Μάθημα : Αγγλικά Α' Λυκείου-ΓΕΛ

Passive Voice

Passive Voice

Vincent van Gogh was born in Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor was brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, a profession that Vincent found appealing and to which he would be drawn to a certain extent later in his life. His sister described him as a serious and introspective child, highly emotional and lacking self-confidence. At age 16 Vincent started to work for an art dealer in The Hague. His four years younger brother Theo, with whom Vincent cherished a life-long friendship, would join the company later. This friendship is amply documented in the vast amount of letters they sent each other. They provide a lot of insight into the life of the painter and show him to be a talented writer with a keen mind. Theo would support Vincent financially throughout his life. In 1880, Vincent van Gogh followed his brother Theo’s suggestion and took up painting in earnest. For a brief period, Vincent took painting lessons from Anton Mauve in Hague. Although Vincent and Anton soon split over divergence of artistic views, influences of the Hague School of painting would remain in Vincent’s work, notably in the way he played with light and in the looseness of his brush strokes. However his usage of colours, favouring dark tones, set him apart from his teacher. In spring 1886 Vincent van Gogh went to Paris, where he moved in with his brother Theo; they shared a house on Montmartre. Here he met the painters Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Bernard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin. He discovered impressionism and liked its use of light and color, more than its lack of social engagement (as he saw it). Especially the technique known as pointillism (where many small dots are applied to the canvas that blend into rich colors only in the eye of the beholder, seeing it from a distance) made its mark on Van Gogh’s own style. In a short period of ten years, Van Gogh made approximately 900 paintings. The only painting he sold during his lifetime, 'The Red Vineyard' was created in 1888. Van Gogh's influence on expressionism, fauvism and early abstraction was enormous and can be seen in many other aspects of 20th-century art. Vincent's brother's wife collected Vincent's paintings and letters after his death and dedicated herself to getting his work the recognition it deserved. It would not take long before his fame grew higher and higher. Today, several paintings by Van Gogh rank among the most expensive paintings in the world. On March 30, 1987 Van Gogh's painting "Irises" was sold for a record $53.9 million at Sotheby's, New York. His portrait of Doctor Gachet was sold for $82.5 million at Christie's, thus establishing a new price record.