Book: Van Gogh - The Life
Author: Steven Naifeh and Gregory Smith
Pages: 976
This is my 59th read for the year
The authors delve into the life of Van Gogh starting from when he was a young boy all the way to his death. Written from help from the Van Gogh museum and letters that were written between Vincent and his brother, Theo, they weave a story that few know about the life of this beloved artist. Readers get a look into his life both personal and professional and how long he struggled before he was "discovered" We get a better picture of his mental illness and his death at the age of 37.
This is a fantastic book - one of the best I have read this year so far. I listened to it (all 42 hours) to pass my endless hours of painting our house this week. I was enthralled with this story from the start. I actually visited the Van Gogh museum just a few years ago with my family and wish now that I would have read this book first. It goes into so much detail of Van Goghs life and how he came about his paintings. You become frustrated with this man (he relies on money from his brother for his entire short life - never getting a job yet always spending heavily) but you also feel sorry for him because he was truly tortured. He does bring on many of his woes himself (he was always obstinate) but he is picked on by towns people wherever he went. Not becomes truly famous until really after he died, I found his path to being one of the greatest artist we have ever know unbelievable. I saw his work in person, and now I know what he was thinking when he made those paintings. Truly amazing.
If you have a lot of time to kill but more importantly want to know more than you ever thought you did about Van Gogh - get this book. It will be worth it - I promise.
Stars: 5
Our visit to the museum (you cannot take pictures inside)
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