Art History. Not one of Vincent van Gogh’s most well known paintings — Prisoners' Round, painted in February 1890 at Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Rémy, inspired by an 1872 engraving by Gustave Doré of the exercise yard at Newgate Prison.
And, here is a part of Vincent’s life unknown to most people, from Wikipedia: “In January 1879 he took up a post as a missionary at Petit-Wasmes in the coal-mining district of Borinage in Belgium. To show support for his impoverished congregation, he gave up his comfortable lodgings at a bakery to a homeless person and moved to a small hut, where he slept on straw. His squalid living conditions did not endear him to church authorities, who dismissed him for "undermining the dignity of the priesthood.”
Let that sink in. He went to minister to the poor and the church authorities fired him for doing just that. His father believed Vincent was insane and should be committed to an asylum. Instead, as Wikipedia tells us, “Van Gogh returned to Cuesmes in August 1880, where he lodged with a miner until October. He became interested in the people and scenes around him, recording them in drawings after Theo's suggestion that he take up art in earnest.” His sweet brother Theo, always so kind and encouraging to him. But, at the end of Vincent’s life, he did end up in an asylum where he took his own life. His artistic career lasted 10 years. He started painting when he was 27, died at 37, poor as a church mouse, as the old saying goes.
Later this month, Sotheby's New York offers his painting Still Life: Glass with Wild Flowers, for auction. The estimated sale price stands at 14 to 18 million dollars. Vincent most likely would say the money would be better spent helping the poor.
And, here is a part of Vincent’s life unknown to most people, from Wikipedia: “In January 1879 he took up a post as a missionary at Petit-Wasmes in the coal-mining district of Borinage in Belgium. To show support for his impoverished congregation, he gave up his comfortable lodgings at a bakery to a homeless person and moved to a small hut, where he slept on straw. His squalid living conditions did not endear him to church authorities, who dismissed him for "undermining the dignity of the priesthood.”
Let that sink in. He went to minister to the poor and the church authorities fired him for doing just that. His father believed Vincent was insane and should be committed to an asylum. Instead, as Wikipedia tells us, “Van Gogh returned to Cuesmes in August 1880, where he lodged with a miner until October. He became interested in the people and scenes around him, recording them in drawings after Theo's suggestion that he take up art in earnest.” His sweet brother Theo, always so kind and encouraging to him. But, at the end of Vincent’s life, he did end up in an asylum where he took his own life. His artistic career lasted 10 years. He started painting when he was 27, died at 37, poor as a church mouse, as the old saying goes.
Later this month, Sotheby's New York offers his painting Still Life: Glass with Wild Flowers, for auction. The estimated sale price stands at 14 to 18 million dollars. Vincent most likely would say the money would be better spent helping the poor.
Prisoners' Round, by Vincent van Gogh
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