Is it possible that Van Gogh did not commit suicide?

One of the scariest scenes in the history of art, until recently, without a doubt, was the drama that took place on July 27, 1890, when Vincent Van Gogh shot himself in the chest while walking in the very place that is depicted in his newly painted painting " Wheat Field with Ravens ”(July 1890). Art historians consider the work full of foreboding of the tragedy that awaited the artist.

But the episode, which became an integral part of the great mythology of modern art, may have had a slightly different development: the artist died not as a result of accidental suicide, but from a bullet fired by another person. This conclusion was reached by two American experts and historians, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, in the monumental biography Van Gogh. Life ”(Van Gogh. La vida).

On 830 pages of the new book, the authors solve many secrets that still surround the artist. The winners of the Pulitzer Prize for the biography of Jackson Pollock published their research on Van Gogh last year. They not only expressed a new version of the last moment of the artist’s life, but, thanks to documents still unknown, enriched our knowledge about his eventful life, his special attitude to religion, periods of depression, the formation of the concept of his artistic vision. Surprisingly, a new interpretation of history was received unkindly by members of the scientific community. Two authors were warned that their study could not claim to be reliable and exclude other options. “No one can categorically assert that Van Gogh did not commit suicide. The traditional version, given the totality of evidence, looks much more likely. ” Some psychiatrists, however, believe that a new explanation for Van Gogh’s death makes more sense, given his mental state. One of the strengths of Van Gogh’s personality was his extraordinary will to live and work, despite the hardships of life. In fact, in some of his letters, Van Gogh says that suicide would be an act of cowardice.

To restore the unknown side of the life of a genius, the authors helped modern computer technology. A software application created specifically for them allowed scanning the entire amount of existing information, not just Van Gogh’s letters and other primary sources. The life span of Vincent Van Gogh was studied in detail, which he shared with his brother Theo in Paris. In the biography, this critical period in their life is being reconstructed. “What would happen to Van Gogh without a brother? Theo gave him not only financial, but also powerful emotional support. Vincent would never have survived, much less would not have created his magnificent works if Theo weren’t next to him, ”the authors conclude.

Anna Sidorova