Vincent van Gogh - Ženy v jeho živote

by Derek Fell

Prostitútka Sien, starodievocká Margot Bergemennová, sesternica Kee, roľnícka dcéra Stien de Groot – tým všetkým Vincent van Gogh vyznal lásku. Ani v jednej však nenašiel ženu, s ktorou by ho spojilo pevné citové puto, po akom odjakživa túžil.

Historik umenia Derek Fell vo svojom biografickom diele za pomoci dochovaných dokumentov skúma umelcov vnútorný svet v úzkej spojitosti s jeho tvorbou. S veľkým zmyslom pre detail najmä na základe dostupných faktov zdôrazňuje, ako údery, ktorým bola nepretržite vystavená van Goghova psychika, pozvoľna podkopávali jeho sebadôveru a viedli k zhoršovaniu jeho duševného zdravia. V tejto súvislosti neobchádza ani priateľstvo s Paulom Gauguinom a nedorozumenie medzi oboma maliarmi s neodmysliteľnými následkami na posledné dva roky van Goghovho života.

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

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Donald Armfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda falls off subject in some parts.
I found useful information within the pages.

[Estifanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A woman is not old, as long as she loves and is loved"..Vincent Van Gogh

I greatly enjoyed this book as it gave me an insight into the personal life of one of my favorite artists. Van Gogh, is indeed, one of the world's favorite artists, for his name and his face have become the very icon of the eccentric/starving artist.

I thought I was quite familiar with the story of Van Gogh's life, but this book brought out perspectives I had not considered, and events and insights I had not known. I was grateful that Fell did not overly focus on the monumental dreariness of Van Goghs life as some biographers have done, or the moments of delirium, but instead presented the man; misunderstood, and imperfect, yes; but intelligent and compassionate, and ultimately human. The passionate humanitarian who declared "I cannot live without love", and yet seemed to be eluded by love every time he sought it, and remained in some sense alone his whole life.

I was grateful also for the conclusion "Vincent's Victory" where the author points out the astounding heights of fame and recognition Vincent received years after his death. In the appendix the author describes the places he himself visited in preparation for writing the book and explains that so many places have now become monuments to the artist, a kind of sacred ground where the unloved has finally found love, the unknown has finally found appreciation, the tormented has finally found rest.

[Maťa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aby ste vedeli, van Gogha milujem (vôbec som teraz nevidela ten film Loving Vincent 2x v jednom týždni. Prvýkrát v deň, kedy som knihu začala čítať a druhýkrát v deň, keď som ju dočítala - tých nejakých 7 minút po polnoci odignorujeme.) a rada sa o ňom dozvedám čo najviac. Ale neviem, niečo na tejto knihe mi fakt nesedelo. Vadil mi fakt, že udalosti sa nediali chronologicky, autor skákal v čase, ale nie je to jediná vec, z ktorej som nebola moc nadšená. Len tie ostatné neviem zadefinovať.

[Ketelen Lefkovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to know more about Vincent's story and this book was very satisfiying to me. It is so sad to read all this, but I'm glad we have his art to appreciate.

You will forever be loved, Vincent.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the liberal use of letters to tell Vincent’s story. And the theme of rejection makes sense too. I learned more about his painting techniques and the paintings themselves. All in all, a thorough and well written biography of a master painter.

[Suzannah Hoppe-washburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed to be a lot of conjecture rather than firm research, but interesting enough

[Luci · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was thorough in its information. The narrative was not tied to "his women" though. It was more timeline- based and could have been written better.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on my blog Why Van Gogh Matters http://whyvangoghmatters.blogspot.com...

There are a lot of Vincent Van Gogh biographies out there. Derek Fell's 2004 effort Van Gogh's Women: His Love Affairs and Journey into Madness is one of the best because it centers on one main aspect of Vincent's life -- how he got on with women. It starts off with Vincent's relationship (or lack thereof) with his mother. He also points out that being born on the same day as his stillborn older brother -- and sharing the exact same name as the dead baby -- really messed Vincent up before he had a chance to mess himself up.

For some reason, Vincent's relationship with Paul Gauguin is also included in great detail. I wasn't entirely sure why, as Fell notes that the two bohemian artists did not have a homosexual relationship (although they shared at least one whore between them.) I also did not care about reading so much about the creepy Gauguin when I wanted to read about Vincent.

This book also pushes the theory that Dr. Paul Gachet (Vincent's last doctor) helped kill Vincent. I'm not entirely sold on that theory, but it sure is interesting to read about.

The hardback edition I borrowed from the library had many reproductions of Vincent's works and photos of Vincent's family. Again, Gauguin intrudes into the limited space the publishers made available for illustrations. (Big sigh.) Still, I highly recommend the book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book does quite a fine job of using van Gogh's own words (via his letters) to describe himself, but doesn't by any means go over the top and let Vincent tell his own story. That's good, because frankly the abundance of van Gogh's letters are boring...which isn't a damning statement, just a human one, as if you took hundreds of anyone's letters then there will necessarily be toss-off philosophies and long descriptions of inanimate objects.

An additional pleasant factor is how the author, at least for the most part, shies away from putting words in van Gogh's mouth...I so HATE authors who so adamantly believe their own philosophies that they concrete them upon the words and deeds of others. This has led to a seemingly overall belief that there are no crows in Vincent's paintings, only harbingers of van Gogh's violent outbursts, and analogies for twisted thoughts. Or...you know...it COULD just be a crow.

By backing off and simply telling the story in a well researched fashion, linking what Vincent was doing in his life with what he was painting at the time, and (via personal letters) what Vincent THOUGHT he was doing at any given time, this book provides the truest account of Vincent van Gogh that I've run across. Very enjoyable.

[Michael Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As biographies go, this is one of my favorites. I have a tendency to affiliate myself with tragic figures in life as well as literature (go figure :D ), so this read came only natural as a stepping stone in trying to sort out my own complications/difficulties in life. It is an extremely interesting account of Van Gogh's life through clues and psychoanalysis of his letters to the women in his life. It is a different perspective than most other biographies of the artist that I have come across so it was refreshing. Definitely worth a read if you are artistically inclined or merely interested in better understanding Van Gogh.

"...in general and more especially with artists, I pay as much attention to the man who does the work, as to the work itself."
---Van Gogh to a colleague in 1881

With this quote I found I must agree, and this book has definitely proven illuminating in this regard.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brisk, if rudimentary, introduction to the story of Vincent van Gogh. Fell acts mostly as an organizer and synthesizer of the basic facts of van Gogh's life: his art, his relationships with women and his brother, and his death. This is a useful approach but not revelatory or indispensable. On its own, the book's merits are even less remarkable in light of its weaknesses; it's dogged by rudimentary Freudian analyses that seem pretentious and misplaced. If you don't know anything about van Gogh, and if you can't get ahold of his collected letters, this will serve. Otherwise, I don't think this is all that vital.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Vincent. I think he and I would chill. He would ask to listen to "New York Mining Disaster 1941" again, and I would ask him if he could make me look thinner in his paintings -- the bright colors always make me look fatter. But, I digress. Much like Vincent did. This book doesn't say that women drove Vincent crazy, but that they sped up the journey. But a some were helpful and nurturing, as well.

Anyway, this is the second best Vincent thing I've seen or read -- the first being the film Lust for Life. Kirk Douglas rocked in that. Vincent and Theo is also a good movie. Tim Roth was pretty awesome in that.

[eLLen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and interesting analysis of Vincent van Gogh's life. Some things I knew, other things I didn't. This book gave insights into Vincent van Gogh's behavior as seen through his letters and experiences with others. I came out admiring van Gogh a little more and understanding him a little more. Makes me want to go back to see his paintings in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, now that I know a lot more background on him and his paintings.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do have a (not so) secret crush on Van Gogh, and could read his letters or biographies every day of my life. This was interesting; it does slant every incident in his life to make it relational to women. There were a few things I didn't intuitively agree with, but it was definitely interesting...

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable and insightful book on VvG with lots of citations from his letters which reveal how sensitive, intelligent and sharp he was, as well as giving his revolutionary ideas on colors and painting. Unfortunately he had a tough time with relationships, but after reading the book I have impression that many of those around him were more off the wall than he ever was.

[Bagath Manish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Van gogh’s life though brilliantly detailed and researched upon in derek fell’s brilliant speculation not at once even slightly leaning to biases or conclusions, is perfect in the initial forty pages but falls awfully short at times due to underwhelming writing, bizarre structure, unnecessary deviations and lack of fine editing, without which the book fails to be a memorable read.

[elizabeth kimmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two sittings. A splendid glimpse into the life of one of the greats. The author uses van Gogh's direct words through his letters intermixed with modern theories of his madness. Utterly enjoyable.

[Roseann · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not the best biography of the artist that I have read, it does take on a different perspective that most of the other's. The problem I had was the obvious Freudian conclusions that the author used in most of Van Gogh's relationships.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enlightening read for anyone who wonders about how fame escapes talent in life but can catch up with it after death; manic depressives with an artistic side, and anyone who likes historical biography.

[Shruti G Gulati]

what drove him to do the things he did....his art and his rebellion....Van Gogh was a mere child looking for affection.

[Dasa Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, not necessarily only for Van Gogh fans.

[Marsmannix · Rating 3 out of 5]

The backstory of several influential women in VG's life. A little shallow, too many letters, not enough analysis

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative - good insight into artist's life