Vincent van Gogh

by Susie Hodge

He did not paint his pictures; it was like he exhaled them in a gasping, boiling breath
- Julius Meier- Grae f

Van Gogh's distinctive style of expressive brushstrokes and bold colors is now world famous, but during his lifetime the artist was met with cold disinterest from his contemporaries.

This book explores the fascinating life story of this tortured soul, who came late to art and suffered throughout his life from anxiety and depression. It unravels the influences behind his artworks, from the luminous landscapes of the south of France to the Japanese woodblock prints he so admired, and explores how he developed his own unique style.

This detailed monograph features Van Gogh's major works and examines the light they shed on this enigmatic character, serving as a wonderful introduction to one of the best artists of all time.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Great Artists series by Arcturus Publishing introduces some of the most significant artists of the past 150 years, looking at their lives, inspirations and techniques, as well as presenting a selection of their best work.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography

96 pages, Hardcover

Published November 15, 2019

Reviews

[Natbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, easy to read and well-written with relevant displays of Van Gogh’s artworks.

[muzze ☼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love that the book includes very well-printed photos of Vincent’s artworks as well as loads of information about his career and personal life

[Michelle Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book that included aspects of Van Gogh's life that I had not read in articles such as his desire for a religious position and then failing in that, being spurned by someone he loved, a love affair, the influence of Delacroix, the background of the apartment in Asnieres, the strained relationshiop with his brother there, his time with Gaugin and so much more. This is a great book if you really want to learn about Van Gogh and his life! It is an excellent story covering the main periods and locations and people in his life PLUS his artistic development and the influences, relationships, and his trials and tribulation. Chapters include his early life, becoming an artist and his time in Paris and Arles, Saint-Remy and Auvers-sur-Oise. Great illustrations of his paintings in the book show the progression of Van Gogh's style. And the book has a lovely timeline. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to really understand Van Gogh and learn more about him. Footnote, my hardcopy of this book matches the ISBN, the "art Masters series" pagination and Arcturus publisher, but my cover is different. My cover has his "Self-portrait, 1889" as the illustration, with the blue and greens.

[Angel Calderon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Illustrations of Vincent Van Gogh’s art and an easy to read biography of his life and works.
A sad tale of mental illness, a touching memoir of the relationship between two loving brothers... and an intriguing story about how the Van Gogh masterpieces were created.
I enjoyed this book very much. Can’t wait to read the other two from “The Great Artists” series.

[?0?0?0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as large and heavy as my older book on Van Gogh, and not promoting the nonsensical and dangerous idea that Van Gogh killed himself, two pluses for this collection, and it's just a pleasant book to look through that's rather cheap.

[Saran Baran · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Shiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of paintings and a very easy to read account of this great man’s life

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Caitlyn Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

They could NEVER make me hate Van Gogh💕💗💖🥰

[Chris Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and simple - not really a criticism as that's all it really means to be.

[Larry Hou · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a talent artist with such a tragic life.

[Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to learn more about this painter for a long time now. This book really helps me in the easiest way before I deep dive more into this painter in another book. There is so much information and beautiful pictures, including art you can find in this book. Apart from that, I absolutely love the structure flow so much and I will definitely recommend this book to others for sure 👌

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! I love how Susie Hodge explains Vincent van Gogh's life and artwork. 🙂

[Hannah Kinghorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, quick read. So many intimate details about Vincent’s life that I have never before heard. It explains the challenges of mental illness throughout his life time and about substance use before there was great knowledge of its impacts. The entire book is beautiful, cover to cover with vibrant art and details about each piece. 10/10.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, but lovely introduction and biography about Vincent van Gogh. It was beautifully illustrated and had wonderful colored prints of his artwork, as well as prints of other artists who worked with and befriended van Gogh during his lifetime. There were also photos of letters written by van Gogh during his lifetime to family and friends.