Why did Van Gogh ate yellow paint? The disturbing obsession behind their masterpieces

Van Gogh’s compulsion for eating yellow ink and drinking Terebontina probably came from a biochemical desire for terpenes.

Its behavior reflects the psychiatric condition known as picaaggravated by multiple mental disorders and one environment without effective treatments.

Despite its immense artistic talent, the tragic life of Van Gogh was marked by self -destructive episodes that science only now begins to fully understand.

A lot of people know that Vincent Van Gogh I loved the yellow color, But did you know that he liked it so much that he even had yellow paint? The question about Van Gogh eating paint appears so often that the theme is even addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Van Gogh’s official website.

Some people believe it did this because He thought the yellow paint would make him happier. Others, including his psychiatrist, believed he ate ink in a attempt to kill.

The truth is harder to capture even Van Gogh himself knew for sure why he did it. In a letter to his brother, he wrote: “It seems that I catch it in filthy things and how memories of these bad moments are vacant“.

So what would be the real reason why Van Gogh ate yellow ink?

According to, scientists now believe that he had a biochemical desire for a substance called terpenes – Natural chemical blocks, found mainly in plants, which give them the characteristic aromas.

Why does a rose smell different from Pinheiro needles? This is thanks to the terpenes. Who consumes cannabis Perhaps you know the term, as the terpenes are responsible for the large varieties of the plant.

The terpenes are very powerfulso they usually appear at very low concentrations. A little is enough to give aroma. It’s like perfume: a spray catches the eye, but if you exaggerate, it will make your eyes water and people run away.

Van Gogh had a “sage” for the terpenes and looked for them compulsively. But the most curious thing is that he I didn’t do it consciously “He doesn’t even go out what they were terpenes or why they wanted them.” I just knew you wanted them.

That’s why drank absinthe – An alcohol made of Losna and other plants. It is emerald green, with a strong and woody aroma, and has a very high concentration of alcohol-about 60% Volume alcohol.

The drink has a all special ritual, Place the absinthe in a glass, put a pierced spoon over a sugar cube, and spill cold water to dissolve sugar, creating a cloudy and greenish mixture. Then you drink.

The absinthe was very Popular in France in the late nineteenth centurytime when Van Gogh lived there. Initially, it was Artistic elite drinkBut in the 1880s, a plague destroyed the French vineyards and the wine was very expensive – which made absinthe a cheaper alternative, popular among the poor and marginalized “That was perfect for Van Gogh, since he was an artist and poor.”

I longed for the Absinto terpenes, so Drank absurd quantities – Much more than a human being should. Unfortunately, the absinthe even has terpenes, but in minimal amounts, which was not enough to satisfy their chemical desires.

Excessive consumption of terpenes can cause mood swings, seizures, Psychotic hallucinations and behaviors. No rational person had chosen to go through this. So why did Van Gogh insist?

Van Gogh made many bad decisions: Excessive smoke, Driven, I attended brothelsexposing themselves to sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, which can cause brain damage.

Furthermore, consumed ink with high levels of lead and solvents like terebintina – highly toxic products.

He also looked for terpenes in even less healthy products. Terpenes are used in perfumes, pesticides and cleaning products. Are not made for consumption, but that did not prevent it, which characterizes the cock – a Compulsive disorder to ingest non -food substances.

As a painter, Van Gogh had the studio full of paints and Terebintina – that is, sources rich in terpenes. In fact, the term “terpene” comes from an ancient form of the word terebintina.

The problem is that these products are highly toxic e cause brain damage when ingested.

A Pica was not the only mental disorder by van Gogh. The doctors spent decades to try to diagnose their exact condition. There are dozens of theories: epilepsy, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, sector, Borderline Personality Disorder, Cycloid Psychosis, alcoholic delirium, manic disorder – depressive, even sunstroke – but exact diagnoses remains uncertain.

What is known is that he suffered from Periodic psychotic outbreaks – Moments of madness in which he acted dangerously and unpredictable. It was standard in his life: he fainted, did something horrible and then, when he resumed consciousness, He didn’t remember anything “But everyone around you were in shock.”

The most famous example is that of cut -out. Everyone knows that Van Gogh cut his ear, but do you know what he did right away? He went to the brothel who attended and handed his cut to a young maid called Gabriellewhich cleared the rooms. At the hospital later, he remembered anything.

Still, he painted several self -refined self -portraits, covering his absent ear.

With the aggravation of self -destructive behaviorsVan Gogh realized that he could not live alone. He voluntarily interned at an asylum, which was the right decision-just before that, they had to stop him from drinking almost a liter of Terebintina directly from the bottle.

It was hospitalized on May 8, 1889, 36 years old, a few months after the ear incident. It was just over a year. The asylum and its gardens have become themes of many of their paintings. It was during this time that it created the famous.

In general, Life in the asylum brought him a certain peace. As the hospitalization was voluntary, he was sometimes allowed to paint outside the walls or travel to exhibitions.

But a year later, Van Gogh insisted on leaving-he said he was arrested and wanted to live independently. He moved to a North Village of Paris, where he planned to live in the field, paint and be happy. A friendly doctor, Paul Gachethe had committed to taking care of him. But this Occasional supervision was insufficient.

Everything seemed to go well – until, on July 27, 1890, just two months after leaving the asylum, suffered another outbreak. This time, he threw himself with a revolver, reaching the abdomen. Despite having not reached vital organs and receiving medical care, the wound infected He died two days later.

His last words were: “Sadness will last forever“.

Today, Van Gogh is considered one of the greatest artists of all timeand their paintings are worth hundreds of millions. During your life, however, He was a crazy man, poor and ignored, Having said in a letter to his brother, “I cannot change the fact that my paintings do not sell themselves.”