The Drinkers

Canvas painting The Drinkers by impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh from 1890.

When van Gogh was hospitalized in the mental hospital in the south of France, he also created a number of copies of artists he looked up to. This allowed him to focus on interpreting other works in his painting instead of constantly creating his own compositions.

For the subject The Drinkers, van Gogh was inspired by the French 19th century artist Honoré-Victorin Daumier and his wood engraving that was a parody of the four ages of man (child, teenager, youth and old). The exaggerated figures in the picture reflect Daumier's humor and his sad message about the horrors of alcoholism. The greenish palette is said to reflect the color of the infamous drink absinthe.

Van Gogh is one of the most famous artists in history and the Western world and has created over 2,100 works of art of which 860 are oil paintings where the majority of the paintings were created in the last two years of his life.

Van Gogh's paintings are colorful and dramatic with an impulsive and expressionistic style. Van Gogh saw no commercial success during his lifetime and his works became popular only after his death. He died by suicide at the age of 37 after a period of mental illness, depression and poverty.

Artist: Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) | Created: 1890.

Frame not included.

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