Van Gogh

Art & Ideas (Phaidon)

by Judy Sund, Glenn Howard (Designer)

Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) became, in the century following his death, an individual of undisputed universal acclaim. His brief but astoundingly eventful life has inspired the scrutiny of other painters, film-makers, psychologists and novelists, and his personal celebrity outstrips even the substantial fame of his works. While the popular appeal of such pictures as Sunflowers or Starry Night resides in their seemingly emotion-fuelled spontaneity, they are in fact the products of a reflective and idea-driven man who was profoundly interested in and inspired by all manner of literary, musical and artistic sources. Spanning his early work in the Netherlands, the formative years in and around Paris, and the intense, vibrant studies of peasants and the countryside of the South of France, this survey makes extensive use of Van Gogh's own correspondence to illuminate his artistic development and the personal vision that lies behind his work. The result is a balanced and sensitive account of this most innovative and influential of artists.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Biography

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2002

Reviews

[Tom Burdge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't impressed right at the start. I think this was primarily because Van Gogh's art in his early life was nothing special this is a classic art history book in that it uses images of the art as a cornerstone for discussion. But as the book goes on it really comes into its own. It glosses some of Van Gogh's amusing oddities without fetishising them and, most importantly, provides a great means for appreciating Van Gogh's work. My favourites were Père Taguy, Street in Saint-Maries-de-la-Mer, the various iterations of The Sower, Self-portrait as Bonze, Wheat Field under Clouded Sky and *especially* The Night Café.

[Joseph Oliveri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complemented well by ample visual examples of Van Gogh’s work, Sund’s biography is a competent book that does especially well to contextualize the troubled painter’s work and in the period he lived in, the culture that he operated in, and popular perceptions about him.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent material, but I felt too many illustrations by and information about other painters was included.

[Nina Lindenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non fiction is non my style but this book was cool because it went into the paintings and highlighted all the little details

[Matteo Cordero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van Gogh Phaidon Art and Ideas is a chronological account of the artist's life. It is a simple and clear book that covers Van Gogh most important events and evolutions in his career.
Overall I think this book is not too bad. However, Art and Ideas tend to focus on describing artist's artworks rather the history of the artist which is my main interest.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you dont cry by the end of this book or dont get angry you arent human
i know that is a research and although van gogh isnt one of my favourites i loved learning about him and it really got me on my knees the pain of this man
large amounts of love to his bro, man, he was the OG

[Robt. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitched at a good level for a relative neophyte like me. While Sund departs from a chronological order more than I would have, that's a quibble, really.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned quite a bit. Apparently the movie with Kurk Douglas was factual. Bummer.