Talk:Death of Vincent van Gogh

Fictional account
Would it be appropriate to add that Van Gogh's death figures in Christopher Moore's 2012 comic-fantasy-mystery novel Sacré Bleu? HarZim (talk) 01:11, 24 August 2014 (UTC)

Suicide?
Should we mention that there is a dispute over whether or not he killed himself? I have seen several articles/books mentioning that his death might have been a prank that went too far. Football1607 (talk) 16:51, 30 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Reliable sources say suicide...Modernist (talk) 01:56, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
 * This article here says otherwise. I've seen some more, plus books. I agree with you, I'm just saying we shouldn't dismiss the idea altogether. Maybe just add a small section detailing "Controversy" Football1607 (talk) 13:05, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I fully agree, Football1607. There is legitimate question as to whether Van Gogh committed suicide. Rather, there is credible suspicion that he was shot by Gaston and René Secrétan, two boys playing with a gun -- whom Van Gogh unselfishly protected by silence. At a strictly forensic level, the case cannot be considered closed, and Wikipedia writers should not prejudge the matter. Van Gogh's alleged suicide is accepted uncritically because it fits with 20th century romantic notions of the painter, not because hard evidence decisively settles the issue. I cannot locate any news story that refutes the accidental homicide hypothesis. Readers are entitled to at least know there is controversy!

http://www.dailyartdaily.com/mystery-vincent-van-gogh-death/ Practical321 (talk) 18:34, 29 January 2018 (UTC)


 * "whom Van Gogh unselfishly protected by silence…" I like that phrase. It belongs in the article. The article never addresses the question of why he would call it a suicide, which feels like a hole in the theory. As I recall, the article used to address this question. I don't know why anyone took that out. — MiguelMunoz (talk) 05:57, 10 February 2023 (UTC)

Van Gogh or van Gogh
Discussion here: ...Modernist (talk) 12:24, 29 October 2015 (UTC)

Deteriorating mental health
This section is curiously circumscribed, despite citing Naifeh and Smith who offer a very full description of the events.

In the first place the psychotic episode that led to his mutilating his ear and his hospitalization occurred Christmas 1888. His physical recovery at least was remarkably rapid and he persuaded the hospital to discharge him at the beginning of January. He returned to the The Yellow House in Arles. His behavior continued erratic however and it was at this time (and not before) that the locals petitioned for him to be sectioned. This took place first at the beginning of February, from which he was quickly released, and then a second time just five days after his release and this time lasted the month February 25 to March 23, following which he eventually entered the Saint-Remy asylum as a voluntary patient in May.

The remarks about his condition at Saint-Remy are accurate, but the article ought to make it clearer that in fact he discharged himself (Naifeh and Smith p. 819). He had grown worried that the asylum was contributing to his condition. The remark about the color study At Eternity's Gate doesn't quite reproduce what Naifeh and Smith (cited) say about it at p. 820: the article talks about desolation and despair, while NS refer to woes and futility of life. In fact NS go beyond what is known of this painting, which is very little. We know that Vincent asked Theo for some of his lithographs so that he could make color studies of them. It is presumed At Eternity's Gate is one of them. It is certainly a remarkable faithful copy which surely could not have been done from memory. NS also go beyond the sources in saying he executed it in his last few days at the asylum, which were extremely productive (Hulsker p. 452). Hulsker dates it earlier (p. 444) while he was convalescing from his last severe psychotic episode at a time he had become preoccupied with "reminisces of the North". For what it's worth the original image was supposed to depict pious resignation. Vincent explicitly described it as such in his letters of the time (Naifeh and Smith p. 318).

I can mention in passing that the final sentence of the article "not only was he suffering from his mental illness" is an unwarranted editorialism whose source is a blog. The fact is his mental illness defies modern classification and experts today are more inclined to stress his alcoholism as the source of his psychotic episodes.

138.199.76.7 (talk) 02:19, 31 October 2016 (UTC)
 * 38., I think you may be correct on a number points. Will read up, but it may be next weekend by the time I get back to it. Note, this article is neither anything to do with me, nor protected, so you can edit away, if you know how to IP hop. Ceoil (talk) 02:45, 31 October 2016 (UTC)

Shot in stomach or chest?
Why is even this basic fact not consistently represented on Wikipedia? This article says stomach but the main Vincent van Gogh article says chest. 24.186.54.68 (talk) 04:15, 25 February 2018 (UTC)


 * This is a good question, but it belongs in the article on Van Gogh, not this article. This article at least takes that word from an actual account by an eye witness. The Van Gogh article makes no attribution for the word "chest." — MiguelMunoz (talk) 01:22, 10 February 2023 (UTC)

needs a tidy up
The first paragraph has the following line " Van Gogh was shot by either himself or by accidental murder" Clearly this is nonsensical and needs tidying, I won't do this myself as I have no knowledge on the situation surrounding his death. 87.114.59.105 (talk) 09:07, 24 September 2022 (UTC)
 * ✅ --The Eloquent Peasant (talk) 18:39, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Composition I - Writing Wikipedia
— Assignment last updated by DarthVetter (talk) 15:45, 18 October 2022 (UTC)

Van Gogh
Van Gogh was a lovely man and he did many great paintings. But yet he felt something was missing in his life so when you’re in your class in an art lesson just remember that someone who loved art died because of suicide and I would like 2 minutes silence when you read this thank you by jgdgrjgfgn 188.220.174.18 (talk) 08:22, 10 November 2022 (UTC)