Artist Van Gogh had problems with drink

19 September 2016 - 09:21 By ©The Daily Telegraph
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

The famously tortured artist Vincent van Gogh did not suffer from lifelong medical conditions, said a new analysis released by the Dutch museum dedicated to his life and work.

Instead 30 international medical experts have announced that it is likely the artist had an alcohol problem and suffered from repeated breakdowns.

Neurologists, psychiatrists and internal medicine specialists met for two days in Amsterdam to try to determine a "definitive" medical diagnosis for the Dutch post-impressionist painter.

Weighing up evidence, including his many letters, they analysed competing theories that he had suffered from illnesses including epilepsy, cycloid psychosis, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or borderline personality disorder.

The panel concluded that the most probable diagnosis was more prosaic.

"One of the things we really do not like in our culture is that things just happen," Arko Oderwald, moderator and medical ethics professor said. "Yes, he had difficult character traits but it was not a disease."

The experts divided the artist's life into two periods - before and after his documented breakdown on December 23 1888 in Arles, southern France, when the artist argued with his friend, Paul Gauguin, and cut off his own ear.

This was the first of several breakdowns and he was in and out of hospital until he died of a gunshot wound on July 29 1890 in an apparent suicide.

"Before December 23,1888 it is not really possible to say he had a disease," said Oderwald.

"But the outcome was suddenly he collapsed and had a psychosis."

"This could come from alcohol intoxication, lack of sleep, work stress. He had repeated episodes of psychosis but recovered completely in between."

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now