From Van Gogh's Paintings to the Solitude of Mental Illness

Abstract

This thesis explores the intersection between Vincent van Gogh’s psychological struggles and his artistic expression, focusing on how solitude functions as both a personal affliction and a creative force within his work. While previous scholarship has often framed Van Gogh as a tragic genius overwhelmed by mental illness, this study challenges such romanticized narratives by situating his suffering within the broader sociocultural and medical context of 19th-century Europe. Through a detailed visual analysis of selected paintings, including The Starry Night, Bedroom in Arles, Wheatfield with Crows, and The Night Café, this research examines Van Gogh’s use of composition, color, and brushwork as tools to translate emotional solitude into communicable visual language. Drawing on both psychiatric interpretations and art historical perspectives, the thesis reveals how Van Gogh’s mental illness, social exclusion, and lack of adequate medical care collectively shaped his visual language of isolation. While acknowledging the very real psychological pain evident in his letters and actions, this study also highlights Van Gogh’s active engagement with solitude as an aesthetic and existential subject. Ultimately, the thesis argues that his art was not merely a reflection of madness but a deliberate confrontation with it, an attempt to reclaim control through creation. Van Gogh’s legacy thus compels us to rethink the complex relationship between mental illness, artistic identity, and social reception, offering a deeper understanding of how suffering and creativity coexist within the framework of historical context.