Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born to Theodorus Van Gogh and Anna Carbentus on March 30, 1853, in the Dutch town of Zundert. He was the eldest of five younger siblings, including Theo Van Gogh. Despite his academic success and his high grades, Vincent left school at 16 to begin an apprenticeship with Goupil et Cie. Goupil et Cie was an art dealer of which his uncle was a partner. His younger brother, Théo, was also an apprentice in the company. Despite his fondness for art, he did not like the art business. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay He began his apprenticeship in The Hague, then moved to London and finally to Paris, where he was fired from the business in 1876. He traveled around Europe trying various jobs, including teaching and priesthood, before discovering his love for drawing and painting in 1880. He returned to live with his parents in 1881, but traveled still periodically. His brother Théo, having succeeded as an art dealer at Goupil et Cie, supported him financially during this period. To repay him, Vincent sends him works of art to sell in France. However, at the time, the paintings were neither purchased nor well received. In 1888, it was rumored that Vincent had cut off his ear to give to a former sex worker who often modeled for him. But it could well be the work of his roommate at the time, the painter Paul Gauguin, who was also a talented fencer. Some researchers theorize that Gauguin cut off Vincent's ear during an argument and that Vincent lied to cover for his roommate. After this incident, he was hospitalized until 1889. After that, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for about a year. During his time there, he created more than 150 paintings, including some of his most famous works. “Starry Night” depicted the view from her bedroom window and “Iris” was a study of irises growing in the hospital garden. In 1890, he painted his famous painting "Almond Blossom" for his brother's newborn son Theo, also named Vincent Willem Van Gogh in honor of his uncle. 1890 was the year Vincent's works began to sell, be exhibited, and generally be well-reviewed by the public, although not on the scale they are today. After leaving the psychiatric hospital, he moved to France. On July 27, 1890, Vincent left the inn where he was staying with his art supplies, supposedly heading to a wheat field where he liked to paint. He returned 5 hours later without his painting equipment, but with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He died from this injury two days later, on the 29th, at the age of 37. Although it was long thought to be a suicide, new evidence indicates that he was most likely shot by a second person by mistake. A popular theory is that he was shot by the younger brother of a local boy he befriended through a love of art. The younger brother is said to have often teased Vincent and kept a revolver in his suit. Vincent, despite insulting suicide earlier in his life as an act of "moral cowardice", insisted to the police and his brother that he he was a suicide and that no one else should be blamed for his death. It is believed he was covering up the boys to protect their identities. Unfortunately, we will probably never know what really happened. Van Gogh's painting style is very recognizable. Bright colors, which he found very important, and short brushstrokes are his signature..