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jstamper2022's review against another edition
5.0
Long read and at times long winded and repetitive. Otherwise a fantastic complete biography of one of the worlds greatest. Tormented by mental illness and wicked talented. At points you feel bad for him, wanting to be his friend and then at others realize why he had few if any friends.
ericsutliff's review
4.0
This took me a brutally long time to finish and mostly de-railed my reading cadence for the better part of three months.
Vincent’s story makes me sad, smile, smirk, and silly. His life was a twisting tale and a passionate fury. Marked by insecurity, introspection, confusion, and genius. A life lived violently and his legacy continues…
Vincent’s story makes me sad, smile, smirk, and silly. His life was a twisting tale and a passionate fury. Marked by insecurity, introspection, confusion, and genius. A life lived violently and his legacy continues…
cosmicola's review against another edition
5.0
nawet nie wiem, co tu napisać. książka naprawdę wybitna. nigdy w życiu nie czytałam tak szczegółowej książki. wow. nie mam słów!!! g e n i a l n e!
in2reading's review
5.0
The writers had a wealth of materials to draw from for this comprehensive biography, including the years of correspondence between Vincent and his brother Theo and numerous interviews with people who were knew or were aware of Vincent. This book is a commitment at 893 pages and it took me a couple of weeks of careful reading to finish it. An additional 6,000 pages worth of footnotes and source materials are available on the authors' website: http://vangoghbiography.com/
I must admit that I grew up with the Don McLean song "Vincent" and its poignant lyrics and have held a romanticized view of Vincent (which is the way he always signed his paintings). For the first three quarters of this book I was somewhat taken aback by my conflicted feelings for the artist as he grew up dealing with physical and psychological issues. At first his whole family did try to help him find his way, but his difficulties were daunting and for most of his adult life his brother Theo supported him for every expense. Vincent only sold one painting during his lifetime and that was near the end of it. From the testimony of people who knew Vincent or tried to know him I became sympathetic to their rejection.
By the last years of his life as he furiously tried to bring his many ideas to life on canvas I again saw the genius, the pathos and felt a new appreciation for his art. I also hoped I learned a lesson about judging anyone by the face they show to the world, not knowing of their struggles and the inner beauty we all have.
The authors have a theory about his death that has proved controversial. After reading what they said and other viewpoints on his death, I am inclined to agree with them. Although Vincent claimed to have said he shot himself, the description of the bullet wound does not support a self-inflicted wound. (Doctors then and now agree on that.) I agree with the authors that it may have been the result of an accidental shooting and because Vincent had struggled so much he accepted his pending death without a fight.
Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the man who produced such beautiful art.
I must admit that I grew up with the Don McLean song "Vincent" and its poignant lyrics and have held a romanticized view of Vincent (which is the way he always signed his paintings). For the first three quarters of this book I was somewhat taken aback by my conflicted feelings for the artist as he grew up dealing with physical and psychological issues. At first his whole family did try to help him find his way, but his difficulties were daunting and for most of his adult life his brother Theo supported him for every expense. Vincent only sold one painting during his lifetime and that was near the end of it. From the testimony of people who knew Vincent or tried to know him I became sympathetic to their rejection.
By the last years of his life as he furiously tried to bring his many ideas to life on canvas I again saw the genius, the pathos and felt a new appreciation for his art. I also hoped I learned a lesson about judging anyone by the face they show to the world, not knowing of their struggles and the inner beauty we all have.
The authors have a theory about his death that has proved controversial. After reading what they said and other viewpoints on his death, I am inclined to agree with them. Although Vincent claimed to have said he shot himself, the description of the bullet wound does not support a self-inflicted wound. (Doctors then and now agree on that.) I agree with the authors that it may have been the result of an accidental shooting and because Vincent had struggled so much he accepted his pending death without a fight.
Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the man who produced such beautiful art.
meaganchurch's review
Found the book to be heavy on description and details, giving the background and history of anything even remotely related to Van Gogh. While it does have some fascinating facts, I just didn't have the time to devote to making it all the way through it's intimidating page count.
abetterjulie's review
5.0
Reading this was a labor of love - it's a tome. Though, never dry and always deeply moving. I learned a huge amount about not just Vincent Van Gogh, but also art, history, and philosophy. This book led me off on tangents and rabbit holes about color theory, Protestantism, and medicine. Truly an inspiring conversation about one man and his tortured path through life. I was especially happy to have several myths that have built up scraped down to the canvas and the truth exposed. The anticipatory grief made the last 200 pages almost impossible to get through, but if you take it slowly, you'll arrive.
Also? Gauguin was a horrible, horrible person.
Also? Gauguin was a horrible, horrible person.
theseasoul's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual content and Self harm