Creativity and Mental Illness on PeopleAndMindhttps://peopleandmind.com/tags/creativity-and-mental-illness/Recent content in Creativity and Mental Illness on PeopleAndMindHugo -- gohugo.ioen-usSun, 29 Mar 2026 15:12:54 +0000The Real Story Behind Van Gogh's Self-Mutilationhttps://peopleandmind.com/2026/03/the-real-story-behind-van-goghs-self-mutilation/Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:12:54 +0000https://peopleandmind.com/2026/03/the-real-story-behind-van-goghs-self-mutilation/What Happened That December Night The incident occurred during what historians now recognize as a severe psychotic episode. Van Gogh had been living in the Yellow House in Arles, desperately hoping to establish an artist colony with fellow painter Paul Gauguin. When Gauguin arrived in October 1888, the two men’s relationship quickly deteriorated into heated arguments about art and life. On December 23, following a particularly intense confrontation where Gauguin announced his intention to leave Arles, van Gogh suffered a complete psychological breakdown.