Vincent van Gogh died in the early morning of 29 July 1890 in his room at the Auberge Ravoux, in the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, after shooting himself in the chest two days prior, due to a depressive episode.

Background Early presentiments of a premature death

As early as 1883, Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo: "... as to the time I still have ahead of me for work, I think I may safely presume that my body will hold up for a certain number of years... between 7-10, say", "... I should plan for a period of between 5 and 10 years..."Vincent van Gogh, "letter to Theo van Gogh, written c. 4-8 August 1883 in The Hague", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 309. Van Gogh authority Ronald de Leeuw interprets this as van Gogh "voic[ing] the presentiment that he had at most another ten years of life in which to realize his ideals."The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, Penguin Classics, translated by Arnold Pomerans, edited by Ronald de Leeuw, 1997,

Deteriorating mental health

In 1889, van Gogh experienced a deterioration in his mental health. Suffering from severe depression, he cut off part of his left ear with a razor while staying in Arles, France. As a result of incidents in Arles leading to a public petition, he was admitted to a hospital. His condition improved, and he was ready to be discharged by March 1889, coinciding with the wedding of his brother Theo to Johanna Bonger. However, at the last moment, he confided to Frédéric Salles, the hospital's unofficial chaplain to Protestant patients, that he wanted to be confined to an asylum.Naifeh & Smith pp. 711, 713 At Salles' suggestion van Gogh chose an asylum in nearby Saint-Rémy.Reverend Salles, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written 19 April 1889 in Arles", translated and edited by Robert HarrisonTheo van Gogh, "Letter to Vincent van Gogh, written 2 May 1889 in Arles", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number T6. Theo originally resisted this choice, even suggesting that Vincent rejoin Paul Gauguin in Pont Aven, but was eventually won over, agreeing to pay the asylum fees (requesting the cheapest third-class accommodation). Vincent entered the asylum in early May 1889.Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written c. 10-15 May 1889 in Saint-Rémy", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 591. Retrieved 24 July 2011.Naifeh & Smith pp. 742-2 His mental condition remained stable for a while, and he was able to work en plein air, producing many of his most iconic paintings, such as The Starry Night, at this time. However at the end of July, following a trip to Arles, he suffered a serious relapse that lasted a month. He made a good recovery, only to suffer another relapse in late December 1889, and early the following January an acute relapse while delivering a portrait of Madame Ginoux to her in Arles.Naifeh & Smith pp. 768-71, 795-8Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written c. 15 March 1890 in Saint-Rémy", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 628. Retrieved 24 July 2011. This last relapse, described by Jan Hulsker as his longest and saddest, lasted until March 1890. In May 1890 Vincent was discharged from the asylum (the last painting he produced at the asylum was At Eternity's Gate, an image of desolation and despair),Naifeh & Smith p. 820 and after spending a few days with Theo and Jo in Paris, Vincent went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise, a commune north of Paris popular with artists.Naifeh & Smith pp. 821-23

Changing mood at Auvers from May 1890

Shortly before leaving Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh told how he was suffering from his stay in the hospital: "The surroundings here are beginning to weigh me down more than I can say... I need some air, I feel overwhelmed by boredom and grief."Vincent van Gogh, "letter to Theo van Gogh, written 4 May 1890 in Saint-Rémy", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 631.

On arriving at Auvers, Van Gogh's health was still not very good. Writing on 21 May to Theo he comments: "I can do nothing about my illness. I am suffering a little just now—the thing is that after that long seclusion, the days seem like weeks to me."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written 21 May 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 636. Retrieved 24 July 2011. But by 25 May, the artist was able to report to his mother that his health had improved and that the symptoms of his disease had disappeared.Vincent van Gogh, Letter to his mother, written 25 May 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 639. Retrieved 24 July 2011. His letters to his sister Wilhelmina on 5 June and to Theo and his wife, Jo, on about 10 June indicate a continued improvement, his nightmares almost having disappeared.Vincent van Gogh. "Letter to Wilhelmina van Gogh, written 5 June 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number W22. Retrieved 24 July 2011.Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written c. 10 June 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 640. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

On about 12 June, he wrote to his friends Mr and Mrs Ginoux in Arles, telling them how his health had suffered at Saint-Rémy but had since improved: "But latterly I had contracted the other patients' disease to such an extent that I could not be cured of my own. The other patients' society had a bad influence on me, and in the end, I was unable to understand it. Then I felt I had better try a change, and for that matter, the pleasure of seeing my brother, his family and my painter friends again has done me a lot of good, and I am feeling completely calm and normal."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Ginoux, written c. 12 June 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

Furthermore, an unsent letter to Paul Gauguin which van Gogh wrote around 17 June is quite positive about his plans for the future. After describing his recent colourful wheat studies, he explains: "I would like to paint some portraits against a very vivid yet tranquil background. There are greens of a different quality, but of the same value, to form a whole of green tones, which by its vibration will make you think of the gentle rustle of the ears swaying in the breeze: it is not at all easy as a colour scheme."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Paul Gauguin, written c. 17 June 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 643. On 2 July, writing to his brother, van Gogh comments: "I am also trying to do as well as I can, but I will not conceal from you that I hardly dare count on always being in good health. And if my disease returns, you will forgive me. I still love art and life very much..."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written 2 July 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 646. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

The first sign of new problems was revealed in a letter van Gogh wrote to Theo on 10 July. He first states, "I am very well, I am working hard, have painted four studies and two drawings," but then goes on to say, "I think that we must not count on Dr Gachet at all. First of all, he is sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much, so that's that... I don't know what to say. Certainly, my last attack, which was terrible, was in a large measure due to the influence of the other patients." Later in the letter he adds, "For myself, I can only say at the moment that I think we all need rest—I feel like - a failure (in French Je me sens - raté)." In an even more despairing tone, he adds: "And the prospect grows darker, I see no happy future at all."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written 10 July 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 648. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

In another letter to Theo on about 10 July, van Gogh explains: "I try to be fairly good-humoured in general, but my life too is threatened at its very root, and my step is unsteady too." He then comments on his current work: "I have painted three more large canvases. They are vast stretches of corn under troubled skies, and I did not have to go out of my way very much in order to try to express sadness and extreme loneliness." But he adds, "I'm fairly sure that these canvases will tell you what I cannot say in words, that is, how healthy and invigorating I find the countryside."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written c. 10 July 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 649. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

In a letter to his mother and sister written around 12 July, van Gogh again appears to be in a far more positive frame of mind: "I myself am quite absorbed in that immense plain with wheat fields up as far as the hills, boundless as the ocean, delicate yellow, delicate soft green, the delicate purple of a tilled and weeded piece of ground, with the regular speckle of the green of flowering potato plants, everything under a sky of delicate tones of blue, white, pink and violet. I am in a mood of almost too much calm, just the mood needed for painting this."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to his mother and sister, written c. 10-14 July 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise", translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 650. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

Theo recognised that Vincent was experiencing problems. In a letter dated 22 July 1890, he wrote, "I hope, my dear Vincent, that your health is good, and since you say that you write with difficulty, and don't talk about your work I am a little afraid that there is something troubling you or not going right." He went on to suggest that he consult his physician, Paul Gachet.Theo van Gogh, "Letter to Vincent van Gogh, written 22 July 1890", translated and edited by Robert Harrison. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

On 23 July, van Gogh wrote to his brother, stressing his renewed involvement in painting: "I am giving my canvases my undivided attention. I am trying to do as well as certain painters whom I have greatly loved and admired... Perhaps you will take a look at this sketch of Daubigny's garden—it is one of my most carefully thought-out canvases. I am adding a sketch of some old thatched roofs and the sketches of two size 30 canvases representing vast fields of wheat after the rain."Vincent van Gogh, "Letter to Theo van Gogh, written 23 July 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise". Translated and edited by Robert Harrison, letter number 651. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

He returned to some of his earlier roots and subjects and did many renditions of cottages.

The shooting

Adeline Ravoux, the innkeeper's daughter who was 12 at the time, clearly recalled the incidents of July 1890. In a series of sometimes conflicting interviews and written testimonies, at age 76, reinforced by her father's repeated reminders, she explains how on 27 July, Van Gogh left the inn after breakfast. When he had not returned by dusk, given the artist's regular habits, the family got worried. He finally arrived after nightfall, probably around 9 pm, holding his stomach. Adeline's mother asked whether there was a problem. Van Gogh started to answer with difficulty, "No, but I have..." as he climbed the stairs up to his room. Her father thought he could hear groans and found Van Gogh curled up in bed. When he asked whether he was ill, Van Gogh showed him a wound near his heart, admitting that during the night, he had set out for the wheat field where he had recently been painting and attempted suicide by shooting himself.