Vincent Van Gogh and the IB Learner Profile

Vincent Van Gogh is known today to be one of the most famous painters of the 19th century. He's known for his magnificent paintings and his unstable mental health. One of his main traits would be his inquiry. He's a great inquirer due to the fact that he taught himself how to paint. Inquirers show independence in learning anc it shows in Van Gogh when he began moving around in 1880, teaching himself different painting and drawing techniques. 

Another trait Van Gogh possessed was being a risk-taker when it came to his work. He was never famous in his lifetime and never managed to make it as an artist. In his lifetime, he only sold one of his paintings. The people were never fond of his style of painting. He was a risk-taker because of the way he never changed his style for others, defending his style and beliefs. Even when his works weren't received well, he was courageous enough to keep pursuing his style and dream of being an artist.

In addition, Vincent Van Gogh was reflective. You can see how he was reflective towards his paintings and the techniques used. Around 1886, he was influenced greatly by Impressionism, where his style became lighter and brighter. By changing styles, you can see how Van Gogh reflected on his old works and tried improving and changing his techniques.

Though Van Gogh possessed many traits, he also lacked some. One example is balance. He was a very mentally unstable man. He focused a lot on his work and not so much on his emotional wellbeing. He spent a lot of his time in a out of psychiatric hospitals. He also quarreled with his friends, and threatened his friend, Gauguin, because of his instability and lack of understanding of the importance of balance between intellectual, physical, and emotional health. Another trait he lacked was being a communicator. He never worked well with people, Gauguin being an example. In 1888, Van Gogh got into a fight with him and threatened him with a razor. Later, he felt remorseful and cut a part of his own ear off. This shows his lack of communication skills towards others.

However, even though he had a troubled life, he still became one of the most famous artists today, even though he never knew it.