Vincent van Gogh on His Deathbed 1890

This etching, crafted by Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, captures Vincent van Gogh in his final moments. The stark, closed eyes and slightly parted lips evoke the timeless iconography of death, reminiscent of countless depictions of the deceased throughout art history. Consider the motif of the closed eyes. We see this echoed in ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and Roman funerary portraits, each intending to capture a sense of eternal rest. But here, the rough, unfinished lines of the etching add a layer of unrest, a troubled sleep. The collective memory of death is not one of peace, but of sorrow, a universal emotion that transcends time. This image carries with it the weight of Van Gogh’s tragic story, a testament to the human capacity for both artistic brilliance and profound suffering. It leaves us with a lingering question, one that will continue to resurface, as we continue to grapple with the enigma of human existence.