In just over a decade, he created approximately 2, artworks, including around oil paintings , most of them in the last two years of his life. His oeuvre includes landscapes , still lifes , portraits , and self-portraits , most of which are characterised by bold colours and dramatic brushwork that contributed to the rise of expressionism in modern art. Van Gogh's work was only beginning to gain critical attention before he died from a self-inflicted gunshot at age Born into an upper-middle-class family, Van Gogh drew as a child and was serious, quiet and thoughtful, but showed signs of mental instability.
As a young man, he worked as an art dealer, often travelling, but became depressed after he was transferred to London. He turned to religion and spent time as a missionary in southern Belgium.
Later he drifted into ill-health and solitude. He was keenly aware of modernist trends in art and, while back with his parents, took up painting in His younger brother, Theo , supported him financially, and the two of them maintained a long correspondence. Van Gogh's early works consist of mostly still lifes and depictions of peasant labourers. Frustrated in Paris and inspired by a growing spirit of artistic change and collaboration, in February Van Gogh moved to Arles in southern France to establish an artistic retreat and commune.
Once there, his paintings grew brighter and he turned his attention to the natural world, depicting local olive groves , wheat fields and sunflowers. Van Gogh invited Gauguin to join him in Arles and eagerly anticipated Gauguin's arrival in late Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions.
He worried about his mental stability, and often neglected his physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily. His friendship with Gauguin ended after a confrontation with a razor when, in a rage, he mutilated his left ear.
