The Van Gogh museum includes a short section on the Dutch impressionist artist:

“After his death, Vincent became the archetype of the ‘mad, genius’ artist, whose art was said to be a direct expression of his affliction. That image is false and reduces Vincent to his illness. His mental vulnerability was part of who he was.”

I like this a lot. Though the artist might stir up images of his removed ear, admission to psychiatric hospitals or his gunshot wounds, the man was far more than his mental illness. He was, amongst many things, a devoted brother, friend, and champion for the working class. In his work, he demonstrated his intense love of nature, peasants, landscapes, still life and more. His later mental anguish was a chapter of his intense life, but far from the whole story.

Archetypes, while memorable and poetic, are usually imprecise.