Vincent van Gogh was one of the most accomplished artists of all time. The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter produced a staggering 2,100 artworks across a ten-year span. His collection of works includes everything from portraits and landscapes to still life and self-portraits. It’s believed he finished an astonishing 900 oil paintings during the final two years of his life. He also filled his diaries with memorable Van Gogh quotes. 

Despite taking a liking to drawing as a child, Vincent van Gogh didn’t immediately set out on a career as an artist. The greatest Dutch painter of all time first worked as an art dealer. He became disillusioned with the job while working in London and turned to religion. He eventually returned home and began painting. 

Vincent van Gogh was supported by his younger brother, Theo van Gogh, and moved to Paris to pursue his painting. There he met the likes of Emile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, who helped him develop his own style. 

As his output increased, so did his mental health problems. Vincent van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions. As his mental health deteriorated, so did his physical shape, as he rarely ate and turned to booze as a form of self-medication. This led to a fallout with Gauguin which saw van Gogh take a razor to his left ear, cutting part of it off. 

After that episode, Vincent van Gogh was in and out of psychiatric hospitals for several years. Although his depression got worse, he continued to paint at an accelerated rate. On July 27, 1890, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver. Although he survived, an untreated infection meant he was dead some 30 hours later. 

His last words were perhaps the most famous Vincent van Gogh quote. He was believed to have told his brother “the sadness will last forever,” which is rather depressing but very in tune with van Gogh’s mental state.