was not the first. The artist repeatedly attempted on his own life.
Wag Gogh syndrome or his own doctor: why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? A gloomy canvas of life under the bright post-impressionist sunflowers.
Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear?
The eccentric act of the famous post-impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh, has earned its own name - Van Gogh Syndrome. It manifests itself in the fact that the patient is trying (or has already been able) to operate on himself or insists on a specific operation. The place, and the family of the popular Dutch artist, according to experts, did not affect the onset of mental illness, which is attributed to the author of the famous self-portrait with a cut off ear.
The first symptoms of the disease, according to the governess, described in our previous article, appeared in childhood However, no evidence was found to support her position. Instead, the height of Van Gogh's depression fell on the London period, then smoothly flowed to Paris, the city that crowned the painter with contacts with famous artists. As you know, Van Gogh did not receive recognition during his lifetime. On the contrary, he was considered a peculiar and neurotic person.
Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear?
- According to one version, the artist cut off his earlobe in a hospital for the insane during the next clouding of consciousness. According to the doctors, Van Gogh suffered from insane delirium - delirium.
- According to another lost during a quarrel with his famous friend, patron and mentor, Paul Gauguin, whom they met in Paris. The conflict took place because of a prostitute, with whom both had a connection, although there is no exact data.
- According to the third version, more poetic than real, Van Gogh cut off his ear while drunk- under absinthe, which the artist allegedly complained about, he could not control his extreme states.
True on the edge of a knife - the true story of why Van Gogh cut off his ear
During his violent insanity, Van Gogh was treated in the city of Arles, where he also rented an apartment in a bright yellow house.
- Van Gogh rented a house at 2 Place LaMartin in Arles, France on May 1, 1888.
In this colorful place, Vincent tried to make his own workshop, inviting artists and creating on his own. He wrote about his dream to his brother Theo, as well as most of the things and ideas that disturbed the soul.
The same letter to Brother Theo with a picture of the house at the specified address
One of the rooms was rented by Paul Gauguin- one of the only contemporaries who joined the idea of Van Gogh and settled in Arles. Both outstanding creators lived under the same roof until the first quarrel. Studying Theo's letters, the researchers found confirmation of the spat. One day, Paul left Van Gogh, which provoked our hero to another eccentric act. Vincent felt the ground cracking under his plans - the first, best and most honored guest of the studio left . Having lost self-control, Van Gogh cut off his ear, wrapped it in a scarf and went to a brothel to give the "present" to Gauguin's prostitute. Fainting, panic, long-term treatment and the outcome - suicide. And the yellow house, like Van Gogh's sunflowers, was so bright and harmless, maybe the governess was right?
↓ Read both articles about Van Gogh and write in the comments if you agree with the "urban legends" about the artist's madness or know other reasons why Van Gogh cut off his ear?
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Many of us have heard more than once that the famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear. But few of us wondered why And why he did it.
The history of Van Gogh's ear
Despite all the efforts of scientists, the story of Van Gogh's ear is still a mystery. Modern historians tend to lean towards two main versions:
- Van Gogh cut off his own ear, due to parting with his friend Paul Gauguin. great artist, according to contemporaries, was a mentally unbalanced person. Upon learning that a friend who was visiting him was going to leave home, Van Gogh allegedly first tried to attack him with a razor, and then, having failed, cut off his earlobe in a fit of madness. The deranged van Gogh took the cut off flesh to a nearby brothel and gave it to a prostitute with the words: "Carefully take care of it."
- According to another version, Gauguin cut off Van Gogh's ear. The two artists allegedly quarreled strongly, after which Gauguin, who, according to scientists, was an excellent swordsman, took out a sword and, either in a rage, or accidentally cut off Van Gogh's earlobe.
Under interrogation by the police, Gauguin insisted on the first version, claiming that he had nothing to do with it and was crazy. Van Gogh cut off his own ear. Van Gogh, in turn, was simply silent. Some say that he did not want to harm his friend, who was threatened with prison, while others believe that Van Gogh could simply be out of his mind. By the way, the police never managed to find either the sword or the razor, and the two artists never saw each other again.
From time to time, articles pop up in various journals that scientists have again found "evidence" in favor of one version or another of what happened. Unfortunately, all this evidence is very circumstantial and often based on correspondence between Van Gogh, Gauguin and their entourage. Be that as it may, we are unlikely to ever know the truth about this story, because more than 100 years have passed since then.
Death of Van Gogh
Surprisingly, many moments of Van Gogh's life are covered in a veil of mystery, and even the circumstances of his death are still unclear. July 27, 1890 during one of the walks, Van Gogh was shot in the chest.
According to the most common version, he tried to commit suicide, but the bullet went just below the heart without causing serious damage to the internal organs. After that, the artist independently got to the hotel where he lived, where he was called by doctors. There is also a version that Van Gogh was shot by one of the teenagers who regularly accompanied him in pubs. Be that as it may, the police could not find either the murder weapon or even establish the crime scene. Van Gogh died 2 days later, at the age of 37, from blood loss (according to other sources, from an infection brought through the wound), his last words were:
"Sorrow Will Last Forever".
Van Gogh's room where he lived before his death 
Van Gogh's grave in Auvers-sur-Oise (France), where he is buried next to his brother Theo
(1853-1890) cut off his ear, every second schoolboy knows. But why - not every adult can explain. Like, he was crazy, strange ...
Vincent van Gogh "Self-portrait with cut off ear", 1888.
This explanation did not suit me even at school, when, at the age of fourteen, I discouraged a young art history teacher with my interest.
It turned out that there are two versions: official and not official. Which one to believe is up to you. Genius is often (if not always) identical to madness. To understand the essence of things that fateful year in the life of an impressionist, you need to visit his dream house - in a yellow two-story building, sunny as summer in Provence. This is what we will do with you now.
Yellow house in Arles
On May 1, 1888, Vincent van Gogh rented a house with bright yellow walls during French city Arles. This house was located at 2 Place Lamartine, and Vincent intended to create from it creative studio not only for myself, but also for other artists. This was his dream, and he repeatedly wrote to his brother Theo about it.
Letter to Brother Theo in which Vincent describes the "Yellow House", 1888.
Vincent had four rooms at his disposal: an atelier and a kitchen on the first floor, two bedrooms on the second. There was a grocery store next door. In a four-story building next to it is a restaurant where Vincent had dinner every evening. At the end of the street there is a railway bridge.
Vincent van Gogh "The Yellow House", 1888
See the window where the shutters are covered? There was our hero's room.
Vincent van Gogh "Room in Arles", 1888. Van Gogh painted his room three times, without changing anything in the composition - only the colors differ. This is the very first version.
The room was small (the window was the only one) and - quite likely - a walk-through: the doors can be seen from both sides. On the walls there is a small mirror, two portraits of his own brush (a portrait of the poet and artist Eugen Boch and a portrait of a soldier Paul-Eugen Millet), a landscape at the head of the bed, and sketches.
Vincent van Gogh "P portrait of the poet Eugen Boch and "Portrait of a soldier Paul-Eugen Millet", 1888.
The rest of the rooms were decorated by the artist much more idly and - to match the color of the house - sunny: bright yellow "Sunflowers". There are seven canvases of them, scattered today in the leading galleries of the world: from London to Japan. These are my favourites.
Vincent van Gogh "Sunflowers", 1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA
friend visit
Now look at the second floor window against the wall (on the canvas "Yellow House" it has the shutters wide open). See?
After Van Gogh's departure, the yellow house housed a bar.
Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), the first (and last) artist to join Vincent in Arles, looked out through this window for nine weeks.
Paul Gauguin "Self-portrait", 1888.
And not for free: Gauguin received "travel allowances" from Theo van Gogh. And it is understandable: unlike Vincent, he was already quite famous.
Vincent did not have time to write a canvas depicting Gauguin's room, but from his letters it is known that the room of the long-awaited guest is larger, brighter and more elegant than his own. And this is what the chairs of the painters looked like. For me, for example, a "crazy" artist is always associated with this chair: bright, simple, sunny. A kind of self-portrait, don't you think?
And Gauguin - with his.
Vincent van Gogh "Van Gogh's Armchair" and "Gauguin's Armchair", 1888.
As expected, the joint creative life soon - namely: two months later - cracked. They say that Vincent could sit down by Paul's bed and study his motionless sleeping body. And all sorts of memories-tales. Be that as it may, it is difficult for two creative personalities to get along under the same roof. Beautiful Frida, if you remember, loved her artist husband Diego with all her heart, at the same time!
One day Paul had enough, Theo unsubscribed and left home.
Then it started...
Paul Gauguin "Portrait of Van Gogh at the easel", 1888.
So why did Van Gogh cut off his ear?
Official version
Vincent, of course, was deeply upset by the departure of Paul: after all, having barely realized, his big dream collapsed. The dream is to create a joint creative studio. His first guest of honor left. He left, hot, offended.
The artist was so agitated that he lost self-control: he cut off his left ear, carefully wrapped it in a white scarf and headed to the brothel to deliver the “package” to Gauguin’s favorite prostitute. (They say she fainted. Of course.)
Vincent van Gogh "Cedar tree and figure in the garden of St. Paul's clinic", 1889.
Vincent van GoghEntrance to the clinic", 1889.
Vincent van Gogh, Clinic Courtyard, 1889.
unofficial version
You are silent. I will be silent too. — Vincent's last words to his "friend" Paul.
In 2009, the book "Van Gogh's Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Oath of Silence" by Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans was published. In it, Hamburg historians, who have been studying police files, eyewitness accounts and the artist’s letters for ten years, are trying to prove that the ear “suffered” during a heated quarrel between two artists. According to their version, the artists were heading to a brothel when, in a fit of anger or self-defense, the excellent swordsman Paul Gauguin swung at Vincent with his sword. Further - all according to the script official version: with his ear in a scarf, Vincent trudged to a brothel to his beloved Gauguin prostitute, and then bled to death in his radiant house, until the police found him, barely alive, the next morning.
“You are silent. I, too, will be silent" - this was the last known phrase, said by Vincent to "friend" Paul. Historians believe that it was because of this vow of silence that Vincent took all the blame. Gauguin did not want to testify at all ...
Vincent van Gogh "Olives", 1889.
Since 1944, the yellow house has existed only on Van Gogh's canvas. During the Second World War, Arles was heavily bombed, in place of the yellow house - new buildings.
