Van Gogh: The Passionate Eye

by Pascal Bonafoux

Weaving together biographical data, anecdotes, and color reproductions of the artist's paintings, a leading art historian offers a dramatic account of the tortured creative genius and star of the Postimpressionist painters.

Well-written, loaded with information, and with a rich assortment of illustrations, each Discoveries "RM" volume is a look at one facet of art, archaeology, music, history, philosophy, popular culture, science, or nature. These innovatively designed, affordably priced, compact paperbacks bring ideas to life and amplify our understanding of civilization in a new way.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History, Reference

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Pascal Bonafoux is a French writer, novelist, art critic and art historian, a specialist in self-portraiture. He collaborates with various newspapers and magazines, he is the author of numerous essays dedicated to art and was a resident at the French Academy in Rome. He is professor of art history at Paris 8 University, and is also a curator who organises exhibitions either in France or abroad.

Reviews

[Ulysse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sessantadue

There was a man driven by hunger
Whose life was a terrible bummer
But his landscapes were rich
—O how endless you stretch
You wonderful wheat fields of Summer

A sinistra... / A destra...


.

[LaLópezIborra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve pero exhaustiva biografía de Van Gogh, acompañada de buenas imágenes, entre las que destaca una colección de sus autorretratos. La selección de fragmentos de sus cartas a Theo es muy interesante, así como los comentarios que sobre el pintor hicieron otros contemporáneos. Por ponerle un pero, hay un exceso de datos que lastra el texto y lo hace pesado en muchos momentos.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short, well illustrated biography succinctly provides an overview of Vincent Van Gogh’s life supplemented with a “documents” section that includes a selection of his letters, a wide range of comments on his life and work by others, a look at his Sunflowers painting, an overview of the Borinage where Van Gogh worked among the miners, and photographs of places where he lived. I read this biography to supplement Van Gogh’s letters, and it was perfect for the purpose. It would also be a good choice for anyone who wants a short biography, particularly because of the great selection of Van Gogh’s paintings and sketches and the documents sections.

[Geoffrey Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I saw the Imagine Van Gogh exhibit in Montreal, an ambitious projection of his works onto floor-to-ceiling screens and large sails, all accompanied by classical music. It was an occasion to again appreciate the genius of this great Dutch painter. This little book was a perfect compliment to the exhibit. It gives a quick overview of his life, drawing heavily on his letters to his brother Theo. Their correspondence is a rich archive devoted to artistic vision and seemingly boundless fraternal support that Theo give to brother Vincent. The book is small, but the colour reproductions of the paintings are true and compelling. Van Gogh’s career is remarkable: despite his battle with mental illness, he produced 879 paintings in just over eight years. This book is a fine introduction into Van Gogh’s world.

[Tati · Rating 4 out of 5]

La vida de Van Gogh es tan triste, si lo pudiera tener frente a mi le daría un abrazo u.u
El libro es muy bonito, está lleno de imágenes a todo color de sus cuadros, y se incluyen sus bocetos y algunas de sus cartas completas. Le bajo a 4 estrellas solo porque no tenía su cuadro clásico de la noche estrellada a color. Por qué habrá decidido no ponerlo el autor? Porque es demasiado conocido? Yo creo que se condoreó ahí.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vincent Van Gogh was a difficult man - passionate, dedicated to a fault, and mentally unstable. It is hard not to feel compassion for him, and to take some pleasure in his ultimate triumph as an artist (even if he did not get to enjoy it). He was the prototypical starving artist, a complex figure whose life and work give rise to strong feelings. He did not seem very likeable - he was uncompromising and arrogant, and he rejected the middle class Dutch ideals that he grew up with. He loved painting and devoted himself to it with an intensity that is almost disturbing. He possessed a remarkably bold sense of color, and a striking visual style that was far ahead of its time. Towards the end of his life he developed a mental illness (probably it had been there all along) - possibly bipolar disorder - that led to his suicide at age 47. The most touching aspect of the Van Gogh story is the love and devotion that existed between Vincent and his brother Theo, an art dealer. If it had not been for Theo, the world would never have known anything of Vincent.

This book is something like a condensed biography, or a long lecture to a general audience. It is well illustrated, with quality reproductions and photos. This would be a good starting point for readers interested in learning about Van Gogh.

[Sladjana Kovacevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

PASCAL BONAFOUX-VAN GOGH,THE PASSIONATE EYE
✒"I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream."
🎨Ovo je kratko ali veoma sadržajno delo
🎨Hronološki izložen život i svi periodi u stvaralaštvu
🎨Obilje reprodukcija
🎨Fotografije mladog Vincenta i članova porodice
🎨Dodatak sadrži neka od pisama bratu Teu...
🎨...Tekstove poznanika i prijatelja o Vinsentu,članci i pisma savremenika i umetnika koji su kasnije inspirisani Van Gogovim delom...
🎨...Članak o aukciji na kojoj su Van Gogovi Suncokreti prodati za 39.921 750 $ a odmah na sledećoj stranici...
🎨...pismo bratu iz perioda kada je slikao famozne suncokrete i u kome ga moli za novac jer s 50 franaka i džepu nema za kiriju i za boje...
🎨...tu je i deo o Vincentovom boravku u Belgiji,u rudarskom gradiću Borinažu,gde je Emil Zola proveo vreme radeći na Žerminalu. Uz odlomak Zolinih beležaka...
🎨...naravno,svi izvori su uredno pomenuti...
🎨...i na kraju autentične fotografije mesta na kojima je Vincent Van Gog živeo i koja je slikao,iz vremena kad je on tamo bio,ili najpribližnije moguće tom periodu.
🖌❣Ovo je,za sada,najbolja biografija Vincenta Van Goga koju sam pročitala. ❣
#7sensesofabok #knjige #bookstagram #literature #readingaddict #art #vangogh

[Irfan Muhaimin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini dia macam ringkasan kehidupan Van Gogh.
Boleh dikatakan sebuah perjalanan yang melankolik.
Tak pelik sekiranya karyanya bukan sekadar sedap di
mata kita tapi bermain di hati. Keluarga Vincent
merupakan orang alim Kristian dan merupakan
pendakwah iaitu Ayah dan datuknya merupakan
pastor. Beliau ada seorang abang bernama Theo.
Kehidupannya dipenuhi dengan ajaran agama, bahkan
semua beranggapan Vincent menjadi seorang Pastor
namun semua tak menjadi, beliau ditamatkan
perkhidmatan dan selalu berubah kerja kerana baginya
pekerjaan tidak sesuai bahkan beliau tidak pernah
habis belajar. Beliau mula mengenali seni selepas Theo
membawanya jumpa dengan pelukis. Janji Theo akan
bagi duit sebagai biaya. Apa yang perlu Vincent buat
hanya melukis dan beliau sendiri menghadapi putus
cinta banyak kali. Akibat kesihatan mental tidak stabil
beliau dihantar ke asylum, kepandaian melukis |
menjadikan Vincent jarang bercakap dan peruturan
hanya pada kertas lukisan. Vincent dibawa oleh Dr
Gatcher untuk tinggal di rumahnya. Apa menyebabkan
Vincent mencabut nyawa sendiri adalah beliau
terdengar perbulan Theo dan Dr Gatche bahawa Theo
tidak mampu membinyai Vincent lagi itu menyebabkan
beliau sedih dan bertindak sedemikian.

[Jennifer]

This is a handy pocket-sized edition art book that is very nicely done, at about 150 pages. There are many examples of his art (the glossy pages, high resolution, and accurate coloring make them very enjoyable to view) placed alongside a running narrative that is well written, with enough detail to actually make it useful. For such a small book it really packs in the relevant information, organized helpfully along a timeline. Its size makes it feel unintimidating. It invites the reader to pick it up. It is easy to hold, and with all the pictures and colors it is enjoyable to browse even if you don’t read straight through.
I kept this nearby (with a big coffee table art book) as I read his letters and it definitely helped me pull information and images together for a bigger view and a better understanding of Van Gogh’s life and work.

[Lexa ˖ ࣪⊹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the things i find personally enjoyable about this book is i surprisingly enjoyed reading it, and how the author added many details that were not so known about Van Gogh. I will say, there were some details and occurrences missing around the time Van Gogh was on his late 20’s early-mid 30’s. I don’t mind this as much although i wish it was the opposite case. I find the details and the story on his life important since there’s many misconceptions about Vincent out there, and some might be harmful. For example how people nowadays call him crazy when he clearly has some type of mental illness such as bipolar, schizophrenia, maybe autism. And also, yes his death being ruled as a suicide being accepted is crazy. There’s theories that point out the way the shot wound was formed on his body it couldn’t possibly be a suicide. It’s just something that bugs me out but it’s just me lol.

[lidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
It's very inspiring to look into Vincent's life; the amount of paintings he created in such a short time span. The ambition to keep on dedicating his life to art in spite of the deep economic problems and the support offered by Theo throughout his whole life, who allowed him to do what he did. Up until his dying day, he loved him dearly and always stood with him. It's heartbreaking, yet immensely inspiring.

[andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

es un 3’5
la biografía está bien y las ilustraciones también, pero me sobran momentos hablando de sus inicios (dios y la teología) y me faltan del psiquiátrico y los meses anteriores (cuando se corta la oreja, etc) además, camuflan bastante la amistad con gauguin y su muerte que falta literalmente todo

[marta :))) · Rating 4 out of 5]

«No sabes qué es lo que te encierra, lo que te aprisiona, lo que parece enterrarte, y sin embargo sientes como unos barrotes, rejas, muros. ¿Sabes qué hace desaparecer la prisión? Todo afecto profundo, verdadero. Tener amigos, hermanos, amar; esto abre la prisión del poder soberano, por un hechizo muy poderoso. Pero el que no tiene esto permanece muerto».

[Daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una biografía liviana, para quienes no estamos acostumbrados a leer biografías.
Lo que si, creo que faltaron cosas y de las pinturas mostradas también me hubiera gustado otras más famosas del artista.

[Ginecólogo Inexperto · Rating 4 out of 5]

La biografía de un hombre desdichado, me ha producido una inmensa pena leer el libro al tratarse de una vida tan turbulenta como la de Van Gogh. Está claro lo buen artista que llegó a ser, lo influyente de su obra y lo maravilloso de su vida.

[Ryan Croke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short bio of Vincent; a great one or two day read.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much. I was so pleased to read the personal letters. Vincent's descriptions are brilliant with color and tone.

[Vince Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Bluenoise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non è scritto bene e le informazioni sono quelle normali ma spiegate male, i concetti sono ripetuti più e più volte.
Non metto uno perché leggere di Van Gogh è sempre bello🤷🏿‍♀️

[Anirudh Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a lovely little book. There's more aesthetic prowess here over linguistic or intellectual, but at times perhaps, that's good enough in an art book?

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly fine. Nothing I didn’t already know. Interesting to read (much) more about his life before painting, which was so, so short.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short documents at the back were the highlight for me.. Anton Autaud, Octave Mirbeau, Gauguin, Bataille. Makes me want to find these extended texts.

[Alicja · Rating 4 out of 5]

not bad, it was pretty fun learning about what his life was like

[Meritxell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfecto para una lectura rápida y comprensión a grandes rasgos de la vida del autor. Las imagenes escogidas de sus obras acompañan perfectamente al texto.

[سـارّه عبدالباسِط · Rating 5 out of 5]

قصة حياة الرائع ڤان جوغ ، بتفاصيلها .. صور له و لوحات و قصة كل لوحة و خطاباته لـ ثيو - التي طالما أحببتها - و خطاباتٌ منه و إليه ..

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite its short length, the book manages to give a deep insight into the relationship between his troubled mind and his artwork. A very entertaining and emotional read that allows you to easily situate the artist in his historical and geographical context.

[Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sách nhỏ nhắn dễ thương, cầm tay nhẹ tênh.
Nói sơ qua về cuộc đời và một số tác phẩm tiêu biểu thôi, nhưng in màu hết rất đẹp.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a tough life he lived and then he died young. Thank goodness for his brother who supported him his whole life. But neither lived to see his success. My favorite paintings of his were all done when he was crazy-loved his view of the world and his choice of colors. Almost like seeing things while on a wild LSD trip. Instead of reading this biography,I would rather have accompanied Beth on her trip to the Van Gogh museum!

[Imane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a man he was. Van Gogh is one of the most outstanding painters whose work and passion for art remained intact eventhough his life was painstackingly dreadful, especially during his period in asylum. After reading about his life and letters to his brother Theo , I realized that Vincent was not only an artist,but a loyal and loving human being as well.

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent brief introduction to Van Gogh's life and work. I was motivated to read this after having a very positive experience with the author's also excellent introduction to Rembrandt. Bonafoux provides a readable overview of his biography supplemented by numerous quotations drawn from his letters, and amply illustrated by the artist's principle works.