The Other Van Gogh

Over the past couple of months, the Denver Art Museum hosted a rare exhibit of the work of Vincent Van Gogh–a visual chronological journey of his development as an artist. Since The Wild One is pursuing her dream of becoming a serious artist, we simply couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by.

As we walked through the exhibit of rare drawings and paintings, we both found ways in which we related to Van Gogh–not the mental illness/cutting-off-one’s-ear part, but more along the lines of his deep passion, his being largely self-taught, his propensity for pushing the boundaries, and his need to create. (I related in a couple of other ways, too, which I’ll mention presently.)

If we could ask Van Gogh about his life as he knew it, he would likely consider it to be a dismal failure. Perpetually poor, frequently ill (the mental illness may have actually stemmed from the seasons when he was physically unable to paint), and ignored by much of the art world at that time, Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime–one painting out of thousands. His premature death from a stray bullet was the icing on the cake. He died having no idea that one day his works would be considered priceless, and that his bold painting style would one day influence millions of artists after him. He died, having no idea that he would one day be considered one of the world’s great master artists.

The thing is, had it not been for one person, Van Gogh would probably have never become known, either in life or in death. Had it not been for one person, Van Gogh would have remained forever in obscurity. But one person believed in him while most others ignored him.

You see, there was another Van Gogh in the story.

Vincent’s younger brother Theo was a businessman and art dealer, largely remembered for supporting Vincent financially so he could paint full-time. It is apparent that he loved his brother dearly and believed in him fully, encouraging him through his bouts of depression and seeing to his well-being as much as possible. As Vincent painted piece after piece, he sent the paintings to his brother Theo, who amassed a huge collection of his work, and even attempted to promote and show them, although Van Gogh’s work was so ill-understood at the time that even a successful art dealer like Theo was unable to sell even one of them.

Theo died of illness a mere six months after his brother Vincent passed. But this one man’s tireless support–against the odds–of a man few whose art few understood, a man many considered to be insane, is the primary reason why Vincent Van Gogh is remembered today. Had Theo not been willing to support his brother financially, Van Gogh would either have starved to death or stopped painting, leaving little or no legacy behind him. Had Theo Van Gogh not carefully guarded every piece of art his brother sent him, we would not have nearly the collection of surviving pieces we have today. If not for Theo, Vincent’s story would never have been told, his influence never felt, his legacy forgotten.

But this one person–the other Van Gogh–made all the difference.

It wasn’t because he was such a good art dealer–remember, he couldn’t sell even one of his brother’s paintings. It was because of something much greater: Theo believed. He believed in his brother when no one else did.

This story is a great example of how one person can make a difference–not through great talents or giftings, but simply by believing. When we believe, we act on that belief in ways that can make the difference between success and failure. In Theo’s case, belief prompted certain simple actions, and those actions helped preserve the legacy of Vincent Van Gogh.

On the journey my family and I have been on, we value belief greatly. We understand the need to believe in ourselves, and to believe in God who guides our path. We understand the need to believe in each other, each as artists in our own form of expression. And we also deeply value the people who through the years have believed in us when things made no sense, when we looked to so many others like a lost cause. We value those who continue to believe in us–who watch patiently while we struggle and make mistakes and figure things out, but who never waver in their belief in our potential.

When you’re traveling in uncharted waters, sometimes belief is all you have. Not only does it help immensely to have someone believe in you, but as the Van Gogh story shows us, sometimes it can be the difference between life and death.

That kind of belief is priceless. That kind of belief is what makes the difference in the lives of others.

I mentioned that I related to Vincent Van Gogh in another way. Vincent Van Gogh started out to be a Protestant minister, but flushed out of the system because he couldn’t stay within the lines. He eventually pursued art as an alternate way of glorifying God and touching others.