Vincent Van Gogh Was Just As Serious As A Thirteen-Year-Old

Today we've been ogling this 1866 photograph of a serious looking adolescent, donning formalwear and a piercing gaze. Do you recognize this budding artiste? We'll give you a hint: his later, signature look involved one more bandage and one less ear.

(Wikipedia)

That's right, this sullen teen is none other than Vincent Willem Van Gogh, the Dutch post-Impressionist painter who forever changed the way we look at a starry night.

This gem of a photograph captures Van Gogh at a mere thirteen years old, and despite his youthful glow we can already sense an austere demeanor beginning to take hold. This doesn't come as a huge surprise, given that Vincent himself described his youth as "gloomy and cold and sterile."

Only five years later Vincent grew into this strapping eighteen year old, eventually blossoming into the earless artistic genius we know him as today. Let us know your favorite of Van Gogh's many looks in the comments.

(Wikipedia)

(Wikipedia)