The fact that Vincent Van Gogh had his sliced off made him more popular in our time. Without a doubt, Vincent Van Gogh is the most popular painter of the Post-impressionism and modern area.

What happend to his ear?

In Christmas Eve 1889, Vincent was having dinner with his friend Paul Gaugin, who was staying with him in the Yellow House in Arles. They started to argue, why? We will never know for sure. There are different hypotesis, like both of them were in love with a local prostitute and used to argue over her. Also they did not agree in painting techniques, so that could have being a reason.

Vincent wanted to create an association of artist, that’s why he rented the Yellow House in Arles, but Paul Gaugin was not so sure about the idea.

The thing is that later that night, the argument turned violent and Paul Gaugin left the house with the idea of never coming back. Vincent in an attack of violence followed him with a knife, Paul controlled him and nothing happened there. Later on Vincent took the piece of ear wrapped in a cloth to the owner of the local brothel. Paul Gaugin told his brother Theo the state he was in, bleeding to death. Vincent never talked about the incident, everybody assumed that in a craziness attack he cut his own ear, but that might not be the thruth.

There is a german historian that believes the possibility that Paul Gaugin sliced Vincent’s ear off with a sword before leaving Arles. Gaugin left that night without any of his possessions, and asked them to send him all his stuff. He was a big fan of fencing, in between all his possesions his sword was missing, he took it with him the night he left. We are free to belive one way or another, but these are facts.