Vincent Van Gogh And The Psychological Knowledge Of Today

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the mind and how it works. For this reason, Vincent van Gogh captivates me. It is no secret that he had some serious mental issues. Across time, he was given any number of possible diagnoses – such as epilepsy, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, sunstroke, Meniere’s disease, lead poisoning, and acute intermittent porphyria. There is also no question that he was severely depressed. I think it would incredibly interesting to go back in time and psychoanalyze van Gogh with the psychological knowledge of today. I would want to go after I had already finished my education in psychology, so that I could properly examine and diagnose him. Psychologists often consider the†¦show more content†¦I would love to hear his outlook on his childhood, instead of just theories put forth by historians throughout the years. It is quite obvious that most art contains much of the artist’s emotional state, in the subject matter, colors, or brushstrokes. Van Gogh certainly used his art to express his inner turmoil and emotions, both conscious ones and unconscious ones. Psychologists have used art created by their patients, to analyze their mental stability, and have thus assigned psychological meanings to various colors. For example, people who tend to be relatively well adjusted will use warmer colors, while others who feel detached from society and/or the world will prefer cooler colors. Yellow, a color that van Gogh seemed to love, suggests depression or that the artist has regressed to or failed to progress from an infantile state. Van Gogh was most definitely depressed, and he may not have progressed past an infantile state, due to his lack of real name and lack of identity. Yellow also represents an idea of something brilliant, concerning what is natural and eternal. Van Gogh used yellow most i n his painting in nature, suggesting that he felt happiest out in nature, underneath the hot sun, painting sunflowers. However, van Gogh’s art style changed drastically after his mental breakdown. This breakdown has never been documented properly, as many accounts differ. But when his friend was