There is some speculation that mental illness can be credited with influencing and shaping the movement known as Fauvism. Undisputed documentation that mental illness influenced the Fauves is rare and probably does not exist. It is then enough to turn to Vincent van Gogh, whose name frequently comes up when exploring this subject, to see the link and how his work could have influenced the Fauvist movement. I found myself obsessed with finding an irrefutable link between Fauvism and mental illness. This has not been an easy or completely successful undertaking. I made the most obvious parallels with the discovery that Vincent van Gogh appeared first in almost every search I conducted. Van Gogh accumulated a huge body of work during his short career as a post-impressionist painter, while struggling and suffering from various mental disorders. . (Kleiner 372) It is not inconceivable, given the period prior to and somewhat overlapping with the Fauvist movement, that his work would be capable of having some influence on other works and artists of that era. Paul Gauguin, a former friend of van Gogh and a painter of the Post-Impressionist period, himself suffered from a degree of mental anguish and attempted suicide in 1897 after completing what he believed to be his largest masterpiece, “Where do we come from?” What are we? Where are we going? (Urton) It would seem that the impact that these artists and their works had on Henri Matisse, one of the founders of Fauvism, and the rumors of Matisse's bouts of anxiety and depression, could convince many of the influence that mental illness has had on this subject. stylistic movement. (Succession)Van Gogh said of his own work: "Instead of trying to rearrange what I see in front of me, I use color in the middle of a sheet of paper......2010. Succession. The personal life of Henri Matisse. September 21, 2009. .Urton, Robin Art, Art History Pages 2000-2005. .Willette, Dr Jeanne SM Art History Unstuffed. .Wolf, Paul L. The Effects. diseases, drugs and chemicals on the creativity and productivity of famous sculptors, classical painters, classical music composers and authors. Archives of pathology and laboratory medicine. <>.Zibas, Christine Using color as an emotional tool. September 18 2009. < >.