Inventing van Gogh

by Steven Dietz

A haunting and hallucinatory drama about the making of art, INVENTING VAN GOGH is the story of the final van Gogh self-portrait, painted just before the artist's death, which has never been seen until now. Patrick Stone, a contemporary painter, is hired to forge this final masterpiece and finds himself squaring off, across the years, with van Gogh himself. The result is a compelling mystery about the obsession to create and the fine line that separates truth from myth.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

72 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Steven Dietz is an American playwright whose work is largely performed regionally, i.e. outside of New York City. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Dietz graduated in 1980 with a Theater degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He is the recipient of the PEN U.S.A. Award in Drama (for Lonely Planet); the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award (Fiction and Still Life With Iris); and the Lila Wallace/Reader's Digest Award (The Rememberer). Halcyon Days is one of his other successful plays. Many of his plays are very political. He lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Inventing Van Gogh" is a thought-provoking and lyrical play about art, madness, creation, and obsession. I found Dietz’s script lovely, original and, even on the page, wildly visual. I would love to see this script in performance.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this play a lot, but I think it would be challenging to produce this play with characters appearing and disappearing, with a stage full of Van Gogh paintings. I'd love to see it! Van Gogh, his doctor, and mistress are in this as well as a contemporary painter, and Van Gogh experts. I borrowed this from Schenectady Public Library.

[Douglas Cosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent play where art authenticator tries to talk a painter into painting a mythical last Van Gogh self-portrait. Time overlay with characters playing multiple roles in current time and Van Gogh's time. Ultimately the play was a little confusing and didn't really have an emotional payoff. There was revelation and resolution at the end, but it wasn't enough of a punch to make this a great play.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to see a good production of this. It's great on the page, though I can imagine it coming across as melodramatic on stage if not executed properly. The man and the myth of Van Gogh are fascinating (and in a way inspiring) to me.