What Happened That Night
The facts, as documented by Dr. Félix Rey who treated Van Gogh, paint a clearer picture than the myths. Van Gogh didn’t cut off his entire ear—medical records and Dr. Rey’s 1930s diagram show he severed his earlobe and part of the ear canal. After wrapping the bloody ear part in paper, Van Gogh walked to a local establishment and handed it to 19-year-old Gabrielle Berlatier, saying “Keep this object carefully.”
Contrary to popular belief, Gabrielle wasn’t a prostitute but a maid—a fact uncovered by art historian Bernadette Murphy’s decade-long investigation. Van Gogh was found the next morning by police, having lost a significant amount of blood. His friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin, who had been staying with him, left Arles immediately and never saw Van Gogh again.
Why It Happened: The Perfect Storm
The ear-cutting wasn’t a sudden artistic inspiration but the culmination of multiple factors. Van Gogh had been suffering from severe mental health issues, possibly temporal lobe epilepsy or bipolar disorder. Recent medical theories also suggest Ménière’s disease, an inner ear condition that causes vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus—symptoms Van Gogh described in letters to his brother Theo.
The immediate trigger was likely Gauguin’s announcement that he was leaving. The two artists had been living together in Van Gogh’s Yellow House, but their relationship was explosive. Van Gogh desperately wanted artistic companionship, while Gauguin found him increasingly unstable. Combined with Van Gogh’s heavy absinthe consumption and chronic loneliness, Gauguin’s departure was the final blow.
Background: A Mind Under Pressure
By 1888, Van Gogh was already showing signs of severe mental illness. He had moved to Arles seeking better health and artistic inspiration, but isolation and financial stress wore on him. His letters to Theo reveal a man increasingly detached from reality, plagued by auditory hallucinations and paranoid thoughts.
The Yellow House was supposed to be Van Gogh’s artistic sanctuary, where he could paint in peace and perhaps establish an artists’ colony. When Gauguin arrived in October 1888, Van Gogh was overjoyed. But Gauguin quickly grew tired of Van Gogh’s erratic behavior and mood swings. By December, tensions had reached a breaking point.
The Medical Mystery
Modern medical experts have proposed several theories for Van Gogh’s condition. Temporal lobe epilepsy could explain his episodes of confusion, religious obsessions, and hypergraphia (excessive writing). Ménière’s disease would account for his ear problems and the specific targeting of his ear during the breakdown.
Dr. Rey, who treated Van Gogh, noted that the artist had no memory of cutting his ear. This amnesia, combined with Van Gogh’s other symptoms, supports theories of neurological rather than purely psychiatric causes. Some researchers even suggest acute intermittent porphyria, a rare genetic disorder that can cause severe abdominal pain, psychiatric symptoms, and neurological problems.
What This Reveals About Mental Health
Van Gogh’s tragedy highlights how little was understood about mental health in the 19th century. Rather than receiving proper treatment, he was often dismissed as eccentric or drunk. His self-harm wasn’t romantic artistic expression but a desperate response to unbearable psychological pain.
The myth-making around this incident—romanticizing mental illness and self-harm—reflects society’s tendency to glorify artistic suffering. Recent research efforts to uncover the truth represent a more compassionate understanding of mental health struggles.
Legacy and Lessons
Van Gogh created some of his most celebrated works after the ear incident, including “The Starry Night” and several self-portraits showing his bandaged ear. He continued painting despite his deteriorating condition until his death in 1890, just 20 months later.
The story of his ear has become a cautionary tale about the romanticization of mental illness. Modern audiences can appreciate Van Gogh’s genius while understanding his suffering as a medical condition deserving treatment, not celebration.