The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh (Penguin Classics)

Product Information

Vincent van Gogh's letters have long been prized as some of the most valuable documents in the world of art.

In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints.What comes across clearly, whether he is discussing art or whatever else, is the profound intensity with which he approached anything he undertook and the passion with which he defended his ideas. Van Gogh's letters paint a chronicle of an artist's life, with the notable omission of the period when he lived in Paris and therefore had no need to correspond with his brother. If you enjoyed The Letters of Vincent van Gogh , you might also like 100 Artists Manifestos , available in Penguin Modern Classics. Van Gogh and his troubled life is one of those subjects that appeals to one's deepest feelings; to one's heart rather than one's head. Theo van Gogh's wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, devoted many years to compiling the letters about which she wrote: "When as Theo's young wife I entered in 1889, our flat in the Cité Pigalle in Paris, I found at the bottom of a small desk a drawer full of letters from Vincent".

Be warned, most of what you'll read is about money, painting supplies, and what he happened to be working on at the moment and when he expected to finish, but he will occasionally talk about his philosophies on art and his personal thoughts and troubles. Despite a widespread tendency to romanticize his ill health, art historians see an artist deeply frustrated by the inactivity and incoherence wrought through illness. The circumstances surrounding this death are rather remarkable, and I don’t wonder that two biographers, Naifeh and Smith, have raised questions about it.He was a highly intelligent, sensitive man who read deeply and poured all his emotions into the letters.

But for Van Gogh this was a plodding daily reality of struggle and failure, with no audience and no guarantee of ultimate success. With such a personal approach to his art we should not be surprised that his stated favourite genre was portraiture-- of others and of himself. Edited by Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker The letters are the window to Van Gogh's universe. He quickly grew disenchanted with conventional religion, however, and soon he is pining after his cousin, Kee, who rejects him and refuses to see him. One of the best ways to read this book is to follow his paintings as he talks about them (as I was doing with the updates).A new selection of post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gough's letters, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh put a human face on one of the most haunting figures in modern Western culture. Actually, this aspect of his life probably isn’t all that surprising considering his father was also a preacher. Van Gogh occupied one of the rooms on the first floor next to his guest room, where Paul Gauguin sojourned for nine weeks. Nevertheless, it is to these letters between the brothers that is owed much of what is known today about Vincent van Gogh. It was interesting to read his opinions, criticism, analysis, and admiration of their works and find out about personal relationships with those he was acquainted with.

there is something of Rembrandt in Shakespeare, something of Correggio in Michelet and something of Delacroix in V. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Hughes closes and essay saying that Van Gogh was a great painter in spite of his madness, not because of it - and having read his letters, I'm inclined to agree. Van Gogh's dialogue with the contemporary culture: the successful and upcoming artists of his time, the old masters. Pomerans believes the letters to be on the level of "world literature" based on style and the ability to express himself.

In just over a decade, he produced more than 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolours, drawings, sketches and prints.