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Why did Vincent van Gogh mutilate himself? Art historian Martin Bailey thinks he has found the reason.
It was a spectacular act: on December 23, 1888, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh cut off parts of his left ear. But what drove him to do it? A quarrel with fellow artist Paul Gauguin has so far been considered a possible reason. He thinks that the engagement of Van Gogh's brother Theo could be the reason for the self-mutilationbeen.
Theo made van Gogh's life as an artist possible
Vincent van Gogh was very close to his brother Theo. The artist was also financially dependent on him. After examining Van Gogh's family correspondence, Martin Bailey concludes that the painter learned of Theo's engagement from a letter dated December 23, 1888. "Vincent feared that he would 'lose' Theo, his closest companion," the British Telegraph quotes Bailey. "He was equally concerned that his brother would deprive him of the financial support that allowed him to devote his life to art.
The artist also had others at the timeproblems, says Bailey. This shows that Theo's engagement may not have been the main cause of Van Gogh's self-destructive act, but it did fuel it.
Theo van Gogh and his fiancée Johanna Bonger married in April 1889 and the art dealer died of syphilis two years later at the age of 33.
