Vincent Van Gogh Trivia

1. Although Vincent van Gogh was born in Holland, most of his artistic life was spent away from his home country. Where was this?

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: France

France has always been very influential in the art and fashion world. Many continental artists either vacation or study in France for various reasons including the 'light' and Parisian influence. Many European movements at the time had their roots in the French art establishment.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: Saint-Rémy

Vincent van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, the Netherlands in 1853. During his life van Gogh lived in Brussels, Etten, Drenthe, The Hague, Nuenen, Antwerp, Paris, Arles and Saint-Rémy.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: Dark, sombre colours with meticulous shading and brushwork

His subject matter was also heavy and almost depressing. It is in these early works, and especially the charcoal drawings, that his depiction of form and volume can be seen to develop.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: 1889

Vincent van Gogh completed "The Starry Night" about a year before his death in 1890. He began this masterpiece while at the mental hospital Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: The Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp in 1886

Vincent rejected formal schooling, preferring to learn on his own. It was of necessity that he obtained his Matriculation from the school for a better theoretical grounding. His work after Antwerp shows far more experimentation with colour and light.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: Theo van Gogh

Theo van Gogh was Vincent van Gogh's younger brother, and, outside of Paul Gauguin, probably the person he was closest to. Theo worked as an art dealer in Paris and helped increase the popularity of artists like Claude Monet and Edgar Degas.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: Japanese woodblock prints

These prints were flooding the European markets from the East. They had a profound influence on many artists and the way they structured their compositions.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: 73 x 92 cm

The average size for a painting is about 25 x 34 cm so "The Starry Night" has an area about eight times that of the average painting. By comparison, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is 77 x 53 cm, occupying an area about 60% as large as "The Starry Night".

From Quiz The Art of Sports

Answer: Starry Night over the Rhone

Vincent Van Gogh was intrigued by the effects of light at night and viewed painting it as a challenge. Around the same time as creating "Starry Night over the Rhone", he painted a few different pieces with the night sky as a main component. The gas lamps that lit the quayside were a relatively new invention and their reflection in the river in this painting is mesmerising. John Constable painted "The Hay Wain" and "Rain, Steam and Speed" while "The Great Western Railway" was by J.M.W. Turner.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: The Potato Eaters, 1885

While in Neunen, over a period of two years, he produced more than 200 watercolours and drawings.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: Crescent moon

The large orange-yellow crescent moon is located in the top-right corner of the painting. A large circular glow surrounds the moon.

From Quiz The Art of Sports

Answer: Van Gogh's Chair

"Gauguin's Chair" and "Van Gogh's Chair" were both painted around the same time in 1888. Van Gogh was an admirer of Paul Gauguin's work and invited the artist to stay with him in Arles. He hoped that they would work together and inspire each other. Things didn't go to plan. The relationship became strained and after the infamous incident with a razor (Van Gogh severed part of his ear), Gaugin left Arles for good. The two paintings of chairs symbolise the differences between the two artists. "Gauguin's Chair" is full of bold, rich colours. "Van Gogh's Chair" is a simple kitchen chair with a pipe and a screwed-up piece of paper resting on the seat.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: Paul Gauguin

Although the two did not get on from the start, Vincent held Gauguin in high regard and valued his input. Although they disagreed on many points, Gauguin had a profound influence, not only on van Gogh's style, but also his philosophies. There is speculation that the failed friendship caused van Gogh to settle deeper into his depression, evident in the darker nature of his later works.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: 11

The eleven stars vary in size with the largest one being located in the foreground. There are approximately four rows of stars: five in the top row, two on the second, one on the third and three on the bottom row. The eleven stars in the painting may be a reference to Genesis 37:9 which reads as follows: "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me."

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: Theo

Theo was Vincent's younger brother who ended up being a form of benefactor to him. It was due to Theo's 'patronage' that van Gogh could continue his artistic development.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: A cypress tree

The large cypress tree looks almost like a large greenish-brown flame. The cypress tree dwarfs the church steeple located further back in the painting.

From Quiz The Art of Sports

Answer: Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette

"Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette" was probably painted while Van Gogh was studying at an art academy in Antwerp. The instructors often used skeletons to teach about anatomy. Some consider the cigarette in a skeleton's mouth a joke, while others think it is a comment on the lifelessness of the subject that students had to draw at the school. Kenneth Wolstenholme was a football commentator who famously said, "They think it's all over. It is now," at the end of the 1966 World Cup Final when England had beaten West Germany. "Man Smoking a Pipe" was a painting by Paul Cezanne. "Dogs Playing Poker" was a series of paintings by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: Dutch Post Impressionism

Impressionism got its name after a painting by Claude Monet, "Impression, soleil levant" (Impression, Sunrise) of 1872. The impressionists used a style of minimal detail and manipulation of light to create only an impression of their subject. This style gave rise to even more experimenting with light and colour later in the 19th century and into the 20th.

From Quiz The Art of Sports

Answer: A cafe

"Cafe Terrace at Night" was painted in 1888. In the picture, there are people sitting under an awning outside a cafe. They are lit up by the orange light of the gas lamps - a contrast to the deep blue of the night sky behind them. Van Gogh most likely set his easel up in the street, rather than painting from memory. Astronomical data suggests that the position of the stars in the painting is correct.

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: The Yellow House

The Yellow House was located at No. 2 Place Lamartine in Arles. The light in this location was perfect for where van Gogh was at this point in his artistic development. He painted many pictures of the room in which he lived and of the house itself.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: The Museum of Modern Art in New York City

Other well known works in the Museum of Modern Art include "Campbell's Soup Cans" by Andy Warhol and "The Dance" by Henri Matisse. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam contains the largest collection of Van Gogh's works including "Sunflowers", "Bedroom in Arles" and "The Potato Eaters".

From Quiz Vincent van Gogh, Some Basics

Answer: He was shot.

During the last years of his life, Vincent's depression took a tighter hold on him as evidenced in his dark and broody paintings. There is ongoing controversy over whether he shot himself or whether he was shot by someone else. What is clear is that he did not die immediately, but succumbed to infection a day later.

From Quiz "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

Answer: Starry Night Over the Rhone

"Starry Night Over the Rhone" has the same dimensions as "The Starry Night" and it shares a similar color scheme in part of the painting. Vincent van Gogh painted "Starry Night Over the Rhone" while living in Arles. The Ursa Major constellation and two lovers walking down by the river are visible in the painting.

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Last Updated Nov 15 2025 5:50 AM

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