Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh was a legendary Dutch artist whose works are known for their charismatic beauty, enthralling emotion and vibrant colors. Considered to be the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt, he is seen as one of the most recognizable painters in history. However, unluckily for van Gogh, much of the appreciation and glory came posthumously as he spent a life ridden by poverty, unstable mental health and poor physical state. Van Gogh had a modest start in his life as he struggled for direction. He spent much of his adult life on an unrelenting pilgrimage tour, painting, sketching and preaching the word of God. It was in Paris that he resumed to his old love and passion of art by studying the works of new impressionist painters, and later imitating their works. However, he later developed his own unconventional style that was bold and unflinching. Over his life, he completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings and sketches. Today, several of his paintings rank among the most expensive in the world.