Van Gogh had an eye for bringing out the clarity of nature. Van Gogh enjoyed making trees and flowers the subjects of his paintings, if not picturesque landscapes of the gardens and lakes. Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in the Netherlands, but was able to visit different countries around the world during his time. His parents Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Carbentus lead a comfortable lifestyle. Theodorus was a minister for the church, and this ignited the young Vincent?s passion for religion. However, he came from a family of art dealers and sculptors ? this created a good foundation for his knowledge in art. He was, in a way, forced into the world of art. From 1869 to 1873, van Gogh worked as an apprentice for a prestigious art dealership called Goupil and Cie. As a contrast to his cold and gloomy childhood, he described these years to be the happiest of his life. His training with this company not only allowed him to make more money than his father was making, it also taught him a cornucopia of information about art. After the training, van Gogh found a job for a dealership in Paris. It did not go as well as he had hoped ? this experience embittered the painter, who was resentful of how art was being commercialized and exploited shamelessly. He had a retreat from the arts and sought refuge in religion, his first love. Van Gogh went to Amsterdam when he was in his early twenties, where he took up theology. Through the years, van Gogh?s life switched from religion to art, two fields which did not return his interest. He failed his education in Amsterdam, and with regards to art, his paintings went ignored and unsold. On top of that, his romantic endeavors failed so miserably that he was reduced to living with a pregnant alcoholic prostitute and her bastard child. The struggling artist turned to absinthe and chain smoking for refuge, which in turn caused his health to deteriorate. Both his body and mind started to fail him at an early age. Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting in his entire existence. He did not have a wife or children, and died with his own hand at the age of 37. During his time, he was unappreciated and constantly faced rejection. Everyone around him closed their eyes to his genius, but it did not take long until his 200 or so works of art were dug up from the rubble that is his tragic life and struck awe into the hearts of many. Up to this day, Van Gogh is considered to be the best post-impressionist painter in the world.