How Van Gogh Really Died and How Putting the Kibosh on the Suicide Story is Crucial for Creatives
by Thea Fiore-Bloom, Ph.D.
New research suggests Vincent van Gogh probably didn’t kill himself — but few people know about it.
In 2011 a pair of Harvard-trained, Pulitzer Prize-winning art historians quietly published Van Gogh: The Life.
This doorstop of a book wasn’t read cover to cover by a whole lot of people yet it accomplished 2 things:
1. It pretty much tossed the belief that van Gogh committed suicide, into the same pile where pronouncements like, “the earth is flat” now rest.
2. It got a whole pack of art historians clutching their pearls. (Especially those associated with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.)
The book’s authors busted several myths.
But let’s focus on just the two I believe impact and affirm creatives today.
Myth 1: Van Gogh was Never Recognized As a Great Artist
Fact 1: Van Gogh’s Star Was Actually on the Rise at the Time of His Death
Believe it or not, van Gogh could be considered to have been on the verge of fame the year he died (1890).
And Naifeh and Smith documented that in 1890 van Gogh was apparently more healthy and optimistic than he had been in years, his doctors declared him healed.
(He had just completed an apparently effective new, homeopathic treatment with the doctor you see Vincent immortalized in the painting below.)
According to the authors, esteemed art critic Albert Aurier published a review declaring van Gogh a genius — while he was still alive.
Van Gogh was aware that Aurier referred to him as: “An intense and fantastic colorist,” whose work was “vigorous, exalted, brutal,” and “unbelievably dazzling, at once entirely realistic and yet almost supernatural.”
The Aurier review prompted invitations for van Gogh to show at prestigious galleries; galleries where his work would have very likely garnered more praise and even sales.
It wasn’t just critics who admired van Gogh.
Vincent did not go unrecognized by fellow artists either.
Van Gogh was a revered source of inspiration for painter Edvard Munch. He also was an artist the fiercely competitive painter Paul Gauguin considered a worthy rival.
Despite suffering debilitating bouts of mental illness that admittedly set van Gogh apart from others, the artist was more connected and admired than his myth would have us believe
Why do I think Vincent van Gogh didn’t end his life because of a lack of sales?
Because two Pulitzer prize-winning scholars cast great doubt that van Gogh ended his own life, period.
So how did van Gogh really die?
Myth 2: Van Gogh Absolutely Committed Suicide
Fact 2: Van Gogh Was Most Likely Murdered
Forensic evidence indicates van Gogh was shot from a distance in a field where he was painting.
It may have been an accidental shooting.
Not good news for van Gogh’s family or humanity but it’s the most accurate version of events available at this time.
Van Gogh: The Life’s last chapter and long appendix lay out a convincing argument that a local wild west-loving teen bully and his pals shot and killed Vincent van Gogh.
A bully who had taunted van Gogh verbally and physically since the eccentric genius’s early days in Arles.
Recently a top ballistics expert confirmed van Gogh’s gunshot wound (as detailed in extant records) could not have been a result of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Want more details? Read this 2014 article in Vanity Fair.
If Van Gogh Didn’t Commit Suicide, Why Do We Think He Did?
The chief originator and purveyor of the suicide narrative (according to Naifeh and White) was an artist and critic named Émile Bernard.
The authors document Bernard’s penchant for writing gossip-filled, dramatic letters.
At least one of these letters apparently spread the story that van Gogh took his own life.
But the reason the suicide story is part of our consciousness today may have less to do with Bernard and more to do with Kirk Douglas.
Blame It On Kirk Douglas
Well, Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, novelist Irving Stone, and Oscar-winning director Vincent Minnelli.
Publishers released Irving Stone’s first novel, Lust for Life, in 1934. It became a runaway bestseller.
Stone never pretended his novel was anything other than a work of fiction based on van Gogh’s life.
Hollywood transformed Stone’s book into a Technicolor film in 1956.
The suicide story was then set in the minds of the public like a bug in amber.
“The book and later film “Lust for Life” have, more than anything else, shaped the public perception of Vincent van Gogh.”
— Bernadette Murphy, author of Van Gogh’s Ear.
Why It Matters For Artists That Van Gogh Probably Didn’t Kill Himself
The busting of the myth that van Gogh took his life because he wasn’t appreciated by buyers or critics is important for creatives.
(For my post on how to recover from an overly-harsh art critique go here.)
Because it affirms three things we artists know, that many non-artists don’t:
1. Of course, approval and sales are important, but they are not the real reason we got up to join the dance of art in the first place.
2. Actual artists like you and I know that when we focus only on approval and/or sales, we are left distanced from the source of our creativity itself.
3. If we don’t sell much of our work, we may feel discouraged but many of us keep making mounds of art anyway. (Take my hero Simon Rodia for example, the lone creator of the Watts Towers which soar 10 stories up in the air.)
Why do we carry on anyway?
Because ultimately we make art to soulfully explore life — not to get a pat on the head from others.
So if massive approval and sales alone are not enough for many of us heart-centered artists, what is enough?
Well, van Gogh would answer:
“[…] And then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”
— Vincent van Gogh
Reclaiming Van Gogh for Artists
I argue the evidence that van Gogh did not end his own life benefits artists because it offers artists an opportunity to reclaim Vincent van Gogh, for ourselves.
Not as a tragic victim of circumstance.
Nor as the current highest-priced artist in history.
But as a role model of the importance of making art you love, with love, even if no one ever writes about it or buys a stick of it.
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Some authorities claim Van Gogh suffered from ADHD. If you want to learn more about the superpowers and super problems ADHD presents artists with, check out Artists and ADHD: Myths, Realities, True Stories & Resources.
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Has van Gogh touched your life or your art in some way?
Why do you think many people have never heard this version of events about van Gogh?
Leave a comment, I want to learn from your take on this.
You also might be interested in a recent NY Times article that documents the role of Van Gogh’s sister-in-law in his rise to art stardom after his death.
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Need help making your art writing shine? Sign up for one of my writing coachings for artists mini-packages and I will help you bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in your art writing.
If you liked this you might like to read these other Charmed Studio posts:
Frida Kahlo for Artists and Writers: 7 Tips from the Life of a Mexican Maverick
Salvador Dalí: 6 Outrageous Facts and Tips For Artists & Writers
Why You Need a Rival:Especially if You’re A Woman
Rachel Carson: A Fairy Godmother For Artists & Writers During Tough Times
Artists and Priorities: A Magical Method for Organizing Your Time
Thea, I fell in love with Van Gogh’s work as a teenager and still are fascinated by his work to this day! I never even heard that he shot himself and knew that the story about cutting off his ear was false. I am relieved to read that his doc felt Vincent was cured prior to his death. His brother , who was amazingly supportive, must have been elated. I have not read the book or seen the movie and must add them to my “to do” list. Your research takes you to places others don’t want to go and I thank you for providing us with another view, opening our minds and souls to amazing possibilities.
Thanks Sylvia for your wonderful compliment about my research. I do fall down these slightly stressful but totally entrancing and exciting Alice in Wonderland wells of research. And one thing just leads to another. I can’t believe you know the ear story is most likely BS! I just found out about that while reading for this article. So it seems Gaugin is the most likely one to blame for that. Apparently. Gaughin was drunk and staying with van Gogh that month and was known to get wild with THE SABER he liked to carry to bars at night with him as his heavy drinking companion. Supposedly he started an altercation with van Gogh in the street that night while drinking and carrying the saber. There is an interesting though a non-scholarly account of it in Van Gogh’s Ear by Bernadette Murphy.
You are such a supportive reader Sylvia, I truly appreciate your ideas and thoughts as always.
You are most welcome,Thea! I did not know that a book existed about the “ear”. Sometimes its just fun to read, doesn’t always have to be scholarly
Your blog is just perfect! Vincent was a real genius and it was a pleasure to read your thoughts about his life and death. I always knew that there are many theories about how Van Gogh died but the point of view you put here is much more constructive than any other one. Thank you!
Sophia, I am so honored by your comment. You made my day. Thanks for getting it from the artist’s perspective (as opposed to the art critic’s or Hollywood perspective.) Wishing you a wonderful new year.
Cheers for the suggestion I look at this after our recent dialogue Thea …This take appears to be more realistic than the suicide tale.
It had always struck me that painters in the “zone” are in hyper focus and quite unlikely to top themselves on the job so to speak. Racing drivers maybe as they push the envelope their luck and perhaps the limits of the machine.
Outsiderness does create antipathy in the status quo.
I and artistic colleagues had to endure severe criticism in group shows in Tunbridge Wells when the ‘Disgusted ” Little Englanders left outraged comments in our visitors book.
It was as, pot de merde 100 years after the Impressionists.
But resilience odds against is part of our make up.
Yes exactly, people thought Monet was merde, and they also thought the musicans of Monet’s time were double merde-Debussy and Ravel especially. That’s why I have always loved O’Keeffe’s stance that happiness via approval from others about one’s art is for the birds. She said she disposed compliments and criticism down the same drains.They were both Distractions. What was more important was painting. You might like this post too while I’m at it: https://thecharmedstudio.com/wwgd-what-would-georgia-do/
I did a lot of research on her for my dissertation. I was drawn to her because she really got to the point where other’s opinion was not that important. I am still working on that. 🙂
Yes Thea I get that…I think we all have our little inner kids wanting approval especially when we’re outsiders.
I remember my first Painting as Expression course in 1993 where I met Bob Natkin who was a visiting “famous artist” …Very colourful man both in his work and character as he described his whoring mode when he picked up the vibe that someone liked a painting.
And certainly at the end of the week we students were all drenched in nervous tension when the “famous ones” were offering a critique of our work. Fragility thy name can be people pleasing.
Luckily we eventually had a most obnoxious visitor who did not like my stuff at all, I’m best being very spontaneous which he thought was slipshod and the sullen malevolence of the man kicked off my dyslexia right in the middle of a graphic project. He made a avery spiteful remark, at which point any respect I had for his holiness vanished and I resolved to do things “my way”.
In some ways therefore he was a “great teacher”
As for collecting stones etc , if I’m on the beach sketching and moodling I’m also looking for the ones where time has created a hole through which one can see or thread string etc.
When artistic concentration lapses a little, I start drawing faces on little flat round ones with my Sharpie and leave them as little treasures for the weeny beach combers lol…
Finally a touch of synchronicity.
Yesterday I had a reorg and big chuck out of artefacts which had been gathering dust and perchance when I dropped them off in a charity shop, I got involved in an airheads convention about self esteem and life…
We agreed to love ourselves and in the now, no matter what, and shelve the new master plan for the universe because airheads can’t plan anyway.. lol Namaste.
Dr. Thea – great article! You touched on the two biggest misconceptions about van Gogh that have baffled the art world for over a century. Since we will never know for sure, why not believe the new theory of how he died? It’s more than plausible. The real tragedy is not knowing how great he would have become in his lifetime had he lived and how much more he would have given to the world with his art. Then again, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as him…
Don Gino! I love that you ended your comment with the final words from Maclean’s song “Vincent”! Thank you for taking time to read and comment on my new blog, I am honored. I wondered the same thing as you did in your comment; What would van Gogh have made if he hadn’t been shot? His doctor at the asylum he had been in after the ear incident, had actually pronounced van Gogh “cured” right before his death. Had you heard that?
PS Do you have a blog? You are a powerful writer and unlike me you have a vast social network. Go Gino Go.
Thanks, Thea! I don’t have a blog, as of yet. But I’m working on some things. I hadn’t heard about Van Gogh being pronounced “cured” right before he was shot. That’s even sadder still. Did you see the incredible animated movie “Loving Vincent”? It touches on some of the same themes regarding how he died.
I have been meaning to see that film for ages, but haven’t yet. I read an article on the film because my art friend Gino (that would be you) emailed me an article about it a while back. If you ever want to brainstorm about your future blog or other writing related project, just let me know. You helped me so much to finish my dissertation, I owe you a coffee/brainstorm session for your dream project. I will buy Linda a coffee too!
We’ve gotta keep meeting like this… lol That is sweet of you, Dr. Thea! I’m going to take you up on the coffee date and bring Linda along too. I’d like to brainstorm with you. I’ve been doing more and more writing.
You MUST see “Loving Vincent” (we saw it at a theater in Santa Monica and then I bought the digital movie). You will want to write another blog posting about this movie alone. It’s a stunning visual achievement (they painted the animation onto the film – frame by frame) and a new approach to the Van Gogh legacy.
🙂 You got it. So glad to hear you have been writing, am excited to see what you are contemplating.
I certainly agree with that quote. When I’ve finished a piece I can hardly believe that I painted it. I don’t remember some things about how I got to a point. My visit to the VanGogh museum was during my first trip to Europe. I had just taken a course in “Art history” particularly the impressionists. I had seen his paintings in books mainly. Though their dimensionality came out somewhat in photographs, it was light years away from the power of what I saw first hand. It was hard not share the deep emotion I felt with someone at that time. I may be wrong but I think he was rather unassuming He painted because he had to but really had no idea about the power of his work. I’m glad to know he had some recognition in his lifetime..
You were so smart to get yourself to that museum in Amsterdam. That is one I’ve never visited and it’s on my bucket list. Yes, I agree you, it is comforting to know that van Gogh did get recognition in his lifetime. Sad he couldn’t have stayed around longer to see it blossom further. I think that recognition would have, at the very least, made Vincent happy for his brother Theo who cared so much for Vincent’s work and well being.
I had never heard this version of events in the life and death of Vincent VanGogh. I remember standing in front of the Sunflower paintings in the VanGogh museum in Amsterdam and weeping at the stunning beauty and vitality of this painting. Yes he affected me very deeply, from the Potato Eaters to the Cherry Blossoms, each piece taking me to another world.
thanks for shedding light on this version of events.
Thanks for taking the time to tell me Mary Jean.
I can feel and see you in my mind’s eye, in front of that painting in Amsterdam. You are a wonderful writer, do you blog as well as make art?
It is such a gift to be physically in front of his work isn’t it? You feel the power and softness, intention, beauty and purpose of it and him, rippling off and out of the paint and radiating toward you. Kind of a gentle tractor beam of sorts. Your experience in Amsterdam reminds me of this quote:
“Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter’s soul.”— Vincent van Gogh
This was a wonderful post. Creativity has driven my life. I made very little money from it but that didn’t matter because I was happy and fulfilled. Today we are so hung up on how much people make whether they like what they’re doing or not. I am very happy to have spent my life creating. And on my mothers death bed she told me to keep on acting and never give up. She knew where I was the happiest. I love her for that.
Here’s a toast to your wonderful Mom and a toast to you as well for going your own way and following your dreams. As Dr. Suess once wisely wrote: “You’re on your own, and you know what you know, and only you will decide where you’ll go.”
I know I just posted but I just keep laughing about how beautifully and cleverly written the beginning of this was. You so quickly dispatched the untruths and let us know they belonged in the “flat earth pile” lol and onward with the facts……’fire in the hole!!!!!!” thank you Thea. I love it!
Fire in the hole! My new T-shirt!!
Love you Gale. You’re the best. Every writer should have a Gale. xo
This blog is incredible. What incredible research. How wonderful to look at VanGogh and claim him back in this way. I do believe once a certain narrative becomes very popular it sticks. Will people watch a movie with a very dramatic dark story line… yes! Will the majority of people read a 800 page book by a couple Harvard guys….wwweellllll maybe not so much. I think also people also don’t like when you rock the apple cart. If they change the myth now what will the museums have to do? Who will lose money? We don’t know. This is such a beautiful piece. I have loved Van Gogh since I was a kid. Now I feel even closer to him. What a beautiful gift you have given us. But I do have a penchant for sardonic humor so my favorite line is the one about “the earth is flat now rests” !!!! lol! You did it again Thea. Thank you. This belongs in a magazine. I think people need to revisit this again. It is the time …hopefully that destructive myths be broken and we move into a new era. 🙂 🙂 🙂 love you loads.
Gale you made me laugh out loud and damn girl I think you are right that the book is long and isn’t exactly a racy page turner. But it had to be that way to have that kind of scholarship perhaps. I think you have a point about the Van Gogh museum, maybe they don’t want to change all those little hand lettered signs. Or maybe there is a fear that Van Gogh wouldn’t be as embraced with a new story… But I think he would. Thank you for honoring the work that went in research -wise. I kind of lost my mind in Van Gogh land for a while. Next post………light……fluffy……maybe about Barbi dolls or My Little Pony.
Love and then more love. For ourselves, our lives, and the universe. You captured this, Thea, Thankyou.
Reading your response to the post made me let out a big breath. It was a tough post to write, I wanted to do him justice, I’ve learned a lot from him this year.. Van Gogh seems to have had a buddha or christ-like consciousness when it came to dealing with hate or fear projected at him from others. Thank you Barbara for getting it, and getting me. .
PS Why do think people still believe he took his own life?
I have loved his artwork but never really learned about Van Gogh as a man. This article made me want to know more. Thanks for the great articles, I don’t always comment but do always enjoy reading.
Tracy it’s so nice that you told me that you read the articles often. I am shy to comment on other people’s sites so I appreciate it so much that you were brave enough to comment on mine today. Like you I loved many of van Gogh’s pieces (especially up close in museums!) but never knew much about him either, than I just went on a tear and read a bunch of stuff. Did you ever see the movie Vincent & Theo? I haven’t yet.
This is SO interesting, Thea.
Thanks for providing some fun coffee shop conversation this morning.!
So glad you thought it was interesting. I would love to have heard the discussion at the round that table at The Bean. I never heard this version of the story. Though it’s been out for 6 years already! Had you or Kathy or anyone there this morning, ever heard that van Gogh may not have taken his own life before this?