Almond Blossom, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.  A serious and thoughtful child, his interest in art began at a young age and he was encouraged to draw by his mother. One of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art, his work includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self portraits and are characterised by bold, symbolic colours and dramatic, impulsive and highly expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. He worked in London and Paris and then moved to Arles in the south of France hoping to set up an artists colony with Paul Gauguin. There he worked in bright colours depicting the countryside around him - olive groves, wheat fields and sunflowers. His bold use of colour, expressive lines and thick application of paint inspired artists in the early 20th century and his works are now among the world’s most expensive paintings ever to be sold.