The lifestyle of an artist has been historically documented as a strenuous one. Not only must they compete in a very critical world of dealers and peers, but they are also expected to have a startling personality to go along with their canvases. Upon arriving in Paris, Vincent Van Gogh was immediately introduced to alcohol and the hallucinogenic drink named Absinthe. (Hanson, 1955) It was his sleepless nights spent socializing and drinking did h

e come in contact with the post-impressionist masters of his era. He oft debated art theory amongst Lautrec, Paul Signac and Gauguin. Signac was an advocate for Seurat’s theory in colour and pointillism. This relationship caused an evolution in van Gogh’s work as his experimented with pointillism and a more vibrant colour palette. (Milner, 1991)This later translated into his work, as his brush strokes became broader in his own homage to pointillism, evident in both Starry Night and The Night Café. Gauguin also had a huge influence upon van Gogh’s works. They had a very close relationship as they both resided in a house together in Arles. Gauguin valued the Japanese style of flattening space and the use of lines to outline a figure. (Milner, 1991)This Japanese inspiration is clearly recognized in The Night Café, as many of the figures in the middle ground are delineated in dark lines. Although the piece has perspective, there is a flat quality to the entire painting. Gauguin also preached painting from both dream and memory. (Milner, 1991) Circumstance and personality are two elements that intertwine and vastly affect the mind of a master. Freudian theories claim that deep within the subconscious exists every bad memory that one has suppressed for a lifetime. Freud discovered that expressing your feelings allowed for all of these memories to surface and become a part of the individual’s underlying personality. Artists constantly have to stay in touch with their emotions so that their work can be infused with feeling. (Cash, 2002)Vincent would go through incredible surges of intense creativity and emotion followed by a destructive act. His high emotional levels whilst painting caused surges in his level of anger upon remembering all of the ills that have befallen him. Vincent, plagued with mental anguish in his memories, and influenced by alcohol consumption would paint in an erratic fashion that illuminated the emotion of the scene he was referencing. The Starry Night, completed during the time of his institutionalization is a classic example of his emotions being passed through the brush and onto the canvas. It is an image shrouded in mystery and anxiety with nothing but an ominous moon to observe the landscape.(Shoham, 2002) Many scholars believe it to be a portrait of the violent mistral winds that plagued the French countryside as a reflection to the anguish in his soul. (Satterfeild, 2000)

Cash helped to describe the situation that Vincent found himself in due to his erratic artist’s lifestyle filled with self deprecation and hallucinogenics.

Vincent became dependent upon absinthe throughout his life. As a substance abuser, Vincent was also fabled to have spent a lifetime eating lead-based paint. Whilst painting in fervent pitches, Vincent in a hurry would often lick his brushes clean. This caused blood poisoning, which had irreversible effects upon his health. Alcohol consumption and poisoning from outside substances has chemical effects on the brain; one is no longer able to organize thought in a coherent fashion. Van Gogh was also a notorious pipe tobacco smoker, which can be a carcinogenic and raise the levels of cyanide present in the blood. (Critchley, 1987)Vincent’s combination of lead

Some topics in this essay:
Night Café, Van Gogh, Van Gogh’s, St Remy, Starry Night, Inferiority Complex, Night Cafe, Vincent Kline, Gachet Digitalis, Mary Magdalene, starry night, van gogh, van gogh’s, night café, night night, starry night night, shoham 2002, night night café, vincent van gogh, mental disease, vincent van, creative genius, van gogh notorious, st remy,