The year was 1888, December 23, to be exact. While most of us today might be unwrapping presents or roasting marshmallows, back then, Vincent van Gogh decided to unwrap... his own left ear. Yup—he cut off part of his ear. The incident marked a pivotal chapter in Van Gogh’s life. What happened next was that our fave tortured genius spent some time in hospitals and continued creating art that would eventually define his legacy.
Fast forward to 136 years later, which is today. We have a thing called social media where every news spreads like wildfire, and everything is apparently funny. Hence, users have hilarious takes on this one, too. Sorry, Van Gogh, but we need to delve into them.
A user hilariously wrote: "He cut his ear because he listened to pink Friday 2."
Another user said: "He must’ve seen the future and heard a Megan thee stallion song."
A comment read: "We got paintings of van Gogh with no ear from 136 years ago but we have no footage of Wilt’s 100 point game smh."
Yet another user commented: "me when i heard taylor sing:"
A comment read: "He must have heard big foot by Nicki Minaj from the future then."
Another hilarious comment read: "Me when JoJo Siwa is on my TikTok."
Why did Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear?
Van Gogh was a struggling artist who lived in Arles, France, in a cute little spot he calls the Yellow House. Together with another artsy person named Paul Gauguin, they planned to build a squad of avant-garde artists who’d basically reinvent art.
But these two were like oil and water, constantly fighting over everything from their artistic visions to who left the dishes unwashed. Gauguin was the broody, aloof type, while Van Gogh was like that one friend who’s always feeling all the feelings.
On December 23, the vibe check did not pass in the Yellow House. Gauguin told Van Gogh he was bailing and heading back to Paris. For Van Gogh, who was already spiraling emotionally, this was like the ultimate betrayal.
Now, it is unclear what exactly happened further because nobody was live-tweeting in those days. But what we do know is that there was an argument and some serious bad feelings. Van Gogh, having a razor in his hand, proceeded to sever part of his left ear.
Tying a cloth around his head in an attempt to stop the bleeding, Van Gogh took his severed ear and placed it in a newspaper before proceeding to a local brothel. He gave it to a lady named Rachel, who, as per the historical accounts, fell on the floor unconscious.
The following morning, Van Gogh was found lying unconscious and was hurried to the hospital. The docs did not sew the severed ear back, and that was that.
For years, people debated: Did he chop off the whole ear or just a slice? Early accounts suggested it was just the lobe, but more recent research says he might’ve gone further. Some sketches from his doctor hint that most of the ear was gone.
Again, why did he do it?
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Now, Van Gogh wasn’t just being dramatic for the clout—he was battling serious mental health issues. Historians think he may have had conditions like bipolar disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy, or schizophrenia. He was also dealing with loneliness, hallucinations, and the constant fear of being abandoned.
Van Gogh later described the incident in his letters, hinting at his mental torment. He was clearly self-aware of his struggles, which makes his story even more heartbreaking.
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