Van Gogh: The Life

I’m keen on reading and understanding the lives of artists, especially those artists whose works I love. Van Gogh is one of those artists I grew up learning about, and even have attempted recreating his paintings in art classes. He always fascinated me, especially the story I was told of his tragic life. I think after reading this biography I was able to much more truly understand the tragedy of Van Gogh - its very much debatable whether you can call his life a tragedy in my opinion.

The story of Vincent Van Gogh is very much also the story of Theodore Van Gogh, his brother. Throughout his life, Theo would be the thread that kept Vincent together mentally and financially, which is very apparent from the letters and correspondences available. Theodore was an art dealer who helped position artists such as Monet into stardom. Vincent on the other hand was always a mess, could never hold a job, was difficult with people, and did not have a welcoming personality.

Vincent Van Gogh was a voracious reader, and throughout the biography there are references to the books he reads, from authors like George Eliot to Emile Zola.. we learn a lot about what influences Van Gogh’s thoughts.

To summarize his character a bit more, Van Gogh was restless, he had his own unique idea of what an artist should be that everyone else rejected in practice and theory. He quickly fell from grace with those around him, and many did not wish to stay associated with him, to the point that Vincent continuously was becoming more and more isolated. It’s clear that Van Gogh didn’t kill himself, we won’t know for sure, but he was ill to the point that he would cut off his own ear and give it as a present to a woman at a brothel (they don’t tell you the brothel part at school, or his obsessive traits in those respects). He was delusional and spiteful, but would change his mood upon realizing his fault, but usually when it was too late. He did not get along with his parents, his own mother pretty much thought it was a good thing he passed away. The art community thought he was a joke, for the most part, and thought the way he painted was scary, rash and odd. Even with a brother like Theo backing him, he wasn’t able to gain positive repertoire until the year of his death.

Naifeh and Smith, who co-wrote this biography as well as Jackson Pollock’s (which they won the Pulitzer for) are stunningly detailed. I wish they wrote more artist’s biographies, because it’s so amazing and engrossing the level of detail provided and their ability to capture the life of the artist.

I highly recommend reading this, you’ll be able to have a newfound appreciation for him as an artist when you next visit the MoMA, d’Orsay, or his museum in Amsterdam - or if his works end up on loan. You’ll see me at the MoMA staring at the Starry Night once again soon!

Words I learned reading this biography:

Oeuvre: The collective works of a painter, composer, or author.

Truancy: The act of staying away from school.

Pedagogue: A teacher, especially strict.

Recalcitrant: Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority and discipline.

Casus belli: An act or situation provoking or justifying war.

Parveny: A person of obscure origin who has gained wealth, influence, or celebrity.