Van Gogh

by Trewin Copplestone

VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890), whose paintings now command millions of dollars at each auction, died impoverished at the early age of 37. He left behind an astonishing body of work which included several hundred paintings created over a short period and a large quantity of drawings and sketches.
Born in the Netherlands, the son of a Protestant pastor, Van Gogh was emotionally unstable and suffered frequent bouts of severe mental depression (which resulted in his eventual suicide). Although frequently linked with the Impressionists he has no real artistic connection with them and his work stands as a highly individual expression of his disturbed temperament.
His most notable works, which were created in the last three and a half years of his life, are of his friends, acquaintances, and the landscape around Arles in southern France. The miracle of Van Gogh is that he was able to produce such a dominating body of deeply moving images while living a life of ultimate desperation in an increasing state of mental imbalance.

Genres: Art

80 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 1998

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Van Gogh's art but was expecting more from this edition by Copplestone.

[Jerome Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am taken with the life of this unique artist. An industrious man in the creative sense. He did not wait for creativity to come to him but waited for his senses to come to creativity. The result; masterpiece after masterpiece. A spiritual and lover of natural Van Gogh should be taken in the correct perspective.

[IncredibleOctopi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough and thought-provoking.