This is a list that shows references made to the life and work of Dutch artist

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

(1853–1890) in culture.

Literature

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

writes about van Gogh in his book ''Avant et après'' (''Before and After'') (903 AD)

* The artist's life forms the basis for Irving Stone's 1934 biographical novel '' Lust for Life''. * "Starry Night," a poem written by

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, is a dedication to Van Gogh and his work. * ''Letters to Theo,'' a selection of Vincent's letters to his brother in various sized volumes, became popular in several languages during the 1950s. * The Flemish writer and visual artist

Louis Paul Boon Lodewijk Paul Aalbrecht (Louis Paul) Boon (15 March 1912, in Aalst, Belgium, Aalst – 10 May 1979, in Erembodegem) was a Belgian writer of novels, poetry, pornography, columns and art criticism in Flemish dialects, Flemish. He was also a painter. ...

based his 1944 novel ''Abel Gholaerts'' on the life of Van Gogh, although he moved the story to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. *

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

wrote a study ''Van Gogh le suicidé de la société'' (''Van Gogh, The Man Suicided by Society'') in 1947, after visiting an exhibition of the painter's works

*

Paul Celan Paul Celan (; ; born Paul Antschel; 23 November 1920 – c. 20 April 1970) was a German-speaking Romanian poet, Holocaust survivor, and literary translation, literary translator. He adopted his pen name (an anagram of the Romanian spelling Ancel ...

mentions Van Gogh's ear in his poem ''Mächte, Gewalten'' (''Powers, Dominions'')

*

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

wrote a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of Vincent's letters to Theo. The short story "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists" is included in Allen's 1975 book '' Without Feathers''. * Theun de Vries wrote a novel ''Vincent in Den Haag'' (''Vincent in The Hague'') which takes place between 1881 and 1883. * Ivan Diviš wrote a poem "Goghova milá" ("Gogh's Lover"), published in his book ''Rozpleť si vlasy'' (''Unplait Your Hair'', 1961). *

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German Americans, German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambien ...

wrote a poem on Van Gogh called 'Working Out'. * The Dutch-Northern Irish writer Remco van Straten published "Hastur's Canvas", framing Vincent van Gogh's time in France in the context of

Lovecraftian horror Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is na ...

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* R.w. Meek, Pulitzer Prize Nominee 2024, depicts Vincent van Gogh in his novel, The Dream Collector, Book II, "Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh" and offers credible reasons for his suicide.

Music

Classical

* Nevit Kodallı: ''

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

'', Turkish opera (1956) * Gloria Coates: ''Homage to Van Gogh'' (1993/94) *Grigori Frid: ''Letters of van Gogh'', mono-opera in two parts for baritone - clarinet, percussion, piano, strings op. 69 (1975) – small Version for baritone - clarinet, piano and violoncello *

Bertold Hummel Bertold Hummel (27 November 1925 – 9 August 2002) was a German composer of modern classical music. Life Bertold Hummel was born in Hüfingen, Baden. He studied at the Academy of Music in Freiburg from 1947 to 1954, taking composition with H ...

: ''Eight fragments from letters of Vincent van Gogh'' for baritone and string quartet op. 84 (1985

*

Einojuhani Rautavaara Einojuhani Rautavaara (; 9 October 1928 – 27 July 2016) was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a List of compositions by Einojuhani Rautavaara, gre ...

: ''

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

'', opera in three acts (1986–1987). This was based on several events in Van Gogh's life; he later used some of the same themes in his 6th symphony, '' Vincentiana''. *

: ''Vincentiana'', symphony N° 6 (1992) - movements: I Tähtiyö (Starry night) II Varikset (The crows) III Saint-Rémy IV Apotheosis *

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer of late 20th-century classical music. Among the leading French composers of his time, his work was rooted in the Impressionistic style of Debussy and R ...

: ''Correspondances'' for soprano and orchestra (2002–2004) - movements: I. Danse cosmique (P. Mukherjee) II. A Slava et Galina... (A. Solschenizyn) III. Gong (R. M. Rilke) IV. Gong II (R. M. Rilke) V. De Vincent à Théo... (V. van Gogh) *

, Timbres, espace, mouvement (''Timbre, space, movement'') is a work for orchestra composed, 1978.

) mention van Gogh in their song "Heres to Life": "Vincent Van Gogh why do you weep?/ You were on your way to heaven but the road was steep./ Who was there to break your fall,/ we're guilty one and all." *The title track for Joni Mitchell's album '' Turbulent Indigo'' references Van Gogh's madness. The album cover is a take on Van Gogh's ''

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear ''Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear'' is an 1889 self-portrait by Dutch people, Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. The painting is in the collection of the Courtauld Institute of Art and on display in the Courtau ...

''. * A Spanish Group is named

La Oreja de Van Gogh La Oreja de Van Gogh (; English: "Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh's Ear") is a Pop music, pop band from San Sebastián, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. The lyrical themes of their songs typically include love, friendship ...

(Van Gogh's Ear). *The Vigilantes of Love released a song titled "Skin" which is about Van Gogh. *

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

and

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

recorded "Spinning Away" on their album

Wrong Way Up ''Wrong Way Up'' is the sole collaborative studio album by Brian Eno and John Cale, originally released on October 5, 1990 on Opal and Warner Bros. Records. The album sits between the electronic, prog-rock and art rock genres and features som ...

(1990). An example lyric states "One by one, all the stars appear/As the great winds of the planet spiral in/Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles" * Matthew Perryman Jones' album "Land of the Living" includes the song "O Theo", in which the lyrics imagine that Vincent is writing about his life to his brother Theo, echoing how the real Vincent wrote vividly to Theo in his many letters.

Film and television

* '' Lust for Life'', a 1934 novel by Irving Stone, was adapted into a film of the same name. It was directed by

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...

and

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

and produced by

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...

. The 1956 film starred

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

as Vincent van Gogh and

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best actor and best supporting actor, for which Anthony Quinn won. * In 1948, Alain Resnais made the documentary ''Van Gogh''. Resnais’ black-and-white film featured only Van Gogh's canvases. According to art and film historian John Walker, "the artist’s personal crisis was inscribed in the images on screen by means of accelerated montage". *

Mai Zetterling Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994) was a Swedish film director, novelist and actress. Early life Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at ...

and David Hughes made the 1972 documentary-drama ''Vincent the Dutchman'', with Michael Gough in the title role, following in Van Gogh's footsteps and re-visiting the actual locations where he lived and died. * Australian director Paul Cox made a film called ''

'' (also known as ''Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh'') in 1987, consisting entirely of readings of passages from Vincent's letters (read by

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

), and accompanied by scenes of the actual locations where he painted. The entire film is claimed to be seen through Van Gogh's own eyes, including his final suicide. * Director Alexander Barnett ''The Eyes of Van Gogh'', a film about the 12 months Van Gogh spent in an asylum at St. Remy
web siteblog
* Abraham Ségal produced a 70-minute color documentary ''Van Gogh ou la Revanche Ambiguë'' (''Van Gogh or the Double-edged Triumph'') in 1989. This documentary examines the "cult" and "myth" of Van Gogh. It is described as an "intelligent account" of the phenomenon, including scenes of the New York auction of Van Gogh's ''Irises'', of 100-year celebrations in Arles, St. Rémy, Auvers and Amsterdam, as well as interviews with people in Arles, a medical expert, Kirk Douglas, Johan Van Gogh, writers and artists "obsessed" with the artist. * The IMAX film ''Van Gogh, een kleurrijk portret'' (Van Gogh, a colorful portrait) was released 1989, the same year the film ''Vincent van Gogh, een zaaier in Etten'' (Vincent van Gogh, a sower in Etten) came into circulation, the director was Vincent Oudendijk. * Japanese filmmaker

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

paid homage to Van Gogh in the 1990 film ''

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...

''. The film was based upon Kurosawa's own dreams and included a vignette titled "Crows" based on the painting '' Wheat Field with Crows'', which starred the American director

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

as Van Gogh. * Michael Rubbo directed the 1990 family film '' Vincent and Me''. * Director

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

portrayed the life story of Vincent van Gogh ( Tim Roth) and of his brother Theo van Gogh ( Paul Rhys) in the film '' Vincent & Theo'' (1990). *

Maurice Pialat Maurice Pialat (; 31 August 1925 – 11 January 2003) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor known for the rigorous and unsentimental style of his films. His work is often described as " realist",

's ''

'' (1991) starred

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsa ...

in the title role. The film earned a record twelve César nominations and Dutronc won the award for best actor. * Clone High (2003 and 2023–2024) has a character based on Van Gogh, who appeared throughout the show as a background character. * ''

Simon Schama's Power of Art ''Simon Schama's Power of Art'' is an eight-part BBC TV mini-series examining the works of eight artists, the context surrounding one of their works and the message they intended to convey with these. It was written, created, narrated, and presen ...

'', a documentary in 2006, starred

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...

as Van Gogh in episode 6. * The first fully hand-painted feature film, '' Loving Vincent'', was released in 2017. This animated biopic recounts the life of Van Gogh, with each frame consisting of an oil painting executed in Van Gogh's style and a plot based on his letters. It was awarded a European Film Award for Best Animated Feature and also earned an Oscar nomination in 2018. * '' The Yellow House.'' Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles. * In 2010,

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...

portrayed Van Gogh in the Andrew Hutton bio-documentary '' Van Gogh: Painted with Words'', with

Jamie Parker Jamie Parker (born 14 August 1979) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Harry Potter in the original cast for the West End play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award ...

as his brother Theo, showing the correspondence between the two brothers and the circumstances at the moments the letters were written. It is based on the real letters of Vincent and Theo, and updated by Andrew Hutton and

Alan Yentob Alan Yentob (11 March 1947 – 24 May 2025) was an English television executive and presenter. He held senior roles at the BBC, including head of music and arts, controller of BBC1 and BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadca ...

. * A 2010 episode of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' titled " Vincent and the Doctor" featured Tony Curran as the artist. He reprised his role at the beginning of " The Pandorica Opens". * In 2013, Dutch actor Barry Atsma starred as Vincent in a Dutch

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

''Van Gogh: een huis voor Vincent'' (literally: ''Van Gogh: a house for Vincent''; international name ''The Van Gogh Legacy''). The dramatized story of Vincent is told through the eyes of his only surviving nephew Vincent Willem ( nl), played by Jeroen Krabbé. The series has been sold to broadcasting corporations in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. * In the 2018 film '' At Eternity's Gate (film)'' actor

Willem Dafoe William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...

portrays Van Gogh in the final years of his life, leading up to a dramatisation of the

theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

that the painter's death was a result of manslaughter, rather than suicide.

Theatre

* In the mid-1970s,

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

starred in a one-man play called ''Vincent'' that he'd adapted from the play ''Van Gogh'' by Phillip Stephens. A performance was televised in 1981, and a DVD based on the video recording was released in 2006. The adapted version was published in 1984.

Video games

* In 2001's ''

Luigi's Mansion is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo. The game was a launch title for the GameCube and was the first game in the ''Mario'' franchise to be released for the console; it was released in Japan on September 14, ...

'', there is a ghost named Vincent Van Gore. He is nicknamed the "Starving Artist" in-game, and battles the player by having his paintings of ghosts come to life and attack

Luigi Luigi (; ) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like ...

. He speaks with a French accent, despite van Gogh speaking mostly Dutch. * The character of Vince, the art tutor in the

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

game ''

Art Academy An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

'', is based on Vincent van Gogh. * The 2012 game '' New Super Mario Bros. U'', as well its 2019 port ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe'', features a level paying homage to Van Gogh's ''

The Starry Night ''The Starry Night'', often called simply ''Starry Night'', is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Sain ...

'' entitled "Painted Swampland", or Soda Jungle-4; the level can be found in the sub-area of Soda Jungle in World 5-4. * In 2013, the " Year of Luigi", ''The Starry Night'' motif was reused, this time in a level in the ''New Super Mario Bros. U''

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

game '' New Super Luigi U'' entitled "Painted Pipeworks", or Soda Jungle-4; as in ''New Super Mario Bros. U'', the level can be found in the sub-area of Soda Jungle in World 5-4. * In June 2015, Rusty Lake created the third installment of Cube Escape, Cube Escape: Arles. This installment ended in Van Gogh walking out into the painting ''The Starry Night''.

Popular recognition

* In 2004, he was nominated for the title De Grootste Nederlander (The Greatest Dutchman) and came in 10th place.

References

External links

Excerpt from Artaud about van Gogh

''El cine pinta a Van Gogh''. Van Gogh in the movies.
{{Vincent van Gogh