If you were an artist who struggled psychologically and financially through life, only to die and watch your art become appreciated over time, and even worth millions (!), you’d definitely be rolling in your grave. Most Impressionist (1860s-1880s) and Post-Impressionist (1880s-1905) artists lived difficult lives and expressed themselves best through their art—which was typically viewed as unfavorable in their time. Here are 5 of those artists:
Most known for his Starry Night and Sunflowers, Van Gogh lived a painfully short life, which ended in his suicide at age 37. He painted over 900 oil paintings, but only was able to sell one while he was alive. Plagued by poverty, anxiety, and depression, Van Gogh’s life is certainly not reflected in his paintings that are so globally revered today.
His work was viewed as ahead of its time, and it inspired many modern artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. His use of bright colors and “Synthetism,” a term he came up with, characterized his style. Gaugin founded Synthetism on the basis that his paintings’ strokes and colors reflected the overall feeling of the painting, therefore synthesizing the two: feeling and form.
His paintings were mostly of life in Paris. He became crippled at a young age from healing issues after fracturing both femurs, so his growth was stunted. He’s most known for his depiction of Parisians working and socializing. He struggled with alcoholism and died from that and syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection he most likely received from a prostitute he painted.
Famous for his A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Seurat loved pointillism, and founded chromoluminarism (also known as Divisionism), which is a style of art in which colors are not blended but instead separated through the use of dots. During his time this style was not seen in high regard, but it is now widely used.
He is viewed by many as the spearhead of Impressionism, with his Impression Sunrise giving the movement its name. His unique dabbing style with the paintbrush was viewed as odd throughout his career as an artist, and he had to deal with many rejections—alongside his Impressionist comrades such as Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Though these 5 artists are now highly praised and respected, they weren’t always. Their personal challenges were not largely reflected in their art (if at all), which is probably one of the reasons their pieces are so universally enjoyed. It’s thanks to them that art is what is is today!
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