Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait; Letters Revealing His Life as a Painter

By Vincent Van Gogh

In most cases, to go through a man's correspondence and make the proper selection for publication would be easy. One would merely have to piek out the few letters which were interesting and discard the many which were dull or unintelligible to the general reader without elaborate editorial notes. But there is scarcely one letter by Van Gogh which I, who am certainly no expert, do not find fascinating. Anyone who can afford them will want to possess and ought to buy the magnificent three volumes edited by Vincent W van Gogh. What, I asked myself, is the single most important fact about Van Gogh? To that there seemed only one answer That he painted pic tures. I have, therefore, confined my selection to those of his letters which contain reflections upon the art of painting and the problems of being a painter, and have only included letters concerned with his personal rela tions, to his father and his brother, for example, in so far as these throw direct light upon his career as a painter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Release date: Nov 6, 2017

Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh (1853—1890) was a highly influential Dutch Post-Impressionist painter best known for his uniquely expressive brushwork and use of bold, dramatic colors. Van Gogh’s early life and formative adult years were marked by mundane security; he was born into an upper-middle class family, received a rounded education, and was able to make a living off of his interest in art by working as a dealer; however, while his employment provided the opportunity for travel, it also exacerbated his lifelong struggle with his mental health. It wasn’t until 1881—nine years before his death—that he began to produce his own art. His early work would consist mostly of still lifes and character studies but as he began to travel and become acquainted with new artistic communities, his art would become brazen and bright—capturing vivid portraits of the natural world. However, while Van Gogh would correspond and receive financial support from his younger brother, Theodorus, he often found himself skirting the line of poverty. His lack of commercial and financial success with his painting would lead him to neglect his physical and mental health, resulting in increased psychotic episodes and delusions; the worst of which ended with Van Gogh severing part of his own left ear. After a lifelong battle with depression, on July 27th, 1890, he went out into a wheat field where he had recently been painting and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Van Gogh would die from his injuries in his room at the Auberge Ravoux just two days later. In the aftermath of his death, Van Gogh’s story would—for better or worse—cement his legacy in the public imagination as the “tortured artist” and in the decades that followed his work would gain worldwide critical and commercial beyond what he could have ever imagined.