VINCENT Van Gogh’s struggle with his mental health and how it was reflected in his art was the subject of the Arts Society’s recent lecture.

Carole Petipher delivered an excellent piece that highlighted the struggles Vincent had experienced through his whole short life and how it impacted on those around him.

Due to his difficult personality Vincent found it impossible to hold down a job, failed to get into university to study theology and was reliant on his younger brother Theo for money for most of his adult life.

It was the realisation of this dependency and recurring bouts of depression that are thought to ultimately have resulted in his decision to end his own life.

Vincent's work is now admired the world over and exhibitions of it draw huge crowds, but he only sold one painting in his lifetime. It was one he painted in the last few weeks of his life called The Red Vineyard.

It was a very sad story of self-neglect, self-denial and an artistic genius that has long outlived its creator.

He died at the age of 37 followed years of mental illness and poverty.

The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life.

They include landscapes, still life, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art.

The next Ross Arts Society lecture will be on Monday, September 7 at 2.15pm at The Larruperz Centre when the subject will be August Rodin and 19th Century Sculpture.

For more information about the programme and visit theartssociety-rossonwye.org.

The Arts Society Ross-on-Wye is part of a national membership organisation. You can find them on Facebook @TheArtsSocietyRossonWye.