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Found: The Clue To Van Gogh’s Ear Richard Brooks [Pic in URL] Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) The mystery behind the most famous mutilation in art history may finally have been solved. A scholar has found evidence that a distraught Vincent van Gogh slashed his ear after learning that his brother, Theo, on whom he depended financially and emotionally, was about to get married. Martin Bailey, who has written a book on van Gogh and curated two exhibitions of his work, devised his theory after meticulous detective work on a letter in a painting...

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh Credit: Vincent van Gogh; Digital image courtesy of Wikipedia Explanation: The painting Starry Night is one of the most famous icons of the night sky ever created. The scene was painted by Vincent van Gogh in southern France in 1889. The swirling style of Starry Night appears, to many, to make the night sky come alive. Although van Gogh frequently portrayed real settings in his paintings, art historians do not agree on precisely what stars and planets are being depicted in Starry Night. The style of Starry Night is post-impressionism, a popular painting...

902 surviving letters by Vincent van Gogh are to be published for the first time this week. Mostly written to the artist's brother Theo, the letters offer personal insights which give lie to the idea that van Gogh was a "reckless and unreflective genius". * ABOVE: letter by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo, Arles, c. 21 November 1888 Translated extract from the letter: "What you write about the Dutchmen interests me greatly. I hope one day to get to know both of them personally. How old are they? I dare to believe that in the final reckoning they’ll...

Van Gogh's artistic legacy is contained within his paintings, drawings and writings. They are everlasting and will never "forget" the style that created them. They are Van Gogh's eyes that watch the world. This is all metaphorically speaking though.

Nine Convicted in Dutch Terrorism CaseBy TOBY STERLING Associated Press Writer © 2006 The Associated Press AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Dutch judges convicted nine men Friday of belonging to a terrorist group, a landmark verdict that concludes promoting a violent version of Islam can itself be an act of terrorism.The case opens a new way for prosecutors to stop potential terrorists and for the Netherlands to tackle the broader problem of the spread of radicalism among Muslim youth.Lawyers for the men said they will appeal.Two men received 15- and 13-year prison terms for attempted murder after a clash with police during...

Yale University's acquisition of a Vincent Van Gogh painting that Russia once claimed as its own amounted to acceptance of stolen property and "art laundering," a descendant of an earlier owner alleges. Pierre Konowaloff of France argues in recent court papers that Russian authorities in the 1917 revolution unlawfully confiscated the painting owned by Konowaloff's ancestor and that the United States deemed the theft a violation of international law. "Yale's continued and wrongful detention of the unlawfully confiscated 'The Night Cafe' is prohibited by customary and international treaty law," Konowaloff's attorneys wrote in the filings. "Yale should be held accountable...

Vincent van Gogh's fame may owe as much to a legendary act of self-harm, as it does to his self-portraits. But, 119 years after his death, the tortured post-Impressionist's bloody ear is at the centre of a new controversy, after two historians suggested that the painter did not hack off his own lobe but was attacked by his friend, the French artist Paul Gauguin. According to official versions, the disturbed Dutch painter cut off his ear with a razor after a row with Gauguin in 1888. Bleeding heavily, Van Gogh then walked to a brothel and presented the severed ear...

...'Van Gogh's Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Pact of Silence' contends Van Gogh and Gauguin got into an argument over a prostitute named Rachel outside the brothel where she worked. Gauguin, an excellent fencer, drew his sword and cut off Van Gogh's left ear. "The left ear fell. We cannot say if it was deliberate or an accident. In this situation, the protagonists vowed to keep silent. Then Gauguin disappeared, abandoning his friend," Kaufmann said, according to the Daily Mall. Gauguin, according to the book, dumped the sword in the nearby Rhone River. Van Gogh handed the severed ear to...

Back in April of 2008 a district court in The Hague ruled that anti-Islamic European politician Geert Wilders did not break the law by comparing Islam with Fascism and calling the Koran the Islamic version of Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s entire life has been a battle of opposing beliefs. She was raised in a strict Islamic household where at a young age she was tormented by the religion’s abusive teachings towards women and violence towards non-believers. As she grew up, she was tempted by the allure of Western cultures, but had been taught to hate Americans and their alliances with the Jews. one... decision she knew she had to make: To denounce her faith in Islam; a religion she now viewed as completely cruel and intolerant, or side with the same religion the hijackers of 9/11 claimed...

Dutch police raided the home of Gregorius Nekschot (a pseudonym meaning "Gregory Deathblow"). Mr. Nekschot makes rude and often sexually explicit cartoons that poke fun at the multicultural society and at religious people, especially Muslims. The police confiscated his computer and a number of drawings. The cartoonist was also arrested and jailed for 36 hours but has been released until his court case is due. "Gregory Deathblow" — the first name refers to Pope Gregory IX who established Papal Inquisition — hides behind an alias.. made drawings for Mr. van Gogh's Web site until it ceased publication in 2004, after...

Dutch Islam film 'nearly ready' Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has said that this week he will finish a film about Islam which has already triggered Muslim outrage. Mr Wilders said he was determined to release the film despite government warnings that this would damage Dutch political and economic interests. Mr Wilders says the film is about the Koran, without giving details. In the past, he has called for the Koran to be banned and likened it to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Officials in the Netherlands, where tensions have been high since a Muslim murdered a filmmaker more than three years ago, are bracing for the release of a new movie by a controversial politician that aims to show Islam's holy book "is an inspiration for intolerance, murder and terror." In 2004, filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim avenging his film critical of Islam. Two years later, riots protesting the publication of cartoons about Islam's prophet Muhammad left about 100 people dead. Now, the Dutch government is warning of a 10-minute film to be released this month by parliament...

"It's an inheritance from my father."

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit against actress Elizabeth Taylor for owning a Van Gogh painting that a Jewish woman lost before fleeing Nazi Germany to South Africa in 1939. The lawsuit was filed by the Canadian and South African descendants of the original owner, Margarete Mauthner. Taylor, 75, purchased Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 painting "View of the Asylum and Chapel at Saint-Remy" at a London auction in 1963 for 257,600 dollars. The painting is currently estimated at between 10 and 15 million dollars. The suit alleged Taylor must have known when she bought...

"In Slate two weeks ago, I mentioned that security for Ayaan Hirsi Ali might have to be paid for partly by private subscription. Here are the details for all who may wish to contribute to this eminently deserving cause. Checks should be made payable to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust and sent to the same trust in care of Bank of Georgetown, 1054 31st St., NW, Suite 18, Washington, D.C. 20007. The trust's tax identification number is 75-6826872. Those who prefer wire transfer should use account number 1010054748 and bank routing number 054001712. This appeal is a test of...

Europe's fear of Muslims increaseshttp://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/10/20/dutch_1021.htmlBy SHELLEY EMLINGThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 10/21/07 Amsterdam, the Netherlands — Ehsan Jami sees himself as the legendary Dutch boy who used his finger to plug a leaking dike.Jami, a Dutch politician, is trying to prevent a flood of what he views as intolerant Muslim immigrants threatening to overrun the Netherlands and all of Europe. AP(ENLARGE) Muslim women chat at a market in downtown Amsterdam. 'I've lived here for 40 years and I still don't feel welcome,' said Atel Alireza, a taxi driver from Turkey. AP(ENLARGE)An Islamist killed filmmaker Theo van Gogh after his movie...

I have a dear friend who is truly suffering from Meniere's disease related "attacks" to the point that she does not know what she will do re: her job, her life. She is a mother and grandmother, but still young - mid 50s. Would ask for prayer for her to find some kind of help for this horrible disease and its side effects, some of which are attacks of dizzyness, nausea, inability to walk without "falling down", mental "fog", physical weakness and exhaustion, racing heart, constant ringing in the ear, loss of hearing, and more.

I have been reading up on Vincent Van Gogh to prepare to give a short Art Literacy lesson at my children's school. I will read from a script, but I do a better job if I have read more than the script, beforehand. The constructivist ethos of our Art Literacy program is to give children as much freedom as possible in achieving the production goal that follows each lesson. In this case, the goal for each child will be to paint a sunflower and show its texture by using specially thickened paint and a palette knife. Vincent used a lot...

BERLIN (Reuters) - Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller star in a new film exploring the relationship between the media and celebrities in a re-make of a Dutch version by slain director Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh, an outspoken critic of Islam who was murdered in 2004 by a Dutch-Moroccan militant, planned to adapt a trilogy of films for Hollywood before he was killed, of which "Interview" was the first. U.S. actor Buscemi, who also directs the new version, plays a world-weary reporter called Pierre who reluctantly accepts an assignment from his editor to interview Katya, a trashy horror film star....

Taking the fight to Islam In 1989, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali Muslim, supported the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. But on moving to Europe her views changed and she turned against Islam. Two years ago she fled Holland after the brutal murder of her artistic collaborator Theo van Gogh. Who is this fierce critic who lives under the constant threat of death? Andrew Anthony Sunday February 4, 2007 The Observer (UK) Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not the only critic of Islam who lives with round-the-clock protection. But surely none wears their endangered status with greater style. The Dutch Somali human-rights...

Two years ago, movie director Theo van Gogh’s throat was cut on a street in Amsterdam in the name of radical Islam. I had partaken in his last work, Submission, where we represented, in the most accurate way possible, the condition of Muslim women: tyranny, humiliations, violence. In this film, we showed Muslim women who had finally rebelled, talking to God in a tone of defiance. It made Imam Fawaz of the Hague scream with hate during the delivery of a vengeful sermon. My friend Theo, the “criminal bastard”, was subsequently riddled with bullets and stabbed to death with a...

Six Muslims stand trial over terror plot SIX alleged Muslim radicals with links to the murderer of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh go on trial today accused of plotting terrorist attacks on Dutch politicians and government buildings.

AMSTERDAM — A court in Rotterdam imposed a three-year sentence on Tuesday on a Moroccan-Dutch man for trying to recruit fellow prisoners for a Muslim holy war. Bilal L., 21, was serving a 10-month jail sentence for threatening MP Geert Wilders when he asked fellow prisoners to supply weapons and explosives. The panel of three judges also accepted L. tried to recruit inmates to carry out attacks on the "enemies of Islam". L. is a friend of Mohammed Bouyeri who was jailed for life last year for killing film director Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004. Earlier this year...

AMSTERDAM — Shots were fired as police raided a building on the Moerweg in The Hague on Friday. Dutch parliament buildings hermetically sealed by police Witnesses reported seeing masked men with automatic weapons entering a flat complex on Moerweg which has been sealed off by the police. Radio 1 News was told of people hearing gunfire. The police in The Hague have declined to comment at this stage about the reports. A spokesperson would only say police operations are taking place at several locations in the city. She would also not confirm that a raid was carried out at a...

THE chaotic swirls of Vincent van Gogh’s later paintings may owe as much to science as they do to art. Physicists believe that some of his works are uncannily accurate pictures of the complex mathematics of turbulence, the phenomenon behind bumpy aircraft rides, cloud formations and the flow of ocean currents. Van Gogh painted three of his most agitated paintings, A Starry Night, Road with Cypress and Star and Wheat Field with Crows, towards the end of his life when he was suffering prolonged bouts of epilepsy. José Luis Aragón, a physicist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, believes...

Demise of multiculturalism can help root out terrorism Jonathan Alter - For the Journal-Constitution Wednesday, June 28, 2006 Multiculturalism, rest in peace. There may have been no obituary for the notion that every group and every belief in a multiethnic society is deserving of mutual respect and tolerance. But thanks to jihadism, multiculturalism and moral relativism --- its necessary counterpart --- are now 6 feet under. Signs of multiculturalism's demise first began to appear in Holland, a nation that officially embraced its precepts in 1983. In theory, the Minderhedennota, or minorities policy, extended the Dutch tradition of tolerance to a...

PARIS, May 17 — The Dutch immigration minister's decision to cancel the citizenship of a Somali-born Dutch legislator has set off a political storm in the Netherlands, with Parliament demanding that the move be revoked. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch legislator, said Tuesday that she would leave Parliament. Wide-ranging coverage of Russia and the former Soviet republics, updated by The Times's Moscow bureau. At the center of the storm is Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 36, who gained fame — and received death threats — while campaigning against militant Islam and opposing the abuse she said Muslim women suffered even in...

A painting by Vincent Van Gogh has sold at auction in New York for more than $40m (£22m). L'Arlesienne, Madame Ginoux commanded the fourth highest price on record for a work by the renowned Dutch artist. The 1890 painting was one in a series of five created in homage to Van Gogh's friend, the artist Paul Gaugin. Madame Marie Ginoux owned a cafe in Arles, France where both artists lived briefly. It was during this period that Van Gogh cut off his own ear. The painting was created while the artist recovered at an asylum in Provence, France. Artistic homage...

U.S.-born actress warned 'she will be sorry' unless she pulls out of film Sienna Miller Sienna Miller reportedly feared for her life after getting a flood of death threats from Islamic extremists. The American-born, British-bred actress best-known for starring in the remake of "Alfie" as well as her engagement to actor Jude Law, is said to have received a torrent of vicious threats from Muslims furious she's starring in "Interview," a remake of director Theo van Gogh's 2003 thriller. Van Gogh is the Dutch director who was shot and killed in 2004 by an Islamic extremist in connection with his...

A Wisconsin man is warning others about the dangers of binge drinking after he jumped over the edge of a parking garage wall and fell four stories to the pavement below. Matt Mathe survived the fall, which was caught on surveillance video. The video shows him running full speed and flipping over the wall. For a split second, he tries to catch himself, but by then it is too late. Mathe said he was so drunk that he thought he was on the first floor and could simply hop over the wall onto the street. "It was a mistake," he...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A court convicted nine Muslims on Friday of belonging to a terrorist group that incited hatred against non-Muslims and threatened to commit acts of terrorism. Among the defendants was Mohammed Bouyeri, the convicted killer of filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Bouyeri, who already has been sentenced to life in prison for the Nov. 2, 2004, murder of Van Gogh, was found to be a leader of the group, but the judges said he could not be punished further. The group's goal was "stirring up, and or inciting hatred, and or threatening" non-Muslims, the judges said. The heaviest sentences...

AMSTERDAM — "Comparing me to Osama bin Laden does the man a great wrong and extends me too much honour I don't deserve, Mohammed Bouyeri said at the start of his speech from the dock on Thursday. "But it fills me with me with honour, pride and joy that you see me as the black standard-bearer of Islam in Europe," he told the prosecution. Dutch-Moroccan Bouyeri, 27, is serving a life sentence for the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam on 2 November 2004. Although he cannot receive a further sentence he is among a group of Muslim...

Ayaan Hirsi Ali wanted to shape her own future What turns a devout young Muslim woman into one of Islam's most outspoken critics?For the Somali-born Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, it was a long journey that started with an arranged marriage. She sought refuge in the Netherlands on her way to her new husband's home in Canada. "I wanted a chance at a life where I could shape my own future," she says. "I knew the risks - being disowned or being shunned by my father and the rest of my family. I took those risks and I don't...

LONDON, 05/01/06 - Conservative (VVD) MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali has won the Reader's Digest European of the Year Award 2006. "She is battling to raise awareness of the often-concealed plight of many Muslim women living in Europe," the magazine announced yesterday. Hirsi Ali was selected by the European editors of Reader's Digest "as the person who best embodies the contemporary expression of Europe's values and traditions". She is the eleventh winner of the award, which she will receive at a ceremony in The Hague on 23 January. Since being elected to the Dutch parliament in 2003, Somalia-born Hirsi Ali, who...

The Dutch MP who wrote a controversial film on Islam that led to the murder of director Theo Van Gogh is planning a third instalment. Somalia-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali said that in the third Submission feature "God himself will answer their questions". The first film told the story of women who asked for Allah's help after being raped, beaten and forced into marriage. The sequel focused on homosexuality in Islam, but Ali said that using Allah in part three would be "the hardest part". "Who could play Allah? Also you need actors that are not afraid to take on the...

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has a new "most wanted" list. This one's not for criminals, but for art. After much analysis, the bureau has come up with its list of the top 10 art crimes, and it's asking the public for help in solving them. FBI investigators are on the hunt for Rembrandts, Renoirs, stolen treasures from Iraq, two Van Goghs, and Munch's "The Scream." "We see ties to organized crime," FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told reporters in Washington. "There have been reported ties to everything from the insurgency in Iraq to some theories that some of...

Amsterdam struggles to address the threat of Islamic terrorism, while maintaining its liberal values. AMSTERDAM – When Hisham Boumediene decided to move to the Netherlands 14 years ago, he had little doubt about his choice for an adopted permanent home. Within a year of his arrival, the Moroccan-born chef had learned his new country's language, found love, and was enjoying all things Dutch. But as the Netherlands marks the anniversary this week of filmmaker Theo van Gogh's murder by a young Islamist, Mr. Boumediene says the society he came to love will never be the same again. "I get a...

Three women facing death threats appeared in public under heavy security last night to denounce a provincial move that would allow Muslims here to settle family disputes in accordance with religious laws, outside the court system. The activists, including Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, say the religious laws known as sharia discriminate against women. "Why, if you have equal rights in Canada, would you take them away from Muslim women?" Hirsi Ali asked. She was joined by Iran's Homa Arjomand and Irshad Manji in a University of Toronto auditorium for an event in support of the International Campaign Against Sharia...

When Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was stabbed to death last year, the assailant pinned a note to the dead body claiming Ayaan Hirsi Ali would be next. But she isn't cowering. Instead, the Dutch filmmaker is in Toronto, speaking out against the implementation of traditional Islamic law, Sharia, in Canada. "I'm here because the rights of women and the rights of Muslim women are threatened," she said. Supporters of Sharia say Muslims have the right to live as their religion dictates. They want Canada to permit Sharia arbitration in civil disputes. In a recent report, Marion Boyd, a former...

By Abigail R. Esman World Defense Review columnist Mohammed Bouyeri begged his government for death. Instead, they did something worse: They gave him life. Bouyeri, 27, is the Dutch-born Moroccan Muslim radical who slaughtered filmmaker and columnist Theo van Gogh on the streets of Amsterdam last November 2, shooting him multiple times before slashing his throat with a machete and stabbing a five-page letter into his gut. Afterwards, shocked bystanders watched in horror and amazement as Bouyeri calmly walked away, as one eyewitness described it, "as if he were just out walking his dog." That, of course, had been the...

Earlier this week, on Tuesday July 26, 2005, a Dutch court sentenced Mohammed Bouyeri, the killer of Dutch film producer Theo Van Gogh, to life in prison. Following Bouyeri's confession of his gruesome killing of van Gogh, shocking details about the lives of Bouyeri and his friends began to emerge. They afford a telling glimpse into the secret world of Dutch Islamists who used fundamentalism as a veil to mask their sexual perversions. Bouyeri’s parents were first-generation immigrants. He completed secondary school in Amsterdam, then attended college for five years, but quit before receiving a degree. Shortly after the death of his mother, he turned to Islamic...

Prosecutors to Charge Van Gogh Killer as Member of Radical Islamic NetworkBy Anthony Deutsch Associated Press Writer Published: Jul 28, 2005 ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Dutch prosecutors said Wednesday they will charge the man jailed for life for murdering filmmaker Theo van Gogh as a member of an Islamic terror network believed to have plotted attacks against politicians. The plans to charge Mohammed Bouyeri as a member of the Hofstad Network were revealed at a custody hearing for 11 other alleged members. Bouyeri, 27, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday for Van Gogh's murder, which judges ruled...

Following the jailing of a radical Islamist for the murder of controversial film-maker Theo van Gogh, the Netherlands faces the question of how best to move forward. The life sentence handed down to 27-year-old Mohammed Bouyeri came as little surprise after he confessed to the killing in court - and vowed to do the same again, given the chance. But a day later, debate continues over what can be done to heal the tensions his actions have stirred up between Muslim and non-Muslim in the Netherlands. The news that Bouyeri will now also be charged as a leader of an...

Bouyeri was arrested shortly after Van Gogh's killing A Dutch court has sentenced a 27-year-old radical Islamist to life in prison for the November murder of controversial film-maker Theo van Gogh. Mohammed Bouyeri, who has joint Dutch-Moroccan nationality, had made a courtroom confession and had vowed to do the same again if given the chance. The murder in Amsterdam stunned the Netherlands. The court ruled that it was a terrorist act. The judge said the murder had triggered "great fear and insecurity" in society. "The murder of Theo van Gogh provoked a wave of revulsion and disdain in the Netherlands....

Court Sentences Killer of Dutch Filmmaker By ANTHONY DEUTSCH,/ Associated Press Writer A Dutch court sentenced the killer of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh to life in prison Tuesday, the harshest sentence possible for a murder that heightened ethnic tensions and raised concerns about homegrown Islamic terrorism. Mohammed Bouyeri, 27, had mounted no defense at his two-day trial earlier this month for the Nov. 2 slaying of Van Gogh, whom he accused of insulting Islam, and told the court he would do it again if given the chance. Presiding judge Udo Willem Bentinck said life in prison was the only fitting...

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, President Bush declared: "These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith." But the Muslim murderer of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh knows better than our president, and recently explained in court: "I acted purely in the name of my religion." So did the September 11 highjackers and the terrorists that bombed Madrid and London. Consider the Koran, for example, which Muslims believe is the word of Allah revealed to Muhammad, his prophet. There is no shortage of passages in the Koran that, taken literally, demand just that...

AMSTERDAM, 15/7/05 - Both the Lower House and the Public Prosecutors' Office (OM) fear that Theo van Gogh's killer Mohammed B. will use his years in prison to spread radical Islamic messages to other inmates and into the outside world. They demand that Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner take steps to prevent this. During the inquiry into the murder of prominent columnist, filmmaker and Islam-critic Theo van Gogh, the OM intercepted two documents written by Mohammed B. in pre-trial custody. He had called one 'The constitution of a fundamentalist', the other was a poem praising Osama bin Laden. The OM...

The man accused of killing Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh confessed to a Dutch court that he acted out of his religious beliefs, saying he would do "exactly the same" if he were ever set free. "I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," 27-year-old Dutch-Moroccan national Mohammed Bouyeri told the court in Amsterdam on the final day of his trial. Prosecutor Frits van Straelen demanded a life sentence for Bouyeri for killing Van Gogh on an Amsterdam street on November 2, 2004. He recalled the particular brutality of the murder in...

The self-confessed killer of Theo van Gogh faced the victim's mother in an Amsterdam court today and told her he felt no remorse for his crime. Turning his chair towards Anneke van Gogh as she watched from the public gallery, the Moroccan-born Mohammed Bouyeri said: "I don't feel your pain. I don't have any sympathy for you. I can't feel for you because I think you're a non-believer." The Islamic radical admitted killing Mr Van Gogh, a Dutch film maker, saying he was driven by his religious beliefs, and claimed he would do the same again. Mr Bouyeri, the son...