In the case of Van Gogh’s technique, the texture must be emphasized from the first layers of paint. Typical colors in his palette include yellow ocher, chrome orange, vermilion, Prussian blue, ultramarine, zinc white, emerald green, red lake, red ocher, raw sienna, and black. Paint must be spread very rapidly, with a sense of urgency, using the paint straight from the tube in thick, graphic brush strokes.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter whose work had a far-reaching influence on 20th century art for its vivid colors and emotional impact. He suffered from anxiety and increasingly frequent bouts of mental illness throughout his life, and died largely unknown, at the age of 37, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh