Van Gogh on Life

Author: Li Nai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: "Our lives are a terrible phenomenon, yet we are constantly driven by things we are unaware of. Nothing can change the pattern of his existence. Whether we interpret it as bright or dark, we can never change its nature. This puzzle made me lie awake at night, thinking that this life is merely a period of sowing, and the harvest is to be made in the next life. This insight is probably the reason why I am indifferent to the worldly notions." — Vincent van Gogh. One hundred and fifty years ago, on March 30, 1853, Vincent van Gogh was born in the village of Zundert in the northern province of Brabant, the Netherlands. From then on, the world's unluckiest person began his painful and torment-filled life. He died in the arms of his brother Theo at the age of only thirty-seven. This year, his hometown of the Netherlands held a grand and solemn celebration for his 150th birthday, giving him what he had not received in life and honoring this once lonely and unlucky person as their pride. Thus, the world once again made van Gogh a topic, with everyone talking about his works, his art, and his brief yet suffering life.