Tag Archives: Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh letters online

General, Opinion, Resources,

As is well-known, artist Vincent van Gogh admitted himself to the Saint Paul de Mausole Asylum at Saint-Rémy de Provence in 1889, a year after he famously cut off his own ear. Van Gogh painted a number of works during his time at the asylum including Starry Night.

What does not appear to be as well-known: the complete collection of Vincent van Gogh’s letters, a total of 874 letters, is available online. The letters were published originally in print in 2000 and consist primarily of communication between the artist and his family.

For AHP readers, I recommend the letters written during van Gogh’s later years – those written during his stay at the asylum (May 1889-May 1890) and those written in the year of his suicide when was staying with Dr. Paul Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise (1890).

For more information on Van Gogh’s stay at the asylum, the following selection of titles may be of assistance:

Continue reading Vincent van Gogh letters online →

Van Gogh and the History of Manic Depression

Blogs, ,

Vincent Van GoghThe blog Neurophilosophy is sporting an item on Vincent Van Gogh and the history of “manic-depression” (as we once called it). The first half of the piece gives a basic outline of some of the contributions to psychiatry of Emil Kraepelin, who is often credited with having established the basic taxonomy of mental illnesses that continues to be used, in considerably expanded and revised form, to the present day. (Thanks to the Mind Hacks feature “Spike Activity” for pointing me to this item.)

Linked to the Neurophilosophy piece is a beautifully illustrated webpage entitled “The Troubled Life of Vincent Van Gogh” by Bonnie Butterfield of California State University at San Bernardino.