Vincent van Gogh is one of those artists who, even if you don’t know much about art, you’ve probably heard of. His story is one of passion, personal struggle, and an unshakable dedication to creating something meaningful. Though he wasn’t appreciated during his lifetime, Van Gogh’s influence on modern art is massive. His bold use of colour, emotional intensity, and distinct brushwork have left a lasting impression on the art world, inspiring generations of artists. Van Gogh’s approach to painting—deeply personal and always pushing boundaries—was ahead of its time. As we dive into his influence, we’ll explore how his artistic vision helped shape key movements and artists that followed.
Early Life
Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in the Netherlands, and his life was as intense and turbulent as his art. After initially working as a teacher, a pastor, and an art dealer, he found his true passion in painting, but his path as an artist was far from smooth. All of Van Gogh's art is dated between 1880-1890. He was financially very dependant on his brother and continued to be so until the very end. Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886, where he developed his Post-Impressionist style and befriended artists like Paul Gauguin. His desire to build an artists' community led him to Arles, where he hoped Gauguin would join him.
It was during his time in Arles that his mental health began to deteriorate. Van Gogh painted some of his most famous works here, like Sunflowers, but his personal life unraveled. His friendship with Gauguin fell apart, culminating in the infamous episode where Van Gogh, in a fit of mental anguish, cut off part of his ear and sent it to a local woman he frequented. This act marked the beginning of a deep mental health crisis.
Following the breakdown, Van Gogh admitted himself to a mental asylum in Saint-Rémy. Despite the darkness, this period was incredibly productive. He painted over 150 canvases between 1888 and 1889, many of them done in great feverish speed.
Van Gogh admitted to using softer, more placid colours when he felt at peace. However, during the last two years of his life, his work took on a completely different character. He painted with intense energy, using thick impasto textures and vibrant layers of paint. The pieces from this period seem to be in constant motion, reflecting a feverish restlessness and emotional intensity that mirrored his internal struggles. The bold strokes and dynamic textures became a signature of his later, more turbulent works.
His art during this period became even more expressive, filled with bold colours and intense emotions. Throughout all of this, Van Gogh’s closest relationship was with his brother, Theo, who supported him emotionally and financially. Their bond was a lifeline for Vincent, and much of what we know about his thoughts and feelings comes from the letters they exchanged. Theo believed in his brother’s talent, even when the rest of the world did not, and encouraged him to keep creating despite the hardships.
Van Gogh’s mental health continued to decline, and after spending time in the hospital and seeking recovery, he eventually moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, under the care of Dr Paul Gachet, where he continued to paint feverishly, creating dozens of works in a short time. Unfortunately, his inner turmoil proved overwhelming, and in 1890, at the age of 37, he died from a gunshot wound, believed to be self-inflicted. Theo passed only 6 months after his suicide.
Van Gogh’s life and his art are inseparable. His struggles with mental illness, his deep sensitivity, and his constant quest to find meaning in his work all fed into the vivid, emotional quality of his paintings. Each brushstroke and burst of colour reflected his inner state, which is why his work continues to resonate so powerfully today. Though he lived a short and troubled life, the intensity of his passion and vision left an indelible mark on the art world, making him one of the most beloved artists in history.
Seeing the World Through Van Gogh’s eyes
Van Gogh had this incredible way of seeing the world. He wasn’t focused on making things look “perfect,” but more on capturing how they felt. His art was fueled by emotion, and you can see that in all his pieces, from the swirling night skies of Starry Night to the vibrant yellows in his sunflower series. He didn’t shy away from expressing himself through colour and brushstrokes, and that’s what makes his work stand out so much.
What’s really interesting about Van Gogh is how he used colour. Early in his career, his palette was quite dark—think earthy browns and muted tones. But once he moved to France, it was like a switch flipped. Suddenly, he was all about bold, vibrant colours—bright yellows, intense blues, deep greens. These colours weren’t just pretty—they were emotional. He used them to communicate how he was feeling, adding layers of intensity to his paintings.
And then there’s his brushwork. Van Gogh’s swirling, almost chaotic strokes brought an incredible energy to his pieces. It’s like you can feel the movement of the wind or the energy of a crowded café just by looking at his paintings. This technique made his work feel alive and full of emotion, something that would go on to influence artists in movements like Expressionism. Van Gogh wasn’t just showing us what the world looked like; he was showing us what it felt like to him.
Techniques and Stylistic Representation
What made Van Gogh a true pioneer was his ability to push artistic boundaries. While he was influenced by the Impressionists, he didn’t stop there. He took their loose brushwork and bright colours and made them even bolder, more intense. His thick application of paint, known as impasto, gave his works a textured, almost three-dimensional feel. This technique wasn’t just a stylistic choice; it was a way for him to express the raw energy and emotion behind each piece.
Van Gogh was also all about capturing the essence of a scene or subject. His landscapes, for instance, weren’t just accurate depictions of a place—they were full of movement and life. The way he painted fields or the sky wasn’t about showing a perfect image but about giving you the feeling of being there, in that moment. This is where his art really starts to blend reality with emotion, something that would later inspire the abstract and modernist movements.
Even though Van Gogh struggled throughout his life—mentally, emotionally, and financially—he never stopped pushing the boundaries of what art could be. He was constantly experimenting, finding new ways to express himself, and that’s a big part of why his work has resonated with so many artists after him.
Van Gogh’s Influence on Expressionism
Van Gogh’s use of colour and brushwork did more than just set him apart in his time—it paved the way for early 20th-century Expressionists to use art as a tool for emotional exploration. Van Gogh wasn’t interested in creating a beautiful pictures, his art was about conveying a deeper emotional truth. This approach had a huge impact on artists like Edvard Munch and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who also sought to express raw, often uncomfortable emotions through their art.
For Munch, Van Gogh’s ability to infuse colour with meaning was revolutionary. In The Scream, you can see the way Munch uses swirling lines and almost unnatural colours to heighten the anxiety of the figure. This is very much in line with how Van Gogh would use dramatic yellows or deep blues to reflect his own internal state. Kirchner, on the other hand, was drawn to the boldness of Van Gogh’s brushwork. His quick, energetic strokes in works like Street, Berlin echo the intensity and immediacy of Van Gogh’s own approach.
Van Gogh's emotional honesty in his work gave permission to future artists to put their feelings first, ahead of traditional techniques. His influence on Expressionism is undeniable—not just in the use of colour, but in the willingness to be vulnerable and raw in art.
His Legacy in the Landscape of Abstract Art
Van Gogh may not be the first artist you think of when it comes to Abstract art, but his influence is all over the movement. One of the key elements of abstraction is stripping away the “real” world to focus on emotion, shape, and colour—and that’s exactly what Van Gogh was doing in his later work. Think about Starry Night with its swirling skies and exaggerated landscape. It’s not a literal depiction of the night sky, but an emotional one.
Artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian took inspiration from this, pushing the idea even further. Kandinsky was particularly fascinated by Van Gogh’s use of colour to express emotion. He once said, “Colour is a power which directly influences the soul,” and you can see how this echoes Van Gogh’s approach. Kandinsky’s abstract works, where colour and form are used to evoke emotional responses, clearly build on the groundwork that Van Gogh laid.
Mondrian, on the other hand, was more interested in the structure beneath the chaos. Early in his career, he painted landscapes in a style reminiscent of Van Gogh’s simplified forms. As he evolved, Mondrian moved toward pure abstraction, but you can trace his journey back to Van Gogh’s abstraction of nature.
Van Gogh’s expressive techniques—his ability to distill a scene down to its emotional core—laid the groundwork for abstract artists to go even further, removing the “real” world entirely in favour of pure emotional and visual impact.
Vincent Van Gogh and Post-Impressionism
Van Gogh is often considered one of the defining artists of the Post-Impressionist movement. While Impressionism was focused on capturing fleeting moments of light and colour, Post-Impressionism aimed to go deeper, using colour and form to explore personal expression and symbolism. Van Gogh’s work is a perfect example of this shift.
Unlike the Impressionists, who often painted peaceful landscapes or charming scenes of everyday life, Van Gogh’s paintings were filled with intensity. His swirling skies and bold brushstrokes went beyond capturing a moment in time—they reflected his inner turmoil, his joy, and his pain. In this way, Van Gogh helped transition art from Impressionism’s focus on the external world to a more symbolic, introspective approach.
Van Gogh’s work wasn’t just about what he saw; it was about what he felt. This emotional depth became a hallmark of Post-Impressionism and set the stage for the modern art movements that would follow. By pushing beyond the boundaries of Impressionism, Van Gogh helped redefine what art could be: not just a reflection of the world, but a reflection of the artist’s soul.
Van Gogh's final painting may have been Wheat Field with Crows, where the brushstrokes he used feel incredibly rushed and restless. This painted is cited by many art critics to be one of his greatest works.
To conclude,
Even though Vincent van Gogh’s life was marked by struggle, his impact on modern and contemporary art is anything but small. From his innovative use of colour to his expressive brushwork, Van Gogh’s legacy continues to inspire artists around the world. He showed that art doesn’t have to be perfect or traditional to be powerful—it can be messy, emotional, and deeply personal.
Van Gogh’s work laid the foundation for so many art movements, from Expressionism to Abstract art, and his influence is still felt today. His ability to convey emotion through colour and form resonates with artists who strive to create work that connects on a deeper level. Van Gogh wasn’t just painting what he saw—he was painting what he felt. And that, more than anything, is what makes his work timeless.
As we look at contemporary art today, Van Gogh’s work lives on in artists who continue to push boundaries, explore new techniques, and prioritise emotion over perfection. His vision, once misunderstood, is now celebrated as one of the most significant contributions to the world of art.
Van Gogh immersive experience, now in over 50 cities, is an incredible way to experience his work. We had the chance to visit the one in London, and to be able to feel the movement in his work at such a large scale was an experience we definitely recommend. Many of his original works are on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, amongst other galleries around the world.
In an upcoming blog, we'll explore some of his most popular pieces in depth - including Starry night, Bedroom in Arles, Café Terrace at Night amongst others.
