Dr Paul Gachet (stretched canvas)

An unrecognized and misunderstood artist during his lifetime, Van Gogh was one of the great painters of the 19th century. Son of a Protestant pastor, he hesitated for a while between artistic and religious vocation, to finally devote himself to painting. Van Gogh frequented the world of impressionist painters and refined his research on colour; his palette became lighter and more diversified. To perfect his work, he moved to Arles in February 1888. Dazzled by the light of the South, Van Gogh made colour the very object of his work. He seeks the highest possible intensity of both tones and chromatic ratios. On July 27, 1890, the painter ended his life at the age of 37. In eight years, he has produced nearly 900 paintings and a thousand drawings.