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Article: Drama at Arles new light on Van Gogh's self-mutilation.
- Article from:
- Apollo
- Article date:
- September 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Apollo Magazine Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It is the most well-known incident in art history. On 23 December 1888 Van Gogh severed part of his ear, abruptly ending his collaboration with Gauguin. Although the events of that night have become the stuff of legend, the facts are few. Martin Bailey pieces together the evidence for this tragic story, with the help of some major discoveries.
Vincent van Gogh was 'a stark, staring crank'. Contemporary descriptions of the artist by his friends are rare, and this example is published here for the first time in the original English. It comes from a letter written on 17 April 1888 by the American painter Dodge MacKnight (1860-1950), who was staying in the village of ...