Friends and Rivals

Self Portrait Painting Sunflowers Painting by Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh’s portrait by Paul Gauguin

Whenever I first looked at Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait his missing left ear had always been distinct from the rest of his features. The mishap is undocumented, but it is widely conceived that prior to an argument with Paul Gauguin, Gogh slashed around a razor which led him to cut off a piece of his ear.

Gauguin, a fellow French post-Impressionist artist, initially became a mentor for Vincent Van Gogh. Each critique Gauguin noted, Van Gogh received it as a piece of advice to enhance his artistic technique. However, there were a great number of differences between them. Unlike Gogh’s radical behavior, Gauguin was a rationalist and executed practical decisions. Although the two’s troubles – most of them being health problems from exhaustion and financial difficulties – coincided, their quarrels gave tension in their relationship.

Regardless that their friendship had grown to be bitter, their influences on each other introduced a rapid productivity in their work. Van Gogh patiently waited for his mentor’s remarks, focused on his ambitions to improve, and eventually churned out the Sunflowers. Gauguin, who previously found himself contradicting Gogh on every artistic subject, became inspired from the oil painting and frequently used the same bright colors on his pieces.

Having observed Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin’s turbulent relationship, I noted that our most respectable rivals could introduce us to a bigger goal, deliver an innovative solution, or keep us committed to a certain path. Beyond the freedom of expression in art, there is motivation and accepting a competitive partner could do a great deal for you.

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