VINCENT'S LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Vincent van Gogh wanted to escape from the gloomy, Dutch winter darkness and fled to sunny France to glorify and paint the light of the south that he so dearly craved for. He found that light and expressed it. 

But the northern darkness did not vanish from his soul, much as he wished for. He had denied for himself that this darkness was still there, while looking at the light and painting it.

Vincent's tragedy was not that he could not find the light but that he could not digest his darkness. Enjoying, glorifying and painting the sunny paradise of France was not enough to digest the pain of having had an imperfect mother during his childhood.

In the end the undigested darkness in his soul took hold of him again and caused his madness. He died at 37.