The Mind Creative
Later Paul Gauguin did join Van Gogh in Arles and soon Vincent
began painting sunflowers to decorate Gauguin's bedroom; which
would later be considered as Vincent's signature pieces. However
during this period Vincent also started losing control over his
psychiatric trauma.
Towards the end of 1888, the first
signs of Van Gogh's mental illness
began to take hold and he suffered
from epilepsy, psychotic attacks,
and
delusions.
During
one
episode, he even chased Gauguin
with a knife. Later, on the same
day, Vincent returned to his house
and mutilated his own ear, then
offered it to a prostitute as a gift.
Vincent
was
temporarily
hospitalised and released to find
Gauguin had left Arles. His dream
of an artistic community lay
shattered. Vincent then travelled
to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence where
he committed himself to an
asylum and it was here that he
created some masterpieces like
The Starry Night. During this
period, his paintings became a
torrent of activity. The swirling
lines of the sky in this painting are
a possible representation of his
mental state and the same
“shaken style” is visible in all of his
work during his time in the asylum.
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