Painting, Passion, and la Fee Verte
|
By Way of IntroductionVincent van Gogh, famed 19th century painter and post-impressionist, died at the age of 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Posthumously, his many paintings became hailed as classics and van Gogh is renowned as one of the masters of art, his name now byword for 'genius misunderstood in his lifetime'. During his life, van Gogh, like many of his contemporaries in the 1880’s Parisian art scene, frequently drank absinthe (Huisman).
Absinthe, a potent alcoholic spirit, was exceedingly popular among all social classes, and reports of it causing madness and hallucinations only served to make it more so among the counterculture of artists and writers (Huisman, Lachenmeier). Excessive use of absinthe was also reported to cause convulsions, blindness and mental deterioration, and even used moderation it was reported the hallucinations would be followed by a severe depressive state (Lachenmeier). The connection between these symptoms and the beverage were so ingrained that, collectively, they became known as "Absinthism" (Lachenmeier). Could van Gogh's heavy absinthe use have contributed to either his art or to his death? History of AbsintheAbsinthe is made by infusion of grand wormwood and other culinary and medicinal herbs in alcohol. It was first made in Switzerland in the 1700’s, and typically has a high concentration of alcohol, ranging from 35 to 75% by volume (70-150 proof) (Huisman). During van Gogh’s time, the reported hallucinogenic properties of absinthe were attributed to the compound thujone from the wormwood. Could thujone have caused the symptoms of absinthism contributing to van Gogh’s artwork or to his untimely death?
|
Mechanism of Thujone: Just the Facts
Effects on Creativity Based on the evidence available, it is highly unlikely that the thujone toxin would have had significant effects on van Gogh. Not only was thujone not present in high enough concentrations to have clinically significant effect in recreations of old recipes, the thujone and the alcohol present in the absinthe are mutually antagonistic with respect to their interactions with GABA-a receptors in the brain. This means that the minimal effect of the low levels of the compound in the drink would have been completely negated by the ethanol.
Regarding symptoms of absinthism, other possible explanations include poor distilling techniques that left other toxic alcohols in the beverages, the addition of salts from copper, providing the characteristic "absinthe green" color, and the condition delirium tremens. Delirium tremens is a collection of symptoms that includes tremors, seizures, hallucinations, and can be potentially fatal. It frequently follows withdrawal from chronic alcohol use. It is ultimately unlikely that the thujone alone of absinthe had any significant effect upon van Gogh's masterpieces or his depression. More likely instead is that van Gogh had underlying psychiatric issues, and other compounds found in absinthe -- the alcohol and the adulterants suggested above --could have had deleterious effects on both his psyche and how he created his art. References Huisman, M., J. Brug, and J. Mackenbach. "Absinthe Is Its History Relevant for Current Public Health?" International Journal of Epidemiology 36.4 (2007): 738-44. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. Lachenmeier, Dirk W., J. Emmert, T. Kuballa, and G. Sartor. "Thujone—Cause of Absinthism?" Forensic Science International 158.1 (2006): 1-8. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. |