Quiz on Vincent van Gogh

What part of his own body did Van Gogh famously cut off?

• Part of his ear ✓ (Correct answer)
• A finger
• A toe
• His nose tip

Source: He severed part of his left ear in 1888, then gave it to a woman near a brothel in Arles.

Which swirling night sky is Van Gogh's most famous painting?

• The Scream
• The Starry Night ✓ (Correct answer)
• Water Lilies
• Impression, Sunrise

Source: He painted The Starry Night from his asylum room window in 1889, adding an imagined village.

Which bright flowers did Van Gogh paint in his most celebrated still-life series?

• Roses
• Tulips
• Sunflowers ✓ (Correct answer)
• Poppies

Source: His sunflower paintings were meant to decorate a room for his friend Paul Gauguin's arrival.

What nationality was Vincent van Gogh?

• Belgian
• German
• French
• Dutch ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Born in the southern Netherlands, he spent his most productive years in France.

Which medium did Van Gogh use for his thick, swirling textures?

• Watercolour
• Oil paint ✓ (Correct answer)
• Pastel
• Ink wash

Source: He applied oil paint so thickly the technique earned the name impasto.

What art style is Van Gogh most associated with?

• Cubism
• Post-Impressionism ✓ (Correct answer)
• Surrealism
• Baroque

Source: His bold colour and emotional brushwork made him a giant of Post-Impressionism.

Who was Vincent's devoted brother and lifelong financial supporter?

• Theo ✓ (Correct answer)
• Cornelis
• Anton
• Émile

Source: Theo, an art dealer, funded Vincent for years; their letters are now a treasured record.

How did Van Gogh die at age 37?

• Tuberculosis
• A duel
• A gunshot wound ✓ (Correct answer)
• Drowning

Source: He died from a gunshot wound to the chest, widely believed to be self-inflicted.

In which sunny French town did Van Gogh paint his famous yellow house?

• Nice
• Marseille
• Arles ✓ (Correct answer)
• Avignon

Source: He rented a yellow house in Arles, hoping to start an artists' colony there.

Roughly how many paintings did Van Gogh sell during his lifetime?

• About one ✓ (Correct answer)
• About fifty
• About two hundred
• About a thousand

Source: He sold famously few works while alive; fame and fortune came only after his death.

Which artist stayed with Van Gogh in Arles before their dramatic falling-out?

• Paul Cézanne
• Paul Gauguin ✓ (Correct answer)
• Claude Monet
• Henri Matisse

Source: Gauguin's volatile visit ended in the quarrel that preceded Van Gogh's ear injury.

Which colour did Van Gogh use most obsessively in his Arles period?

• Crimson
• Yellow ✓ (Correct answer)
• Violet
• Teal

Source: Yellow flooded his sunflowers and wheat fields; some link it to the era's gas lighting.

Which painting shows peasants gathered around a humble meal of potatoes?

• The Sower
• The Night Café
• The Potato Eaters ✓ (Correct answer)
• The Bedroom

Source: This dark early masterpiece showed his desire to honour the dignity of rural labourers.

Where did Van Gogh voluntarily admit himself after the ear incident?

• A monastery
• A prison
• An asylum ✓ (Correct answer)
• A hospital ship

Source: He entered the asylum at Saint-Rémy, where he painted some of his greatest works.

Before becoming a painter, what did Van Gogh work as for a time?

• A lay preacher ✓ (Correct answer)
• A sailor
• A baker
• A soldier

Source: He preached to poor miners in Belgium before art became his true calling at age 27.

Which woman is most credited with making Van Gogh world-famous after his death?

• His mother
• His sister Wil
• Theo's widow Jo ✓ (Correct answer)
• His niece

Source: Jo van Gogh-Bonger tirelessly promoted his work and published his letters.

Which Asian art form strongly influenced Van Gogh's flat colour and bold lines?

• Chinese calligraphy
• Japanese woodblock prints ✓ (Correct answer)
• Persian miniatures
• Indian textiles

Source: He collected Japanese prints and even copied them, absorbing their daring compositions.

In which Dutch city is the museum holding the world's largest Van Gogh collection?

• Rotterdam
• The Hague
• Utrecht
• Amsterdam ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam guards the trove kept and passed down by his family.

Which French village did Van Gogh spend his final months in before his death?

• Auvers-sur-Oise ✓ (Correct answer)
• Giverny
• Pont-Aven
• Barbizon

Source: He produced roughly a painting a day in Auvers, where Dr. Gachet watched over him.

Which late work is often wrongly called his final painting?

• Almond Blossoms
• Wheatfield with Crows ✓ (Correct answer)
• Irises
• The Olive Trees

Source: Its ominous crows fuelled the myth of a farewell, though it was not actually his last canvas.