Van Gogh Masterworks

Vincent van Gogh’s  name immediately conjures vivid landscapes and stunning portraits thick with impasto, but simultaneously brings to mind his troubled genius. These are the bare bones of what many people know of this incredible artist. Vincent van Gogh: Masterworks aims to flesh out this mythologized man with an insightful look into his correspondence and artworks. The recipient of most of Van Gogh’s letters was his younger brother, Theo. Though he corresponded with friends, artists and other members of his family, it is his interaction with Theo that reveals the most about his life. The strength of their fraternal bond has provided us with a wealth of knowledge on Van Gogh’s hopes and dreams as well as his disappointments and failures. Organized chronologically, each chapter reveals intriguing aspects of Van Gogh’s life. We learn about how his artistic career took shape only after a number of other paths failed to sustain his interest. His intense relationships with women are also played out in the pages of his letters and echo the seemingly extreme way he lived his life. His writing exposes a personality that tends towards desperation or elation; the occasions of contentedness are arguably few and far between. Though the letters serve to provide us with insight into Van Gogh’s personal life, they also delight us in their descriptions of his work; he discussed his methods, his influences and his subjects in depth. Extracts from Van Gogh’s letters are featured alongside his beautiful works of art, which range from sketches completed during the infancy of his artistic career to the masterpieces created during his frenetic outpouring towards the end of his life.