Some people say that he was crazy. Others say that he was a genius. Whatever people think of him, there is no doubt that Vincent van Gogh was a great artist. His paintings sell for millions of dollars, and they can be seen in all of the top art galleries around the world. But behind all of this fame, there's an artist who had a very difficult life.

Vincent van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853. He spent his early adult years working various jobs as an art dealer, a teacher, and a missionary. In 1880, he started painting. His life as a painter took him across Belgium and France. In his first 10 years as an artist, Van Gogh produced around 860 paintings and 1,300 drawings.

Van Gogh's paintings were never popular when he was alive. This meant that it was hard for him to earn any money. Throughout his life, he was supported by his brother Theo, who helped make sure that Vincent always had enough to eat.

This lack of success made Van Gogh depressed and anxious. In 1888, he famously cut off his ear after quarreling with another painter. After this incident, he spent some time in a mental hospital. Sadly, in the end his depression was too much to bear. He shot himself in the chest and died in 1890.

In his final letter to his brother, Van Gogh wrote that his paintings were like children to him. It wasn't long before the rest of the world started to notice them. After his death, Van Gogh became one of the most famous artists in history. Some of his best known paintings include Still Life: Vase With Twelve Sunflowers and The Starry Night.

有些人說他是瘋子，有些人說他是奇才。無論人們怎麼評論文森．梵谷，無庸置疑的是他偉大畫家的身份。梵谷的畫作售價可達上百萬美元，全球數一數二的藝廊均展示他的作品。但是在這些名氣的背後，卻是一個擁有困頓生活的藝術家。

文森．梵谷於1853 年生於荷蘭。成年後早期，曾任藝術品經銷商、教師和傳教士等各種工作。1880 年，他首執畫筆。以畫家維生的日子裡，他周遊了比利時與法國。在成為畫家的頭10 年，梵谷創作了將近860 幅油畫和1,300 幅繪畫作品。

梵谷在世時，畫作一直乏人問津，因此很難維持生計。在他的一生中，一直有弟弟西奧的扶持，西奧總是會設法讓梵谷得以溫飽。

懷才不遇的困境使梵谷變得憂鬱且焦慮。1888 年，他與另一位畫家爭執過後，做出了後人皆知的割耳舉動。這件事後，他還待在精神醫院一陣子。不幸的是，他最後無法承受憂鬱的情緒，在1890 年舉槍自盡。

梵谷寫給弟弟的最後一封信提及，他的畫作是他的心血結晶。而這些作品很快地就受到全世界的注意。梵谷過世後，成為史上最知名的畫家之一。他最廣為人知的畫作包括《十二朵向日葵》以及《星夜》。