Van Gogh

Today, the works of Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) are among the most famous and celebrated in the world. In "Sunflowers", "Starry Night", "Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear" and many other paintings and drawings, we recognize an artist who uniquely deftly depicts a mood and a place with the help of paint, pencil, charcoal or chalk.

And yet, employing the somber colors, expressive brushstrokes, and contoured forms that would later make his name, Van Gogh struggled not only with the apathy of contemporary audiences but also with devastating bouts of mental illness. His episodes of depression and anxiety eventually took his life when, in 1890, he committed suicide shortly after his 37th birthday.

This richly illustrated introduction traces the story of Vincent van Gogh from his early paintings of peasants and rural workers, through the vibrant Parisian period to his final, feverish burst of creative energy in the south of France during the last two and a half years of his life.