Unable to afford models to perfect his skills, Vincent turned to his own image: “I deliberately6 bought a good mirror so that if I lacked a model I could work from my own likeness.” He painted at least 20 self-portraits in Paris. One of the last portraits Vincent painted in Paris, Self-Portrait as an Artist, was a dramatic illustration of his personal and artistic identity.
Van Gogh’s paintings were very different from the paintings of other artists, and people didn’t like them. Sometimes he left his paintings when he moved to a different place. When people found the paintings, they used them for firewood or to build things. He couldn’t sell his work, so he didn’t have much money. He often did not have food to eat because he used his money to buy paints and brushes.
Van Gogh’s mental problems made his life very difficult. He had a strange, moody7 personality. He was stubborn and liked to argue. Some people were afraid of him. Others laughed at him. Children threw things at him in the street and called him bad names. His brother Theo was his only real friend. Theo was an art seller. He believed that Vincent was a genius. Theo gave him money and encouraged him to keep working. He did this regularly until the end of Vincent’s life. Because of that, Vincent considered his work as the fruit of their combined efforts.
Van Gogh spent the last two years of his life in southern France. During this time, he created almost 200 paintings. In 1888, French artist Paul Gaugin went to live with van Gogh. One night they had a terrible argument. Van Gogh chased8 Gaugin down a street with a razor9. Later Van Gogh was very sorry. He went home and cut off a piece of his left ear. He lost so much blood that he almost died.