Fascinating turn of events with how he came to be. From his failures, a great artist emerged. Can you imagine what would have happened had he succeeded in becoming a preacher?

From Alastair Sooke:

Although ultimately his ambitions to become an evangelist would be thwarted – things got so bad that at one point his sister suggested that he should re-train as a baker – the Borinage was the making of Van Gogh in one fundamental respect. It was here, encouraged by his gentle brother Theo, that he decided to become an artist.

Via ParisLemon via BBC