Balkan Puzzle

 

Ask anyone, and you’ll get the same answer: Vincent Van Gogh was the poster child for tortured artists. You’ll hear about his ear, and about his suicide, and that no one appreciated his art until after his death. Okay, that last part’s the truth. But nearly everything you KNOW about Van Gogh might not be. He did suffer from poor mental health, which he probably made worse by ignoring his physical health. He spent time in a mental institution where the chief remedies were rest and long baths. Many of his most beloved works were created there. Paul Gauguin – noted artist and swordsman – was staying with Van Gogh when Vincent lost some (or all) of his right ear. Some scholars suspect this was an accident (or altercation) involving Gauguin's saber. Van Gogh’s death might also have been an accident, too; he may have been unintentionally shot by a neighborhood teen. The point is no one’s EVER as two-dimensional as they seem.