Matthew Wong - Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort

by Kenny Schachter (Contributor)

The Chinese-Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984-2019) employed colour expressively, using thick and dynamically applied paint to instill his personality in his work. Self-taught, he explored European-American and Chinese art history, finding an important example in the work of Vincent van Gogh. The two artists gave expression to their inner worlds with a similar immediacy. There were striking parallels, moreover, between the lives of Wong and Van Gogh: both spent a great deal of time searching for their vocation in life before eventually finding it in painting. The connections between the two artists are examined in detail in this publication through a survey of Matthew Wong’s impressive body of work.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Iulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview of Matthew Wong’s career and art, with a focus on the links between him and other artists, especially (but not solely) Van Gogh.
I got this book after visiting the exhibition in Amsterdam where I was mesmerized by Wong’s paintings. Reading more about them prolonged the experience and has added more depth to an already complex artist.

[Gerardo Corssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

La cuidada reproducción de las pinturas de Wong permite volver a disfrutar la saudade y nostalgia que transmite observarlas, mientras que los ensayos brindan información del artista y sus pinturas que hacen más enriquecedora la experiencia.

[Lex van Groningen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative overview of Matthew Wong's work, which is currently on display in the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands). The reproductions in this catalogue are good quality and do justice to Wong's work.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first art-specific book that I've read, and it will certainly not be the last.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gebroken hart hiervan. En dankbaar dat ik de tentoonstelling heb gezien


I see myself in him. The impossibility of belonging in this world