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A terrific read. I loved this book. I recommend that if you are not very familiar with Van Gogh's work / history that you read a general information book about him along side this book.
In between the sections, the editor provides us with fascinating details into the travails of Van Gogh's personal life.Alongside Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, this collection is essential reading for all artists. To read Van Gogh's letters is to come as close to sitting aside this world class artist as possible. I dare say, he wrote almost as good as he painted--his passion verily jumps off the page.In this addition, we are treated to an excellent selection of Van Gogh's letters (mainly to his brother Theo) from each seminal period in his extraordinary life.
You don't need to be an admirer of Van Gogh's to appreciate this; but you will walk away admiring the man behind the sunflowers. Those who appreciate the artistic process will love this collection of letters. this collection of van gogh's letters to his brother Theo both captivated me and broke my heart. Such an intimate look into the vulnerability of the artistic soul.
There are no greater letters I think ever written by an artist.And while they may be filled with a troubled and agonized spirit they too have a great richness of feeling and appreciation of life. This may all sound like 'cliche' but Van Gogh is perhaps the most conspicuous example of the cliche of the suffering , rejected in- his- life artist who knows great recognition only after death.Van Gogh is a person of great intelligence, and of a very strong conscience. Van Gogh is a tremendously powerful letter- writer. In these letters mostly written to his brother we see a great , suffering , soul, a devoted artist tormented and striving.
Which doesn't make it a less interesting read. For me, they definitely confirmed his status as a painter. At his best in these letters, he's painting with words. A very fine collection of the letters, with multiple sides of VVG revealed. I found this a good adjunct to taking a look at the work again, it added an extra dimension to experiencing him as a painter.Well worth the time it takes. As a person, I found that I liked him best in these letters when he was struggling with his religion, his art, and his purpose. To read a collection of letters by an artist whose work you know very well is to invite yourself to take a look at him as a person. I'm glad that Roskill didn't make a selection that focused solely on the more famous and theatrical depressions.I don't agree that this work reveals Van Gogh as a writer.
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