As a boy I came to love art. Not that I was more than reading books of art but one or two impressed me. Rose painters more than most . One day I found Vincent a Dutchman in Southern France . The sunflower so bright orange and yellow hit me as a sort of hypnotic painting of a day in summer and open windows onto a border of seasonal plants and flowers to pick and vase . As if only seconds before that sunflower was growing and cut to be in house. So fresh it was stunning.
Then who was this Vincent Van Gogh ? He was not the poor boy history delights in pages we read of this painters life. He had cash injections from his brother who was the other half of Vincents career as he sold as much as he could to art gallery or patron . Paid half back to Vincent and perhaps more. He suffered with self hate or maybe it was depression as we call it today .
We take the big part first.He was alone in France in a simple guest house attic at Yellow House in the small town of Aries were he really had no need to be just that it suited him .He was painting a canvas a day and was happy in the country side painting fields . He had linked up with a famous artist but whom had fallen on hard times after an end to his marriage. His name Paul Gauguin . He was a good painter well known in the world. He had for some reason sought out Vincent as a visit to that area he moved in to same guest house. Now we come to Pauls hobby of fencing. A sport that led him to selecting the Rapier as a sword fencing man . We know that Vincent often watched him and the slice off ear Vincent is most famous for may well have happened here. We have record that the tow men ended friendship that same day it happened.Vincent blamed no one and never said he did it himself but had all guessing
As he was a depressive many believe he cut off own ear but I do not for one second believe this is true or factual as a one time lover of Rapier fighting one slip and this can happen . Was Paul playing around and that happened just by accident.I think this the very case in question.
Same as that last day of Vincents life .He took his art work out in fields and painted crows leaving the corn on his approach. Suddenly he was shot in the lower region of his stomach. He fled back 3 miles to his bed in the guest house. He blamed no one again but never implied he was committed to suicide either.
Two boys we know who pestered poor Vincent had returned from Paris that same day .They had been to see the Wild West show owned and run by Bill Cody.They had been given cowboy suits big hats and pistols after the show by rich father and came back to haunt Vincent in the fields. I think a gun went off and hit Vincent as he stood up to stop them mocking him. That would account for the slug fired from that almost real pistol had not gone right through his body. He died two days after.
Try shooting yourself down that far you need to be double jointed and Vincent was right handed making it even harder to pull a trigger.
That is my take on Vincents last days on earth. Depression is an illness but he was not mentally deformed as all say he was. He had tried finding help for his state of depression but it was not of any interest to the doctors he went to see. Vincent was only famous after his death and because of is malady.
Many will say I am so wrong .Then cannot prove that they are right as facts do not stack up. Vincent was a lonely soul ,a gentle submissive man who loved God and blamed no one ever for what sins against him made . We shall perhaps never truly know but I believe he was never suicidal or able to damage himself . He was drunk many times it is said and that had turned his mind. I do not believe that as seen so many drunks even one with depression deeply over loss of son in war. None of then cut an ear off or shot themselves . Most fall asleep in the gutter and in winter cold and still survive.
I do not drink these days nor do I study medical reasons for Vincents early death .
I have put my case and records I have read are freely available to public so for all read over a year I can say my findings totally disagree with those who say he was off his head or mentally effected cut off own ear. or shot himself to die in abject agony . He was at best an intelligent silent man who loved life.One can read that in every canvas he painted .Full of colour and ideas .
Amazing Facts On History 