Vincent van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 in Groot-Zundert, near Breda in the Netherlands. In 1860, the young Vincent first attended the village school in Grot-Zundert, then a boarding school in Zevenbergen and finally the Wilhelm II College in Tilburg in 1866. In 1868 he left school early and returned to his family. He was apprenticed in The Hague to Goupil & Cie, a subsidiary of the Parisian company that sold art reproductions and drawings. After completing his training, which went well, Vincent van Gogh travelled to Paris and met various artists including Georges Seurat, Henri Rousseau and Paul Cézanne. He created his palette using impressionism, pointillism and synétisme.

Van Gogh moved to Arles in 1888, and his companion Gauguin joined him to collaborate. In that year he painted The Starry Night. However, the two artists' style, both their personalities and their approach to painting, were at odds. On 23 December, van Gogh threatens Gauguin with razors and self-mutilates his right ear. Theo went to Paris to help his brother who had been admitted to hospital. On 7 January 1889, the painter returned home and painted Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. But van Gogh's mental health deteriorated rapidly. He complained of hearing voices and in May 1889 he was committed to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence. Despite numerous episodes of madness, the artist painted, a space being reserved for him at the top of the floor to be his studio. He painted Almond blossom, among other works. Van Gogh left the asylum on 19 May 1890 to be closer to Dr Gachet, advised by his brother Theo. He travelled through the countryside and painted about 70 pictures. However, due to the poor knowledge of mental health at the time, his mental illness was never effectively treated. On 27 July 1890, while painting a picture in the open air, he shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He was able to return to his room. The innkeeper, aware of his groans, alerted the doctor. Gachet, whose care was not enough. Vincent van Gogh died on 29 July 1890 at the age of 37 in his room at the Ravoux inn, with his brother Theo at his side.