What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? If you hear a voice within saying ‘You are not a painter’ then by all means paint – and that voice will be silenced.
― Vincent van Gogh
His letters provide both a unique self-portrait and a vivid picture of the contemporary cultural scene. Van Gogh emerges as a complex but captivating personality, struggling with utter integrity to fulfil his artistic destiny. It’s a must read book on Van Gogh. See My Book Review
An excellent biography that provides complete insight on Van Gogh’s life. The authors of this book shed new light on many unexplored aspects of Van Gogh’s inner world: his deep immersion in literature and art; his erratic and tumultuous romantic life; and his bouts of depression and mental illness.
Van Gogh, who took up a variety of professions before becoming an artist, was a solitary, despairing and self-destructive man. This richly illustrated and expert study follows the artist from the early gloom-laden paintings in which he captured the misery of peasants and workers in his homeland, through his bright and colorful Parisian period, to the work of his final years, spent under a southern sun in Arles.
Published on the centenary of his death, this is the first comprehensive biography of Vincent Van Gogh in over 25 years.
Thank you for this post. Vincent Van Gogh is someone I admire greatly, and I’ve been meaning to read more on him for a while, and now I know where to start.
You’re most welcome 🙂
No one ever runs short of people to say, “You can’t do it.”
These people take things to personally. I think they literally put themselves in the shoes of that person who wants to do it, and realise they themselves cannot do it, so the person who wants to do it, won’t be able to do it.
Like my friends, who, when I finally got my first published book, immediately stopped talking to me about “us writers.” I see now, years later, that they weren’t happy for me.
Yeah people defy honesty.
I love Van Gogh. I found a new admiration for him after an episode of Doctor Who that featured him. I started looking more into his life. He was a truly gifted artist. I need to read this book.
I remember watching that episode, and I think they have portrayed van Gogh quite gratifyingly. His art works are all admirable 🙂
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