A painter the world did not want — and then could not stop loving.
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Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = A (a painter) · 2 = G (poor) · 3 = B (to support someone) · 4 = E (famous)
5 = C (ill) · 6 = F (a painting) · 7 = H (to sell) · 8 = D (after his death)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in the Netherlands. For many years, he could not find his place in life. He tried different jobs — he sold art, he taught, and he worked for the church. But he was not happy, and every job ended badly.
Then, when he was twenty-seven, he made a big decision. He decided to become a painter. He had almost no money and very little training, but he worked very hard. He learned to draw and then to paint.
One person always believed in him: his younger brother, Theo. Theo lived in Paris and sold art. He sent Vincent money, paint, and kind letters, month after month. Without Theo, Vincent could not have painted at all. The two brothers wrote hundreds of letters to each other.
1. What jobs did Vincent try before he became a painter? How old was he when he started painting?
2. How did Theo help his brother?
1. He sold art, he taught, and he worked for the church — but every job ended badly. He started painting when he was twenty-seven.
2. Theo sent him money, paint, and kind letters every month, so Vincent could paint.
Now Vincent painted all the time. In about ten years, he made around two thousand pictures! Some of them are very famous today, like Sunflowers and The Starry Night. His colours were bright and strong, and they grew more beautiful every year.
In 1888, Vincent moved to the south of France, to a town called Arles. He loved the light and the colours there. He rented a small house and painted it yellow — people call it the "Yellow House". He had a dream: a place where artists could live and work together. He asked another painter, Paul Gauguin, to come and live with him.
But the two men were very different, and they argued a lot. Vincent was also becoming very ill in his mind. After one bad argument, he had a breakdown — a very difficult time for his health — and Gauguin left. The next year, Vincent went to a special hospital to rest and get better. Even there, he kept painting beautiful pictures. But sadly, almost nobody was buying his work.
1. How many pictures did Vincent make? What are two famous ones?
2. What was the "Yellow House", and what was his dream?
1. About two thousand pictures in around ten years. Two famous ones are Sunflowers and The Starry Night.
2. It was a small house in Arles that he painted yellow. His dream was a place where artists could live and work together.
In 1890, Vincent moved to a small village near Paris, to be closer to Theo. He was still painting every day. But he was very ill and very tired, and in July of that year, he died. He was only thirty-seven years old. The sad truth is that he died thinking he was a failure. In all his life, he sold almost no paintings.
Theo was very, very sad. He died only six months later. For a moment, it looked like the whole story would end here — two brothers gone, and a room full of paintings that nobody wanted.
But one woman changed everything. Her name was Jo, and she was Theo's wife. She kept all of Vincent's paintings and all the brothers' letters. Many people told her to forget them. Instead, she worked for years to show his art to the world. She sent his paintings to art shows, and she published the letters so people could know him. Slowly, people began to love his work. Today, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous painters in the world, and his paintings sell for millions. It is very sad: the man who could not sell one painting became famous — but only after his death.
1. How did Vincent feel about his life when he died?
2. Who made Vincent famous after his death, and how?
1. He died thinking he was a failure, because he sold almost no paintings in his life.
2. Jo, Theo's wife. She kept his paintings and letters, sent his art to shows, and published the letters, so the world learned to love his work.
This story is full of surprises. He was poor, but he is famous now. We use special words to show this kind of contrast — to put two opposite ideas together.
Write but, although or despite in each gap. Then read the sentence out loud.
1. he sold almost no paintings, he never stopped working.
2. He was very poor, he made two thousand pictures.
3. his illness, he painted beautiful pictures.
1. Although (a verb comes after: he sold…)
2. but (it joins the two ideas in the middle)
3. Despite (a noun comes after: his illness)
Finish these sentences about the story. Then read them out loud.
1. Although Vincent was poor, .
2. Vincent died sad, but today .
Example answers — your words can be different:
1. …he never stopped painting. (e.g. "Although Vincent was poor, he never stopped painting.")
2. …he is very famous. (e.g. "Vincent died sad, but today he is very famous.")
There is a real podcast about Vincent van Gogh. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of Vincent van Gogh in your own words. Use these steps to help you: many years of failure → he becomes a painter at twenty-seven → his brother Theo helps him → he paints two thousand pictures → the Yellow House in Arles → he gets ill → he dies poor and sad → Jo makes him famous after his death.
Try to use although, but or despite one time to show a contrast (for example: poor, but famous now), and some of the key words (painter, poor, support, famous, ill, painting, sell).
Vincent became famous only after his death. Why do you think people sometimes love an artist, a writer, or a singer only when it is too late? Do you know an example?
Theo and Jo believed in Vincent and helped him. Tell me about a person who helped or believed in you — a friend, a family member, a teacher. What did they do?
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: