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A review by creaturefeatr
Van Gogh: The Life by Steven Naifeh, Gregory White Smith
4.0
After reading this book, I have to separate what I thought I knew about Vincent Van Gogh—the myth of Van Gogh—and the realities of his life as they were presented. Van Gogh: The Life was undoubtedly an ordeal; with over 1,500 pages (or almost 45 hours of narration), delving into the life of Vincent is no small task. The authors thoroughly researched and provided crucial historical context (in both art and world history) to the events of Van Gogh's life and drew from an astonishing body of research regarding the artist. The resulting book chronicles his life, from his parents' wedding to his tragic death in 1889.
It is important to note that much of what is known about Vincent's life is through personal accounts of those who knew him and the enormous number of letters he wrote during his lifetime, often (incorrectly) conflated with diary entries. The aforementioned personal accounts are from those who lived during the austere and serious Victorian era (1820-1914), whose larger concerns (especially among the middle and upper class) were propriety and respectability. I mention this to provide important context to the accounts given. As for the latter-mentioned letters, the authors rightfully conclude that while valuable in their information, the letters must be viewed "through...various potentially distorting prisms" (p 1438) due to the complicated relationship (both confident and sponsor) Vincent had with his brother, Theo, who a large amount of the letters still existing were addressed to.
I finished this book with the powerful feeling that Vincent's tortured life has been romanticized since his death. By extension, the demons he struggled with have also been romanticized, whether that be his mental afflictions or his very nature of being "strange" in a strict society that prided itself on conformity.
In reading some reviews before reading the book, some who have approached this have struggled to reconcile the creative, misunderstood, good person they thought Vincent to be with what was presented to them within these pages. The duality of Vincent's nature lived side by side in his mind. He was both a passionate, poetic, and sensitive artist—with a penchant for alcohol and visiting sex workers—and unreasonable, unruly, often demanding, and prone to sometimes uncontrollable anger and the whims of his mind. He was often a victim of circumstance, of an unforgiving society, but also of himself.
I give this book 4.5 stars. The authors did a fantastic job researching and assembling the information they collected. They thoughtfully provided context to the world in which Vincent was living and shed light on the mysteries and myths of the artist. The authors also present a plausible explanation for the circumstances leading to Vincent's death and their reasons for supporting it.
I believe some antiquated terminology was used, especially concerning the sex workers that Vincent frequented. However, there were also some ill-chosen words used to describe Vincent's periods of depression, distress, and periods of high moods. Both of these complaints can be explained by the period Vincent lived, and I am not sure that there is any fixing that.
Vincent Van Gogh was a complicated man, and the authors shine an unflinching light on what was known about him.
It is important to note that much of what is known about Vincent's life is through personal accounts of those who knew him and the enormous number of letters he wrote during his lifetime, often (incorrectly) conflated with diary entries. The aforementioned personal accounts are from those who lived during the austere and serious Victorian era (1820-1914), whose larger concerns (especially among the middle and upper class) were propriety and respectability. I mention this to provide important context to the accounts given. As for the latter-mentioned letters, the authors rightfully conclude that while valuable in their information, the letters must be viewed "through...various potentially distorting prisms" (p 1438) due to the complicated relationship (both confident and sponsor) Vincent had with his brother, Theo, who a large amount of the letters still existing were addressed to.
I finished this book with the powerful feeling that Vincent's tortured life has been romanticized since his death. By extension, the demons he struggled with have also been romanticized, whether that be his mental afflictions or his very nature of being "strange" in a strict society that prided itself on conformity.
In reading some reviews before reading the book, some who have approached this have struggled to reconcile the creative, misunderstood, good person they thought Vincent to be with what was presented to them within these pages. The duality of Vincent's nature lived side by side in his mind. He was both a passionate, poetic, and sensitive artist—with a penchant for alcohol and visiting sex workers—and unreasonable, unruly, often demanding, and prone to sometimes uncontrollable anger and the whims of his mind. He was often a victim of circumstance, of an unforgiving society, but also of himself.
I give this book 4.5 stars. The authors did a fantastic job researching and assembling the information they collected. They thoughtfully provided context to the world in which Vincent was living and shed light on the mysteries and myths of the artist. The authors also present a plausible explanation for the circumstances leading to Vincent's death and their reasons for supporting it.
I believe some antiquated terminology was used, especially concerning the sex workers that Vincent frequented. However, there were also some ill-chosen words used to describe Vincent's periods of depression, distress, and periods of high moods. Both of these complaints can be explained by the period Vincent lived, and I am not sure that there is any fixing that.
Vincent Van Gogh was a complicated man, and the authors shine an unflinching light on what was known about him.