Vincent didn’t kill himself ?

[Pub Wench]

Sunday  (Oct 16) there was an extraordinary segment on 60 Minutes about Vincent Van Gogh. Two writers are doing  in-depth research for a book about him and guess what?  THE OLD TALE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH GOING OUT IN THE WHEAT FIELD AND SHOOTING HIMSELF ISN’T TRUE. The trajectory of bullet in his lower abdomen would have made it impossible for him to have shot himself. All of this was documented by the police and doctor’s autopsy.

There were 3 mischievous teenage boys in the town who took delight in teasing  Vincent when he was out painting.  One of these boys admitted (decades later) that he (the boy) had taken the gun from his own home (It was a gun that belonged to his father and not Vincent's -as the story goes). The conjecture is that the gun probably went off accidentally.  The terrified the boys ran off and left him. (As to the exact details of the shooting, all 3 boys took the facts to their own graves.)

ALSO- Vincent was NOT found in the wheat fields as the story goes. He was shot in a farmyard only a half mile from the restaurant (where he lived) and staggered back down the street  under his own power. (Local residents reported they heard a gun shot) He survived for 30 hours post the shooting. His brother Theo was by his side when he died.

In fact- the ominous LAST painting, “Wheatfield with Crows’, which has been described by art historians as a clear indication of Vincent's thoughts of suicide and depression-  wasn’t Vincent’s last painting. It was done 2 weeks before he died and he painted several more ‘happy and colorful’ paintings in the following weeks.

The tale of Vincent’s dramatic suicide was completely fabricated by Adeline Ravoux.  Her father owned the restaurant where Vincent rented the upstairs flat (his famous little room) above the business.  She admitted (and/or it was discovered) years later she made up the story.

You know, I found myself feeling a little angry.  We’ve always been lead to believe that Vincent was a crazed out-of-control artist. He's been dipicted repeatedly in movies and books as a genius lunatic who in a manic moment went out in the 'very wheat field he painted' and ended his misery.

The relative contradiction and most telling account: Vincent knew he was dieing. When the police asked if he did this to himself, he said, “I 'believe' so.  Don't accuse anybody else."

  He didn't say-'Yes, I did' or 'Yes- I want to die.'   Even in what had to be tremendous pain from the gun shot,  he walked half a mile attempting to get help.  And in this process he says 'don't accuse anyone else'?  Interesting, huh?

Vincent Van Gogh's  last dieing act was to protect 3 foolish youngsters that were just starting their own lives and had just done something very stupid.

  As always, Mr. Van Gogh ..you pull at our heart strings like no other artist before or after you.

To see the video segment:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/16/60minutes/main20120760_page5.shtml

[ArtisticRhythms]

Wow!    That is very interesting. I hate when history is rewritten and love that there are those who care enough to discover the factual truth.

[Pub Wench]

What doesn’t make sense to me is why it took 120 years for these facts to come out.  Wouldn’t you think his family would have examined the circumstances of his death?    I hate to say  this, but maybe they didn't really give a damn and  saw it as a relief.  We know when Vincent was alive, he was the black sheep of the family. They never understood him or appreciated his work. They considered him an embarrassing failure and a terrible leach on his younger brother Theo (who totally supported him financially.    ) And Theo, who was a respected business man,  died just months after him. Vincent work never received any acclaim until long after his death. Theo’s wife marketed Vincent's paintings (herself) in Paris.  She also made a fortune off the book Dear Theo- which as the title infers, - is just a collection of letters Vincent wrote to his brother.  (The book was later edited/ re-published here in the States by author Irving Stone. I think it was originally called 'Letters to Theo" (?) )

Who knows?  Maybe the tragic ending to Vincent was more marketable than the truth.  That's a cynical thought, but there's got to be a reason.

I’m really anxious for this new book about Vincent to be released. I'm sure they'll interview his ancestors who run the Van Gogh Museum today. It's undoubtedly going cause controversy in the art world.

I actually think its very cool that this has surfaced and what a great compliment to the legacy one of our most beloved Impressionist Master's .

[Gimnick]

The anguished, tortured soul of a brilliant madman finally imploding in a blind fit of desperation against himself because he couldn't handle the weight of his own vision sells a hell of a lot more paintings than some hapless accident that befell some goofy sod that liked to trespass for inspiration. That's why the story has been perpetuated by his family for this long. Consider the cultural influences and drives of the era; dark romanticism and tall tales.

 I just hope members of my family are sharp enough to come up with such a great sales gimmick if I one day die as the result of some ridiculously improbable comedy of errors while in the pursuit of the edification of my life's work.

[Gimnick]

Absolutely true that Van Gogh received little other than derision from most of the people closest to him in life. They didn't support his quest, but they did find a way to make his vision support them after he was gone...

[Pub Wench]

Well, we have to remember the one person Vincent had in his corner was his brother Theo. In the letters- they addressed  each other with the ultimate respect…but it was a pretty complicated relationship. Theo loved his work and the whole Impressionist movement (Theo was an art dealer) but I think (?) he attempted to ‘handle‘ or control Vincent  like a domineering Mother.  When  Gauguin went to Arles and moved in with Vincent- Theo solicited and paid Gauguin to stay with his brother. Unfortunately Gauguin was not the best pick for a nursemaid over an eccentric and we know how that story ended. Then Theo died just months after Vincent?  Really fascinating.

(Just a note:  Although 7 years younger, Theo looked so much like Vincent they could have easily been mistaken for each other. Below is photo of Theo) 

[Pub Wench]

 Kind of interesting thing: I went to Wikipedia to get the picture of Theo. The site references Vincent as dieing of 'self inflicted' gun shot wound. In fact we know every resource available states he shot himself.  Got me thinking.

 I want to pose another possibility - and would love to get your feedback:  This wasn't a small lie...it was a really big lie that's gone on for over a century.   It’s difficult to fathom a whole family, friends, the people in the town that stood witness to his death or even ALL the journalist and writers that have written biographies about Vincent -allowing a lie like that to be perpetuated for so long.    Do you know what saying?   I'd really like to believe Vincent did the greatest altruistic act any human being can do at the moment of his death…. but there’s a part of my brain that questions the validity of these two guys.   Something doesn't make sense. Wouldn't you think there would have been at lest one person in the past 120 years that would have refuted the circumstances of his death?