Newsademic British English edition 260

18th February 2016 
N ew sadem ic.com
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 - British English edition 
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11
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First 
(L), second (C) and third (R) ‘Bedroom in A rles’ paintings by Vincent van Gogh
The very rare minerals form only 
in certain conditions. The tempera­
ture and pressure may have to be 
exactly right. Some fall apart if 
they get wet, or if the Sun shines 
on them. The scientists who cre­
ated the new list say that fingerite 
is an example o f one o f these rare, 
unusual minerals. It is found only 
on the slopes o f one volcano in El 
Salvador. Fingerite is made from 
an exact amount o f vanadium and 
copper. If either o f these amounts 
changes slightly, a different mineral 
is formed. W hat’s more, in the rain, 
fingerite washes away.
The new rare mineral catalogue 
will allow other scientists to learn 
where the rarest minerals exist. It 
also lists their possible quantities 
and which ones may be useful for 
certain technologies. □
V
an
G
ogh
'
s
bedroom
The Art Institute o f Chicago, in 
the USA, has organised a new ex­
hibition. The art museum owns a 
famous picture that was painted by 
Vincent van Gogh. It’s called Bed­
room in Arles. Van Gogh painted 
three very similar pictures. The 
other two are owned by museums in 
the Netherlands and France. These 
two pictures have been loaned to the 
Chicago museum for its exhibition. 
This is only the second time that all 
three pictures have been together 
since van Gogh died.
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890) 
came from the Netherlands. He 
was an unusual artist for his day. 
Van Gogh liked to use very bright 
colours, especially yellows. Dur­
ing his lifetime van Gogh was not 
well known. He suffered from anxi­
ety and mental health problems. Art 
experts say that van Gogh’s work
influenced many famous artists who 
lived after him.
Today, van Gogh’s paintings are 
worth millions o f dollars. Yet, dur­
ing his lifetime he never sold any 
o f his pictures. Van Gogh had lit­
tle money. His brother, Theo, lived 
in Paris, the capital o f France. 
They frequently wrote letters to 
each other. Van Gogh relied on his 
brother for money and help with his 
mental problems.
Van Gogh spent the last years o f 
his life in the city o f Arles, in the 
south o f France. He moved there 
for the warmer weather. The art­
ist hoped that it would improve his 
health. Van Gogh was friendly with 
a French artist called Paul Gauguin 
(1848 - 1903). Gauguin went to 
visit van Gogh in Arles. One day the 
two men argued. Gauguin left and 
moved into a nearby hotel. Later, 
van Gogh used a razor to cut off a