Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art edited by David Bomford was fascinating. There were essays by Nienke Bakker, Renske Suijver, and Renske Cohen Tervaert. There were "contributions" by Helga K. Aurisch, Laura Minton, and Dena M. Woodall. This book is paperback and 170 pages long. There are plenty of van Gogh paintings in it.
On page 23, after an excerpt from one of his letters to his brother Theo, the author says "This was the beginning of an unprecedented period of productivity: in the seventy days he spent in Auvers, Van Gogh completed about seventy-five paintings and more than a hundred sketches and drawings . . . ." Amazing! I can't fathom this amount of creative output.
Later on page 23, he is quoted, "I feel - a failure - that's it as regards me - I feel that that's the fate I'm accepting. And which won't change any more." His mental health was so bad. He didn't start painting until he was in his thirties. He was dead from suicide at age 37. He had so much passion and so much depression. Reading this made me wonder if Louie and I would ever go to Europe. I would love to see Amsterdam and visit the museum.
Vincent van Gogh by Victoria Charles was a 160 page hardcover book. I enjoyed looking at the photographs and reading excerpts of letters, but the text was off-putting. It's as though the author was trying too hard to dramatize an already dramatic life. I stopped reading her writing and just focused on the van Gogh pictures and letters.
I've also read online a bit about the artist's namesake and nephew. I love that he was known as "Vincent van Gogh the engineer" to distinguish him from his uncle. I love that Theo took care of his older brother for much of their adult lives, but am sad that he also died so young - from syphilis!"
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