Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear?
Tuesday, Mar 31 — 12:04 am
Take the Van Gogh Biography Test
Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? There were several versions.
According to the most common version, Van Gogh cut off only his earlobe as a result of a quarrel with a friend, artist Paul Gauguin. Then he gave part of the ear to a prostitute named Rachel to show her his sympathy. However, after the publication of the book “Southern Studio: Van Gogh in Provence” by an English author Martin Bale, a different version appeared.
According to the author, Van Gogh cut off his whole ear after he found out that his brother Theo got engaged. This situation could anger the artist since the brothers were very close, and Theo supported Vincent financially. And Van Gogh was afraid to remain without his brother’s support. The author’s conclusions were based on the letters between Vincent and Theo which made it clear that Van Gogh cut his ear off the day he received unpleasant news from his brother. A quarrel with Gauguin, which occurred on the same day.
Bernadette Murphy thinks differently. After Vincent cut off his whole ear, and not the earlobe, he gave his ear not to a prostitute, but to 18-year-old maid Gabriel Berlatier.
Also, there is another probable version. Perhaps Van Gogh cut off his ear simply because of his madness, without any logical explanation.