Vincent van Gogh Van Gogh's fame reached its first peak in Austria and Germany before World War I, helped by the publication of his letters in three volumes in 1914. His letters are expressive and literate, and have been described as among the foremost 19th-century writings of their kind. These began a compelling mythology of Van Gogh as an intense and dedicated painter who suffered for his art and died young. In 1934, the novelist Irving Stone wrote a biographical novel of Van Gogh's life titled "Lust for Life", based on Van Gogh's letters to Theo. This novel and the 1956 film further
Van Gogh self-portrait (1889) Van Gogh self-portrait (1889) Self portrait is an 1889 oil on canvas painting by the post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. The picture, which may have been van Gogh's last self-portrait, was painted in September that year, shortly before he left Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in southern France. The painting is exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. This self-portrait was one of about 40 van Gogh produced over a 10-year period, and these were an important part of his work as a painter; he would paint himself because he often lacked the money to pay for models. He took the painting with him