Spring according to Van Gogh

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Hi all, happy Monday!

Last week we wrote about Tate’s upcoming Monet show and the way in which his Giverny paintings have become so engrained in culture that they now turn up everywhere, from designer catwalks to shampoo bottles. If you want to read the full post or anything else from our paid archive, we’ve turned on 7-day free trials.

Moving from an Impressionist master to a Post-Impressionist one, today we’re celebrating Vincent van Gogh’s birthday.

Born on March 30, 1853, in Zundert, Netherlands, Van Gogh spent his early years trying to find his path. He had jobs as a clergyman, teacher, art dealer and evangelist, none of which worked out. By his late twenties, frustrated and still searching, he made the decision to become an artist. He was 30 when he began painting consistently.

After a brief stint at art school, he moved to Paris in 1886 to live with his brother Theo, and it was there that he encountered the Impressionists, forcing him to rethink t…