Face to Face with Vincent Van Gogh

by Aukje Vergeest

Where did Vincent van Gogh live and work? What did he think about life and art? Who were his friends? And what happened when he became ill? Following the moving story of Vincent's life this book introduces the most famous paintings in the Van Gogh Museum: from the dark and powerful Potato Eaters to colourful masterpieces such as The Yellow House and Almond Blossom. It also relates the extraordinary history of the museum's collection, a collection that has enabled the Van Gogh Museum to evolve into a world-renowned centre of knowledge about Van Gogh's work and the art of his time.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, History, France, Art History

95 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Ishraq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book, or even the glance of it reminds me of the amazing times I spent in Amsterdam last year! moreover, it reminds me of the mesmerizing feelings I had visiting Van Gogh's museum (where I got this book from) and coming face-to-face with his work for the first time.

* actual images from the museum!











If you are a fan of Van Gogh, this is a companion book you'll need to have around at all times!

[Pongsak Sarapukdee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the eventful life of Vincent van Gogh with most beautiful art work from him.

[Charlie1008 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klein boekje over the goat landgenoot gelezen terwijl ik nog diep in m’n eerste Proust reis verwikkeld ben.

[Oleksandr Voloshchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хоч це книга з короткою вижимкою біографії Вінсента Ван Гога, особисто для себе виділив декілька тез:
- Знайти справу свого життя можна у будь-якому віці. Для Ван Гога це сталося у віці 27 років, коли він вирішив стати маляром
- Зміна середовища може істотно вплинути на людину. У випадку Ваг Гога — це проявляється у зміні кольорової палітри його картин та віднайдення його особливо стилю

[Clairepan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of my last visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, from which I bought the book. It gave me the same feeling of being shown to Van Gogh's life and his different stages of art. What I admire the most about Van Gogh is that he remained hopeful and kind despite his battle with mental illness and the filthy condition. His hopefulness could be seen from his paintings; many of his most famous drawings were painted in the asylum, such as Irises and The Starry Night. These paintings were evidences of the bright side of Van Gogh despite his mental illness; its vibrant colors, and its thick, bold brushes are catharsis of his hope for overcoming his disease. Before I got to know Van Gogh, I had the impression of that abstract paintings do not require a good drawing foundation. However, when learning about Van Gogh's initial stage of painting, I was aware that he read a lot of books on autonomy, studied many paintings, and did a lot of practices on classical paintings. Even though his final stages of drawings had comparatively simple structures and techniques, a great amount of knowledge was required to express his thoughts freely in his brush strokes. Van Gogh's experience in developing his drawing styles reminded me to build myself a solid amount of knowledge, even though it could be arduous and monotonous; such efforts are needed for me to make greater achievements in the future.

[Mehmet Dönmez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very lovely from book telling the life of an exceptional painter: Vincent Van Gogh. The book dors not only remind me my Amsterdam holiday (because I’ve bought this from museum shop :)) which was genuinely special for me for personal reasons, but also neatly summarizes Van Gogh’s life with exclusive and rich visual material: Letters to his brother Theo, his draughts, numerous paintings reflecting evolution of his perception and understanding on art: Interaction with Japanese art and other art movement such as pointism or impressionism. I’ve read the book in one shot, and think anybody who is interested in painting would do the same.

[Milagros Guevara Bernabé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐️⭐️✨️(3.7)

Resumen:

👉 Este libro nos muestra la vida y obra del famoso pintor Vincent Van Gogh, así como todas las pinturas que creó a lo largo de su carrera.

Opinión:

✅ Me encantó cómo el autor nos cuenta gradualmente la vida de Van Gogh, mostrando sus pinturas 🌃 en las diferentes etapas de su vida y cómo los eventos que le sucedieron lo inspiraron a cambiar su estilo.

✅ Fue como leer el diario personal de un gran artista 🖌️ y comprender cómo veía el mundo. Fue una experiencia memorable y la recomiendo ampliamente👍.

[Shrouk Shafie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a kind of a book that you'd never want it to end. It is a pity it is too short. It contains most of Vincent's Amazing paintings and a lot of his influencing quotes. But, maybe the book needed some deeper details about his life before he started painting and deeper information about the obstacles that he faced in his life. Actually, in the end you will fall in love with the book anyway if you are interested in any of the paintings made by Vincent Van Gogh. May he rest in peace.

[Fitri Wulandari · Rating 5 out of 5]

bukan hal yg common dibicarain, kalo Van Gogh selain menjadi artist yg popular; beliau juga sangat pandai menulis.

art & literature emg variabel yang gak terpisahkan dan berpengaruh satu sama lain, bahkan keduanya saling mengisi.

hal ini mungkin yg jadi faktor besar Van Gogh kenapa doi bs ngehasilin karya luar biasa. dari kebiasaan menulis (lebih dr 800 surat sepanjang hidupnya -that’s super rad!) yg kemudian ngelatih dirinya untuk berekspresi dan mengeksplor human experience disekitarnya.

[Starb.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro lo compre en el museo vicent van gogh en holanda, realmente esta muy bien diseñado e ilustrado reflejando la historia de vida del pintor, excelente libro.
I bought this book at the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Holland, it is really very well designed and illustrated reflecting the life story of the painter, excellent book

[Chelsea Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Face to Face with Vincent Van Gogh by Aukje Vergeest: ★★★★
→ ‘And - my plan for my life is to make paintings and drawings, as many and as well as I can - then, when my life is over, I hope to depart in no other way than looking back with love and wistfulness and thinking, oh paintings that I would have made.’

[Fachmi Fachmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"it's the story of a man who, at the age of twenty-seven. decided to become an artist, even though up to that point he'd never show any particular talent for drawing or painting." I found it, in the foreword page. It's make me feel something...

[Jillandra Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most interesting peak into the intimate life of Van Gogh and how he shaped his art and how his life was lead. Now i can truly appreciate the thick stroke of paint that forms a picture of emotion more than just an object.

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

What intrigued me: I bought this at the Van Gogh Museum gift shop.

What I liked: It is a lovely book that hits on all the highlights.

What I didn't like: N/A

Favorite quote: “...most people find too little beautiful.” p.19

[Krisette Spangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short and concise review of Vincent Van Gogh and his work.

[sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for a brief bio.Lots of Artwork

[Zahraa Maytham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book and re-studying Van Gogh's paintings after a trip to Europe is a whole new journey. Everything has a lot more meaning now and makes complete sense.

[Claudio · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a small but enjoyable account of Van Gogh's life. Very quick read with beautiful pictures.

[Mac Abliter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a bittersweet life he lived. 🥹

[Laura Gonzalez]

went to the van gogh museum in amsterdam and i'm amazed at my own willpower not to cry my eyes out, what a man

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely made book, with a short biography of van Gogh and lots of reprints of key pieces of art.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when I went to Amsterdam for the third time. On this visit my goal was to visit art museums and one of them would be the van Gogh museum, but there were no tickets left (I already know that on a fourth time, I will have to board with a ticket to the museum guaranteed).

I managed to visit a museum that had a single painting by van Gogh (Rijksmuseum), the painting was his self-portrait.

After this visit, I went to visit the artist's museum store, and bought two books about him. One of them is shorter and more concise (the one I'm evaluating now).

I confess that I was fascinated by Vincent van Gogh. The story of his life, the way he painted and especially, how the paintings reflect in a certain way who he was, the relationship he had with his brother, the letters... A very troubled man, but so much potential that we still see today. He is, without any doubt, my favorite painter.

Moral of the story: despite a tragic life, Vincent Van Gogh teaches us that it is never too late to explore something that we consider to be our purpose.

[Gaurav Mathur · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a brochure.
Great design and pictures.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting-I got this in Amsterdam after my visit to the museum. A great insight to Van gogh's life

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up in Amsterdam after visiting the Van Gogh museum. It's a nice little brief overview of his life, and a very quick read at that...I think it probably took me less than ten minutes to get through the whole thing. The photos of his works are truly marvelous though. It's a nice little souvenir.