But I could have told you, Vincent…

Rat Fink — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:06:56 +0000

…this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.

I love that song. One of the all-time best songs of the seventies. If you don’t know it, you have to listen/watch. It’s an emergency.

Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90)

This morning I caught a link to “This Day in History.” I found out through more searching that Vincent van Gogh did not in fact “chop off his own ear.” First, it wasn’t his whole ear, but rather just a small part of the lobe. And according to NPR, the police report of the incident suggested a fight with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, who was living with him at the time of the December 23rd, 1888 event.

It’s no secret van Gogh had his demons. They eventually cornered him into shooting himself in the chest, making a wound that would kill him a couple of days later. But what’s the scoop on this ear thing? I always assumed (read: believed what I’d read for decades) that he’d done the deed to himself in a rage of despair after Gauguin walked out on him. But according to a new study, reported by the London Telegraph:

Gauguin, an excellent fencer, was planning to leave Van Gogh’s “Yellow House” in Arles, southwestern France, after an unhappy stay.

He had walked out of the house with his baggage and his trusty épée in hand, but was followed by the troubled Van Gogh, who had earlier thrown a glass at him.

As the pair approached a bordello, their row intensified, and Gauguin cut off Van Gogh’s left earlobe with his sword – either in anger or self-defence.”

Muy interesante. Who says you don’t learn anything on the Interwebnet?

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But I could have told you, Vincent…