Vincent van Gogh • The Asylum (Madness, Genius, & Tragedy: Part 3)
On May 8th, 1889, Vincent van Gogh checks in to a mental asylum. What begins as a three month stay extends into a year. A period of time during which Vincent paints 141 masterpieces in between bouts of debilitating psychotic attacks.
On this episode, we dive into Vincent and Theo’s letters to finally uncover all of the details about Vincent’s yearlong stay in the asylum.
Below you will find a companion gallery for the episode, including all of the paintings mentioned from the asylum period, May 1889 – May 1890. (Known among scholars as the St. Remy period.)
St. Paul de Mausole
This mental asylum was originally built as a monastery, hence the inspired architecture, reminiscent of the monastic life. St. Paul’s is located in Southern France, in the small Province of St. Remy. Vincent’s supposed room is preserved, and open for tourist visits.
Vincent's Most Disturbing Painting
I created this video to explore what I think to be the most disturbing painting of all time: Vincent’s self portrait while ill.
He painted this self portrait in the asylum while suffering the effects of a psychotic episode. It was not officially accepted as a Van Gogh until January 2020, when the Van Gogh Museum verified it after years of tests.
