Vincent moved to Brussels again in October 1880, convinced that he could serve God as an artist. He began to work on his drawing technique and came into contact with other artists. Vincent enrolled at the Art Academy and worked in the studio of artist friend Anthon van Rappard. Despite allowances provided by his father and brother Theo, Vincent was struggling financially. And, when Van Rappard left town, Vincent no longer had a place to work. This misfortune led him to leave Brussels behind again to live with his parents in Etten.

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It was here, in this modest home, that Van Gogh took the first steps in his artistic career and started focusing entirely on drawing. The themes he tackled, such as that of the workers and their modest homes, would reappear frequently throughout his work.

Sometimes he drew in his small room, other times in the garden. However, he felt that he did not have enough space to work properly: “It’s tiny as it is, and there are two beds, the children’s and mine.” [Letter 158] In October of 1880, Vincent left Cuesmes for Brussels because he longed for space, light and other artists.

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Vincent van Gogh arrived in London in 1873 to work for the art dealership Goupil & Cie. His brother, Theo van Gogh, had secured him a position there. During his time in London, van Gogh immersed himself in the art world, gaining valuable experience in the art market and developing relationships with artists and collectors.

Although van Gogh's time in London was relatively brief and not particularly successful in terms of his career in the art trade, it played a significant role in shaping his artistic sensibilities and providing him with a foundation of knowledge and experience that would later inform his groundbreaking work as a painter.

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During his time in Isleworth, van Gogh continued to grapple with his vocational choices and explored various career paths, including teaching and preaching. However, he ultimately found these pursuits unsatisfying and decided to leave England to pursue a different direction in life.

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During his time at Goupil & Cie, van Gogh immersed himself in the art trade, learning about various artists, styles, and movements. His job involved tasks such as studying artworks, corresponding with clients, and facilitating sales. However, despite his initial enthusiasm for the art business, van Gogh grew increasingly disillusioned with the commercial aspects of the trade. He found the focus on profit and market trends to be at odds with his own artistic ideals and aspirations.

Van Gogh's time in Amsterdam was marked by personal and professional challenges. He struggled with the demands of his job, feeling a sense of dissatisfaction and longing for a deeper connection to art. His experiences in Amsterdam would later influence his decision to pursue a career as an artist himself, ultimately leading him on a transformative journey of self-discovery and creative expression.

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All those new impressions and new people had an influence on his own work and inspired him to experiment freely.Vincent’s work grew steadily brighter in Paris, under the influence of modern art. He used brighter colours and developed his own style of painting, with short brush strokes.

The themes he painted likewise changed, with rural labourers giving way to cafés and boulevards, the countryside along the Seine and floral still lifes. He also tried out more ‘commercial’ subjects, such as portraits. Vincent mostly acted as his own sitter, however, as models were relatively expensive.

Meanwhile, he discovered a new source of inspiration in Japanese woodcuts, which sold in large quantities in Paris. Vincent and Theo began to collect them. The influence of the bold outlines, cropping and colour contrasts in these prints showed through immediately in his own work.After two years, Vincent began to tire of the frenetic city life in Paris.He longed for the peace of the countryside, for sun, and for the light and colour of ‘Japanese’ landscapes, which he hoped to find in Provence, in the South of France. Following a train journey that lasted a day and a night, he arrived on 20 February 1888 in Arles, a small town on the River Rhône.

His style became looser and more expressive. Vincent corresponded with Theo about his plan to set up a ‘Studio of the South’ in Arles for a group of artists whose work Theo could sell in Paris.

'You know I’ve always thought it ridiculous for painters to live alone &c. You always lose when you’re isolated.'

Vincent to Theo, Arles, 28 or 29 May 1888

With this ‘artists’ colony’ in mind, Vincent rented four rooms in the ‘Yellow House’ on Place Lamartine. Paul Gauguin was the first – and, as it would turn out, the last – artist to move in with him.

Gauguin arrived in late October 1888, but only after considerable cajoling.

Van Gogh and Gauguin worked hard together and their collaboration resulted in some exceptional paintings. At the same time, however, the two men had very different views on art, which led to frequent, heated discussions . Gauguin worked mainly from memory and his imagination, while Vincent preferred to paint what he could see in front of him. Their very different characters caused the tension between them to rise steadily.

When Gauguin threatened to leave, the pressure became too much. Van Gogh became so distraught that he threatened his friend with a razor. Later that evening, he sliced off his own ear at the Yellow House, wrapped it in newspaper and presented it to a prostitute in the nearby red-light district.

The morning after he cut off his ear, Vincent was admitted to the hospital in Arles. Later he went to Paris .

Once Vincent arrived at the clinic in Saint-Rémy, he immediately began working again. On his good days, he often painted in the institution’s walled garden and he was later allowed to work outside the hospital too.

He was also given an extra room inside the clinic to use as a studio, where he produced a series of works, including copies of prints after paintings by artists like Rembrandt and Millet.

Vincent’s mental health continued to fluctuate. During one period of extreme confusion, he ate some of his oil paint, following which he was restricted to drawing for a while. Yet, Vincent was exceptionally productive at Saint-Rémy, where he completed around 150 paintings in the space of a year.

'As for me, my health is good, and as for the head it will, let’s hope, be a matter of time and patience.'

Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, between 31 May and 6 June 1889