This important, groundbreaking publication contains the illustrated letters between two great modern artists–Vincent van Gogh and Émile Bernard. The original letters were previously in private hands and have not been seen for approximately seventy years. Here they are published in association with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and an exhibit at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York. In addition to the letters, the book also includes paintings, photographs, and drawings by both artists, as well as works by artists of the period, such as Paul Gauguin and Jean-François Millet. These letters, written between 1887 and 1889, are among the most important and relevant sources of insight into van Gogh’s life and art. They bridge the time when van Gogh was living and working in Paris, where he painted most of his self-portraits (mainly because he was unable to afford models), to the small town of Arles, in Provence. Here he adopted new types of compositions and developed new ideas about color–all of which he describes in detail in letters to his friend and fellow painter Bernard. Only a year later, in July 1890, van Gogh died, at the age of thirty-seven. The authors have carefully placed each letter in context of relevant events and have written authoritative commentaries on the content of the letters.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Van Gogh's 22 letters to Émile Bernard, a fellow artist whom Van Gogh met in Paris, are significant in helping us understand the great masterpieces he would paint later, after his move to Arles. Since Bernard's side of the correspondence is lost, he plays the foil to the older, more experienced van Gogh, who elaborates on a philosophy of painting (in the end it's a question of expressing oneself powerfully), on the work he hopes to do (A starry sky, for example, well-it's a thing that I should like to try to do, just as in the daytime I'll try to paint a green meadow studded with dandelions) and on the influences of other great painters like Vermeer and Rembrandt. This lavish and complete presentation, published in association with New York's Morgan Library & Museum and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, brings together color facsimiles of the letters, English translations alongside French transcriptions, notes and color reproductions of paintings mentioned in the correspondence and other complementary material. The volume creates an entire and delightful world around this highly readable correspondence-the kind of fine and exhaustive treatment it deserves. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
No one can fail to be totally and completely absorbed by this magnificent book produced by Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker, the editors of the Van Gogh Letters project at the Van Gogh Museum, in collaboration with The Morgan Library and Museum in New York...Painted with Words is an exceptional work which brings van Gogh, the painter, writer and human being heart-rendingly close, showing that van Gogh's madness was that of a passionate genius whose paintings did not sell, whose doctors did not understand his illness, and who was insulted and cast out by a society whom he did not flatter. -- culturekiosque.com September 2007
VINCENT VAN GOGH, PAINTED WITH WORDS: THE LETTERS TO ÉMILE BERNARD edited by Leo Jansen, Hans Luitjen and Nienke Bakker (Rizzoli, 384 pages; $50). Much more than a catalog, this book accompanying the Morgan Library & Museum's current exhibition includes lively English translations of van Gogh's spirited correspondence with his younger friend Bernard. While the paintings should be appreciated in person, the letters -- also transcribed in French and reproduced in facsimile -- work best in book form. Adorned with van Gogh's sketches, they begin with his move from Paris to the rural town of Arles in 1887 and end just a few months before his suicide in 1889. In impassioned and often coarse language, he celebrates earthly pleasures, extols Rembrandt, Courbet and Millet, and indulges in ecstasies of color. KAREN ROSENBERG -- New York Times 12/7/07
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A VOLUME TO BE READ, REREAD, AND TREASURED,
This review is from: Vincent Van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Emile Bernard (Hardcover)
A friend of many Impressionists, Vincent van Gogh stands alone among artists, beloved, admired and respected by millions. While many of his paintings are familiar to us, this beautiful volume offers insights into his thinking, his cretaive process, and his life. The letters presented herein were written between December 1887 and November 1889 to his younger friend and colleague, Emile Bernard. These epistles are priceless as they focus to a great extent on artistic questions and, at the same time reveal a man blessed with a unique style and plagued by doubts.
Letters in this volume are numbered from 1 to 22. Facsimiles of all are presented. With these we are privy to the artist's apparent disregard for apostrophes and his cavalier use of capital letters. A joy and privilege to see the writing in his own script, complete with drawings and crossed out words. Following the facsimiles one finds the letters printed in the original French along with transcriptions. Also included are generous full color reproductions of paintings by van Gogh and Bernard, many of which are discussed in the epistles as van Gogh both criticized and praised the younger artist. What comes through very clearly in the correspondence is the depth of friendship the two men shared. Van Gogh's last letter was written mere months before he took his own life. Vincent van Gogh Painted with Words is a volume to be read, reread, studied, and treasured. It contributes immeasurably to our understanding of this troubled genius. Highly recommended. - Gail Cooke
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Handshake in Thought,
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This review is from: Vincent Van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Emile Bernard (Hardcover)
An excellent addition to the library of anyone with a serious interest in Vincent van Gogh, or for that matter Emile Bernard.
In 1996 I enjoyed reading the selected letters of van Gogh, a gifted writer, in a book edited by Ronald De Leeuw. This current effort has a more narrow focus but is greatly enhanced by the fine selection of accompanying artwork. The explanatory chapter notes are superb. Its editors and the Morgan Library should win prizes for this scholarly work.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful publication...,
By art cat (Newton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Vincent Van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Emile Bernard (Hardcover)
..in fact, in my entire library, one of the best. I read it before viewing the exhibition. The facsimiles of the letters are as good as seeing them in person. Art and letter lovers alike will cherish this book!
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