Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh may have been bipolar: ResearcherSeptember 17, 2016 - 12:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh was possibly bi-polar or had a borderline personality, but a combination of factors likely drove him to cut off his ear and commit suicide, a researcher said Friday, September 16, according to AFP. "We've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to draw a final conclusion about his illness," said Louis van Tilborgh, a senior researcher at Amsterdam's renowned Van Gogh Museum. Van Tilborgh this week led a two-day panel discussion with researchers and medical experts -- particularly psychiatrists -- on the fringes of the museum's latest exhibition called "On the Verge of Insanity" which delves into the Dutch master's mental state. The panel aimed to find some modern medical explanations for the mental illness which ended with Van Gogh's suicide on July 27, 1890 at Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris at the age of 37. "Before the episode with his ear, he possibly suffered from a borderline or bipolar personality," Van Tilborgh told AFP. It was more likely a combination of factors that set off a psychosis: his excessive drinking, particularly of absinthe liquor and bad eating habits; and his deteriorating relationship with the post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, whom Van Gogh adored. After Van Gogh sliced off his ear in December 1888, which also marked the end of his friendship with Gauguin, his psychotic episodes became increasingly frequent, Van Tilborgh said. "He went back to work, but developed a fear that these episodes would return, and this fear increased after every episode." "This fear eventually led to his suicide two years later," Van Tilborgh said. The museum's "On the Verge of Insanity" exhibition focuses on the artist's final 18 months and features a number of interesting exhibits including the suspected gun used in his suicide. It also for the first time reveals that the tortured artist cut off his whole left ear and not just a part of it, as many people had previously believed. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |