Van Gogh Timeline
Many Van Gogh timelines exist online, but this one is different: to get a better feel for how things changed from one year to the next, I prefer to see comparisons and connections over years and months, rather than a chronological list. It also helps to have pictures.
"The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh" - Penguin Classics, 1997
The Journey Starts HereThis is my primary source: a dog-eared copy of Vincent's letters from eBay, which admits it is "not primarily intended for readers well versed in art history"1 , which is just as well as I am absolutely not well versed. However, it is from the 70s and is, therefore, undoubtedly missing more recent interpretations. Even so, you can't beat the actual letters a person has written for a first-hand account of their life, thoughts and feelings.
I dip in and out on certain days and months and then follow the inevitable rabbit holes, but also check and reference the official Van Gogh Letters website from a collaboration between the Van Gogh Museum and Huygens Instituut: the letter numbers are different but so are some of the translations, which are easier to quote from there. I then check WikiMedia Commons for any public domain images I can use.
Van Gogh's Januarys
Van Gogh Timeline for July
July is an incredibly significant month in the timeline of Vincent Van Gogh, with many of the biggest life events happening during this month.
Significant events in July over the years:
- 1869 - Joins Goupil & Cie as youngest employee of the international art dealer in The Hague (30th July)
- 1876 - in England as an assistant preacher after being dismissed by Goupil's earlier in March (mid-July)
- 1878 - formally abandons his religious study
- 1879 - Decides to become an artist
- 1882 - creates his first watercolours
- 1889 - has an "attack" whilst painting outside in the fields (mid-July)
- 1890 - goes to Theo in Paris for the last time: tense discussions over finances (6th July)
- shot himself (27th July)
- died two days later (29th July)
- buried in Auvers (30th July)
On This Day...
21st July 1882
Letter 218 (D) / 249 VGL
This is quite a long, touching letter to Theo, with many quotes within relating to health, wellbeing, and resilience together with an enclosed sketch of "the cradle".
Child in a Cradle by The Stove
- Vincent van Gogh
"I’ve drawn a study of the cradle today with touches of colour in it"
Vincent talks about his health struggles but decides to push through them to focus on his art, as if his illness doesn't exist anymore:
"Today I made an agreement with myself, which was to regard my illness, or rather what’s left of it, as non-existent. Enough time has been lost, the work must be carried on"
He seems forward-looking and positive, committed to getting back to drawing from morning till night:
"So, well or not well, I’m going to draw again regularly from morning till evening."
There's a strikingly insightful but sad few lines where Vincent talks about feeling deeply and wanting to reflect that in his art, even if society sees him as an oddball::
"What am I in the eyes of most people? A nonentity or an oddity or a disagreeable person... through my work I’d like to show what there is in the heart of such an oddity, such a nobody."
He sounds resilient, driven by a love of art, even if it's hard, working persistently no matter what and not letting others’ opinions sway him:
"Art demands persistent work, work in spite of everything... not abandoning your approach because of what someone else says."
This letter is generally positive and uplifting in tone and something we can probably all relate to, talking about resilience by standing by what you love, come what may, and finding beauty and meaning even in tough times.
References
1. About This Edition page, The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh, Penguin Classics, 1977
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Disclaimer
I'm an enthusiast who enjoys going down rabbit holes researching the details.
I like to illustrate events and letters using AI, bringing to life what we can only imagine.
Themed artwork and merch contribute to the "microdoses of aesthetics" that bring me joy.