Van Gogh is well known as the tortured struggling artist who died too young, but most don’t seem to question how he came about his fame.

If he died, then there must have been someone who promoted his work. Immediately, the next person to think of is Theo van Gogh, his beloved brother from the same mother. Evidence of their epic bromance is digitized and published online for everyone to access. Unfortunately, Theo died a few months after his brother after a long battle with syphilis. It’s not surprising that he died from syphilis since it was such a common fate back in 19th century Europe that it was considered almost chic to get it.

If not Theo, then perhaps, Joseph Roulin, a friend of Vincent’s in Arles. The Roulin family was a favorite subject for Vincent Van Gogh, who posed for him multiple times. The artist developed a strong friendship with Joseph Roulin when he moved to Arles. Roulin is also one of the major characters in the recent Van Gogh movie, "Loving Vincent." In the movie, Armand Roulin, his eldest son, explains that the friendship between his father and the artist developed as Van Gogh wrote so many letters for his father to deliver. The subject of this painting, Augustine Roulin, was however absent from the movie. This is not to say there weren’t prominent female characters in the film, but Augustine was left out despite the major role her husband and son took on in the movie.

Johanna Bonger, another major female figure in Van Gogh’s career, remained absent from the movie aside for a small mention by Dr. Gachet, Vincent’s doctor in Auvers. Johanna Bogner was Theo’s wife and Vincent’s sister-in-law. After Theo’s death, Johanna was left with an infant to care for and a large collection of her brother-in-law’s paintings. Johanna decided to take on her husband’s profession to sell Van Gogh’s paintings and secure a future for her child. In fact, she is the art dealer that pushed her brother-in-law’s art to the turn-of-the-century art circles. Coming from a wealthy Dutch family, she was well connected with artists and avant-garde groups in Amsterdam. Vincent’s reputation was already circulating in Paris but was propelled by Johanna’s efforts. Bonger was also the one who published Van Gogh’s letters which also makes her responsible for the access we have today to the artist’s character and opinions. Here’s to Johanna Bogner and Augustine Roulin!