The Move to Auvers-sur-Oise
In May 1890, van Gogh left the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy and moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, a village near Paris, to be closer to his brother Theo and under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet, a homeopathic physician and art enthusiast. The change was meant to offer independence and hope. Instead, van Gogh experienced alternating periods of calm and deep despair. He rented a small room at the Auberge Ravoux and began painting obsessively, completing over 70 works in his final 70 days. These last paintings reveal a man wrestling with mortality, yet still driven to create. The speed and intensity of this period suggest a race against time, as if he sensed his end approaching.

Key Works from June to July 1890
Among the final masterpieces are “Wheatfield with Crows,” “Daubigny’s Garden,” “The Church at Auvers,” and “Portrait of Dr. Gachet.” In “Wheatfield with Crows,” ominous dark birds swarm over a divided path beneath a stormy sky—often interpreted as a premonition of suicide. Yet van Gogh also painted peaceful scenes: vibrant wildflowers, rolling fields, and village streets. “Tree Roots” (1890), believed to be his very last painting, shows gnarled roots clinging to a hillside, possibly symbolizing struggle and attachment to life. These works maintain his signature bright palette and thick brushwork, but the mood is more turbulent. Colors become heavier, skies more threatening, and forms more fragmented.

The Physical and Mental State of the Artist
By July 1890, van Gogh’s mental health had severely deteriorated. He suffered from hallucinations, panic attacks, and periods of incapacitating depression. Dr. Gachet’s treatments (including digitalis, which might have caused his yellow vision) proved ineffective. https://sandiegovangogh.com/  Van Gogh also faced the financial burden of being dependent on Theo, whose own health and career were suffering. A letter from Theo announcing marital and financial worries may have tipped van Gogh into crisis. Despite this, he continued painting almost daily, using art as a lifeline. His last letters to Theo and their sister Wil are calm but resigned, suggesting he had made a dark decision. The physical act of painting remained his only anchor.

The Shooting and Death
On July 27, 1890, van Gogh walked into a wheatfield near Auvers and shot himself in the chest with a revolver. The bullet did not kill him immediately; he staggered back to the Auberge, where he was discovered bleeding in his bed. Dr. Gachet and Theo rushed to his side, but no surgeon could safely remove the bullet. Van Gogh died two days later on July 29, with Theo holding him. His last reported words were, “The sadness will last forever.” He was buried in Auvers’ cemetery. The tragedy was compounded by Theo’s own death six months later, from syphilis and grief. Theo was later reinterred beside Vincent, their graves covered by ivy, symbolizing their eternal bond.

The Myth and Reality of the Final Days
For decades, the story of van Gogh’s suicide was accepted without question. However, recent scholarship (notably by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith in 2011) suggests he might have been shot accidentally by two teenage boys he knew, and he shielded them by claiming he did it himself. No gun was ever found. Regardless of the exact circumstances, van Gogh’s final creations stand as a powerful testament to artistic courage. In his last weeks, he painted with greater freedom and expressiveness than ever before. These works did not represent a decline but a continuing evolution. The final days of van Gogh are a poignant reminder that great art often emerges from profound suffering, and that creativity can flourish even in the shadow of death.