The ShinsungHwa of Vincent Van Gogh (2019)
A Brief Reading of Vincent Van Gogh’s ShinsungHwa
When I look at van Gogh’s spiritual core in his ShinsungHwa, there’s something that catches my attention right away—a soft-edged rectangle that seems to hold everything together, yet everything within it feels tangled and twisted. Strong energies coil around each other like rope that’s been pulled too tight. The space around this spiritual core is washed in deep red, and the entire ShinsungHwa image sits within a square frame, as if someone had drawn careful boundaries around chaos.
That red color—it feels like the spiritual energy Van Gogh carried with him, though it was not expressed as a symbol of light and likely remains obscured. Instead, it remained heavy, restless. The energy flows throughout the piece feel dizzy and weighted down, like someone trying to catch their breath. It’s the kind of image that makes you think of those final moments, when everything becomes too much to bear.
You can see van Gogh’s isolation and loneliness written right there in the ShinsungHwa, plain as day. But here’s what strikes me most about him—he had this spiritual direction, this pull toward something bigger than himself. He wanted to be a minister, dreamed of helping people through missionary work. I’ve read that he once took in a pregnant woman who had nowhere else to go, just opened his door and cared for her. At his core, he was someone with a warm heart.
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Maybe it wasn’t the world that isolated van Gogh. Maybe, in the end, it was something within himself—some part of him that couldn’t quite reach toward that symbol of light, couldn’t find his way to the path to the spiritual core that might have brought him peace.
Quote
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”
“I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”
“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
“I put my heart and soul into my work, and I have lost my mind in the process.”
“Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.”
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”
“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”
The Artist Who Painted with His Heart
Ever get so excited about something you can’t sit still? That’s exactly how Vincent van Gogh felt about painting. He’d wake up every morning with colors dancing in his head and stories begging to be told through his brush.
But Vincent didn’t start out as an artist. Far from it. He bounced between jobs for years before finally picking up that paintbrush for good. His story proves that sometimes our greatest masterpieces emerge from our darkest struggles.
A Boy Who Saw the World Differently
Vincent Willem van Gogh entered the world in 1853, in a tiny Dutch village where gossip traveled faster than news. His father preached from the pulpit, while his mother came from a family steeped in books and art. From day one, Vincent marched to his own beat.
While neighborhood kids played tag and hide-and-seek, Vincent would lose himself watching flowers bloom, studying how sunlight danced across leaves, or trailing beetles through the garden. His family found him peculiar but loved him fiercely. They had no idea this odd little boy who noticed everything would someday create paintings that would captivate the world.
School felt like torture for Vincent. Moody and friendless, he’d storm out of class when frustration overwhelmed him. His parents lay awake nights, wondering what would become of their unusual son.
The Winding Path to Art
Before discovering his calling, Vincent stumbled through career after career. He worked at an art gallery—sounds perfect, right? Wrong. He kept lecturing customers about what constituted “real” art. Teaching? The children found him too intense. Following in his father’s footsteps as a minister? That crashed and burned too.
Vincent’s problem wasn’t lack of talent—he cared too deeply about everything. Seeing poverty made him want to empty his pockets. Witnessing injustice left him unable to look away. This intensity made him impossible to work with, but it also shaped him into someone who could pour his entire soul onto canvas.
At 27, Vincent finally committed to painting seriously. Late start? He didn’t care. Once he began, stopping became impossible. He painted with the urgency of someone racing against time—and in a way, he was.
A Mind That Wouldn’t Rest
Let’s talk about something often glossed over in Van Gogh discussions: his mental health battles. Some days brought euphoric highs where he painted with explosive energy and joy. Other days dragged him so low he could barely leave his bed.
Vincent heard voices. He suffered episodes where reality blurred beyond recognition. These terrified him and tortured those who loved him, especially his brother Theo—his closest friend and unwavering champion.
Yet here’s what’s remarkable: Vincent created his most breathtaking work during his darkest periods. While staying at the Saint-Rémy hospital, he painted “The Starry Night”—that mesmerizing canvas where the sky seems to dance and swirl with life. His pain became his superpower, giving him a unique lens through which to see the world.
Painting Like No One Else
Vincent blazed his own trail. While contemporaries obsessed over photographic realism, he chased something deeper—he wanted to capture how things felt, not just how they looked.
His technique was revolutionary. Thick paint applied in bold, visible strokes that you can still feel today when you stand close to his canvases. He wielded colors like weapons of joy—yellows that seemed to generate their own light, blues so deep you could dive in, greens that whispered of spring mornings.
Speed defined his process. He’d sometimes complete an entire painting in a single day. Sunflowers, starry nights, self-portraits (cheaper than hiring models), ordinary people in everyday moments—everything he touched turned magical.
The Ear Incident and Life’s Cruelties
Yes, the ear story is true, though he only severed part of it. During one of his worst mental health crises, after a devastating fight with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, Vincent turned his pain inward.
This incident terrorized the townspeople. They saw danger where there was only illness. Vincent felt horrible about frightening them, so he packed up and moved on, carrying his loneliness like a heavy coat.
Critics savaged his work during his lifetime, calling it ugly and bizarre. Gallery owners refused to display his paintings. This devastated Vincent, who simply wanted to share the beauty he saw everywhere.
Acknowledgment that came too late
Vincent died at just 37. In his entire lifetime, he sold exactly one painting. One. Today, his works command millions and grace museum walls worldwide.
In just ten years, he produced roughly 2,000 artworks. Think about that pace—the output of someone who sensed his time was limited, even if he couldn’t predict his eventual fame.
Vincent’s specialness transcends talent—talent is common. What made him extraordinary was his refusal to stop seeing beauty, even when life became unbearable. He painted peasants with the same reverence he’d show royalty. He found celebration in the most mundane moments.
Art is all about…
Van Gogh teaches us that being different isn’t just okay—it’s essential. He shows us that art isn’t about creating pretty pictures; it’s about sharing what burns in your heart. His paintings train our eyes to notice magic hiding in plain sight: how sunlight pools on a table, how faces transform with smiles, how the sky looks pregnant with rain.
Most importantly, Vincent’s life demonstrates that even in our darkest hours, we can create something beautiful. He transformed his anguish into paintings that have brought joy to millions for over a century.
Vincent once told his brother, “I want to touch people with my art.” Mission accomplished. Every time someone gazes at “The Starry Night” or his radiant sunflowers and feels that spark of wonder, Vincent’s dream comes alive again.
That’s Van Gogh’s true magic—not just his ability to paint, but his gift for helping us see the world through his eyes. Suddenly, everything looks a little more wonderful.
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