Vincent's Trees

by Ralph Skea

A beautifully produced book for art lovers and nature enthusiasts illuminating van Gogh’s belief that painting should “celebrate the finest qualities of nature”
Vincent van Gogh felt a profound empathy with the natural environment and considered the “spiritual essence” of trees to be comparable with that of human figures. This superbly illustrated book traces van Gogh’s development as a painter of trees, from the distinctive pollard willows of his home province of North Brabant to the cypress and olive trees of Provence to the parks of Paris. Ralph Skea discusses van Gogh's early life in the Netherlands; his first tree studies in the Dutch landscape; his paintings of trees within townscapes; his particular fascination with orchards, which led to some of his best-known and most loved paintings; and the works he completed in rural Provence. From delicate drawings in pencil and ink and subtle, Pointillist-inspired paintings to stylized, boldly colored depictions of single trees, groves, and landscapes, the oils and sketches reproduced here are a testament to the artist’s poetic sensibility and great talent in capturing nature. 75 illustrations, 70 in color

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

112 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2013

Reviews

[Collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France. And it's about Vincent Van Gogh, painting trees. Why would it not be a five-star book experience?

[Molsa Roja(s) · Rating 5 out of 5]

S'ha d'estimar a van Gogh per moltíssimes raons, la primera de les quals és llegar-nos una sensibilitat extraordinària patent tant en les seves cartes com en els seus quadres. Si el que van Gogh fa sentir és sempre proper a la histèria i la violència és pel simple fet que la Terra és, per a la persona sensible, un espai que sempre ens supera, que ens aclapara, que ens fereix i, fins i tot, ens mata. La vida... és una bogeria.

[morg · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool stuff

[Faith Brunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Vincent, I love trees.

[Bjørk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never get tired of reading about Van Gogh and his paintings

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

After visiting Cincinnati Museum of Art's "Undergrowth" van Gogh exhibit, I picked this book up. Fun! It would have been ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if the "Tree Trunks in the Grass" painting was included. That picture has yet to be in a collected works.

[Juliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Vincent created an image which seems to be, on the one hand, an evocation of his moods and memories, and on the other, a portrayal of a particular place.” I picked up some books on Vincent van Gogh last April, after attending an exhibition of his self-portraits at the Courtauld Gallery; Ralph Skea’s book Vincent’s Trees was one of them. I was interested in the hyperfocus on a lesser-discussed aspect of his work, and in seeing how that single facet would illuminate the rest of his ouvre. Skea does a great job with this, providing a loose kind of biography, both of Vincent’s life and craft, through his developing presentation of trees. (Note: taking my cue from Skea, who points out early on that Vincent had preferred to be known / addressed by his first name. I know otherwise we are not on a first-name basis just yet…) Skea writes so clearly on what drew Vincent to trees in his work, what the different portrayals of them can represent, and why exactly Vincent’s treatment of them is so exceptional. “Nature, for Vincent, possessed a strong emotional significance; he singled out trees as having a particular dynamic force and spiritual essence”. The book also reproduces so beautifully over seventy of Vincent’s work; it’s lovely to see so many works I didn’t previously know amongst the more recognisable ones (The Poplars at Saint-Rémy, The Mulberry Tree, The Sower, Girl in a Wood, Les Alyscamps, On the Outskirts of Paris, Chestnut Trees in Blossom, Orchard Bordered by Cypresses, Branches with Almond Blossom, Olive Grove, A Lane near Arles, Willows at Sunset, Road with Cypress and Star all being particular favourites). A gorgeous book.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

With such a prolific decade from 1880-1890 (the year he proclaimed himself an artist until the year of his death), and the hundreds of drawings and paintings Van Gogh produced, one can’t help but wonder if he could have continued on that way. It boggles the mind how many masterpieces he produced so quickly! Pretty amazing. (And yet only sold one piece of art while he was alive!)

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly looked at the pictures but it was interesting to learn about Gogh's drawings and paintings

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful selection of paintings of trees

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Books and reality and art are the same kind of thing for me'
- VVG

'Poetry surrounds us everywhere'
- VVG

[Abby Bartels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like reflecting on art and nature to feed the soul for me!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many amazing paintings and sketches in this book that you don't usually see.

[Shashi Martynova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educative, very professionally written and superbly illustrated.