This is an illustrated study of Vincent Van Gogh, one of the great forerunners of 20th century painting.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German
Original Language: German
About the Author
Rainer Metzger studied art history, history and German studies in Munich and Augsburg. He received his doctorate in 1994, and has worked as a fine arts journalist for the Viennese newspaper Der Standard. He has written numerous books on art, including volumes on van Gogh and Chagall. Ingo F. Walther (1939-2007) was born in Berlin and studied medieval studies, literature, and art history in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. He has published numerous books on the art of the Middle Ages and of the 19th and 20th centuries. Walther's many titles for TASCHEN include Picasso, Art of the 20th Century, and Codices Illustres.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A novice liked it,
By
This review is from: Vincent Van Gogh: 1853-1890 (Big Series Art) (Hardcover)
I spotted this book and, having been impressed by the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery last year, decided to check it out. (That being said, I know very little about art and seldom read about it, so this review should be taken in that light.)Van Gogh was an amazingly prolific painter. His artistic career lasted scarcely ten years, but in that time he created enough paintings to decorate nearly every page of this 250-page book - and those aren't even all of them. The book itself is a combination of a biography and an analysis of his paintings. This flows smoothly, perhaps because Van Gogh put so much of himself into his art: his moods are clear from what he depicted and how he depicted it. The biographical portion makes for interesting reading in and of itself. Van Gogh actually came rather late to art after failing at other occupations, including that of a minister. Once he turns to art, he is almost immediately remarkably capable. Later on, he attempts to set up an artistic community in his famous "yellow house," with the help of Gaugain. It's a collaboration that fails disastrously, with Gaugain leaving and Van Gogh cutting off his earlobe. Van Gogh has a difficult time psychologically for a few years, then, when it seems he has finally turned things around, goes out and shoots himself. The authors suggest it's due to his believe that a dead artist is more valued than a live one, a strange but possibly true premise. The analysis of the paintings, comfortably intertwined with the biographical information, are interesting as well, at least to someone like me who only barely understands painting. While the analysis occasionally descends into what is to me artsy gobbledegook, by and large the comments are incisive and point out the distinctive qualities of each painting and how it relates to his other work. The tone is positive and descriptive, which I liked. I could easily have imagined a much more critical approach or a tone that indicated this is the way to look at this painting. But the authors fall into neither trap. So this artistic novice, at least, found this to be an excellent book about a great artist. Recommended for all those with an interest in the subject.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE COMPLETE PAINTING THIS IS FOR YOU,
This review is from: Vincent Van Gogh: 1853-1890 (Big Series Art) (Hardcover)
I purchased this book not being aware of the complete painting book but if I knew about the other one ( complete painting ) I probably would have chose that book for sure ! Anyway, as a second choise this is a great value book . The picture are beautifull and the text is full of detail about Van Gogh's life that is exceeded only by the Letter to Theo book published by Penguin. Well,now that you know my opinion, order this book if you are tight with money; other wise you may consider the complete painting if the quality of the picture and the text is as good as this book. Ciao
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good find!,
By BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Van Gogh (Thunder Bay Artists) (Paperback)
Cleaning out some bookshelves the other day (a never-ending task), I found this book which I bought some months ago. So I read it yesterday (it is just 96 pages) and even though I know quite a bit about Van Gogh, this was still a delight. Walther combines biography, paintings and analysis of them, and discussion of Van Gogh's techniques. I especially liked the illustrated time line at the end.
Very well done. This author clearly knows his art and artists. Great find!
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Vincent van Gogh was the son of a Dutch pastor, Theodorus van Gogh, and his wife, Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
potato eaters, yellow house, reed pen Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Hague, New York, Saint-Paul Hospital, Peasant Woman, Wheat Field, Madame Ginoux, The Potato Eaters, Arles Arles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Blossom Arles, Saintes-Maries Arles, United States, Fishing Boats, Paul Gauguin, The Art Institute of Chicago, Collection Stavros, Les Alyscamps, Place Lamartine, Starry Night, Agostina Segatori, Augustine Roulin, Place du Forum, Water Mill, Dark Cap Nucnen, Fourteen Sunflowers Arles New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Vincent van Gogh was the son of a Dutch pastor, Theodorus van Gogh, and his wife, Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
potato eaters, yellow house, reed pen Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Hague, New York, Saint-Paul Hospital, Peasant Woman, Wheat Field, Madame Ginoux, The Potato Eaters, Arles Arles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Blossom Arles, Saintes-Maries Arles, United States, Fishing Boats, Paul Gauguin, The Art Institute of Chicago, Collection Stavros, Les Alyscamps, Place Lamartine, Starry Night, Agostina Segatori, Augustine Roulin, Place du Forum, Water Mill, Dark Cap Nucnen, Fourteen Sunflowers Arles New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 22
books:
See all 22 books this book cites
- Van Gogh by D. M. Field on 10 pages
- Still Life by American Federation Of Art on 4 pages
- Boats on the Beach (Fine Art Journals) by Vincent Van Gogh on 4 pages
- The Imitation of Christ (Hendrickson Christian Classics) by Thomas a Kempis on page 14, and page 18
- The Imitation Of Christ by St Thomas A Kempis on page 14, and page 18
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