When does genius begin?
Mozart began composing music at the age of four, but what about the genesis of Vincent van Gogh's brilliance? Vincent decided relatively late--in 1880 at the age of 27--to devote his life to being an artist. But this is not to say that he hadn't been interested in painting and drawing long before then.
Although serious studies of Vincent van Gogh's early works didn't appear until at least 1955, it's clear that an exploration of these drawings yields some striking insights into the very first origins of Van Gogh's career as an artist. The works listed below haven't been given official catalogue numbers in either the De la Faille or Hulsker catalogues raisonnés, but rather they are listed as part of a separate classification called "Juvenilia" -- Vincent's earliest works.
In addition, between the De la Faille or Hulsker catalogues raisonnés there are some overlaps and conflicts. Hulsker categorizes Coal Shoveler (1879) as a Juvenilia work, whereas De la Faille includes it in the main catalogue under number F 827.
The categorization will continue to evolve as ongoing research offers new insights into Vincent's works. For now, I include the accepted De la Faille listings as a basis for an examination of the Van Gogh Juvenilia works.
| Note: The juvenilia works are also displayed in a thumbnail version. | |||||
| XXVII | View of Royal Road, Ramsgate | Ramsgate: 31 May 1876 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
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Standard Version
No. |
Name |
Date |
Current Location |
| V | Goat Herd, The | Zundert: 9 October 1862 | Private collection |
| VIII | Corinthian Capital | Zundert: 22 August 1863 | Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum |
| XI | Surroundings of Croy Castle Near Aarle (?), The | Zundert: 1863? | Amsterdam, Mrs. E. Rijnders-Rehbock |
| XII | Barn and Farmhouse | Zundert: 8 February 1864 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XIIa | Two Sketches of a Man Leaning on His Spade | Tilburg: 1867 | Zundert: The Community of Zundert |
| XIII | Country Lane | The Hague: early 1873 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XIV | Lange Vijverberg, The Hague | The Hague: Autumn, 1872-Spring, 1873 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XV | Ditch | The Hague: Autumn, 1872-Spring, 1873 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XVI | Canal | The Hague: Autumn, 1872-Spring, 1873 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XVII | Old Woman Asleep (after Rops) | The Hague-London: Circa 1873 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| -- | Assorted drawings from sketchbooks | 1873-74 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XVIII | Church of Helvoirt | Helvoirt: June-October, 1874 | New York, Mrs. and Mrs. Howard Cullman |
| XIX | View of Helvoirt | Helvoirt: July, 1874 | Location unknown |
| XX | Ville d'Avray: L'Etang au Batelier | London: April, 1875 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXI | Vicarage and Church at Etten | Etten: April, 1876 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXII | Vicarage at Etten | Etten: April, 1876 | Location unknown |
| XXIII | Sketch of Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament | Paris: 24 July 1875 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXV | Austin Friars Church, London | England: July, 1873 - May, 1875 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXVI | View of Royal Road, Ramsgate | Ramsgate: April-May, 1876 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXVII | View of Royal Road, Ramsgate | Ramsgate: May, 1876 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXVIII | Churches at Petersham and Turnham Green | Isleworth: November, 1876 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXIX | Mills in the Neighbourhood of Dordrecht | Dordrecht: April, 1877 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXX | Cave of Machpelah, The | Amsterdam: May, 1877 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXXI | 'Au Charbonnage' Café, The | Laeken: November, 1878 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
| XXXII | La Maison Magros | Cuesmes: 1879 | Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art |
| XXXIII | La Maison de Zandmennik | Cuesmes: 1879 | Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art |
| -- | Winter, In Life As Well (after Jozef Israëls) | Amsterdam: c. 1877 | Private collection |
Additional juvenilia work from Jan Hulsker's 1996 catalogue raisonné
No. |
Name |
Date |
Current Location |
| Juv. 10 | Miners in the Snow at Dawn (sketch in letter 134) | Cuesmes: 20 August 1880 | Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum |
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