The Letters of a Post-Impressionist: Being the Familiar Correspondence of Vincent Van Gogh

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While the tragedy of his early death cemented his legacy as the romanticized ideal of a tortured artist, Vincent Van Gogh was more than his poverty, his mental illness and even his perceived genius.

Compiled by his sister-in-law, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, The Letters of a Post-Impressionist: Being the Familiar Correspondence of Vincent Van Gogh, is collection of personal letters that exists because of the endearing friendship between two brothers: Theo and Vincent Van Gogh. Consisting of hundreds of lettersboth complete and fragmentedbetween Vincent, his brother, and occasionally, his friend and fellow painter, mile Bernard, this initial volume of published letters provide a reflection of Vincent Van Gogh as both a literary and visual artist.

Read as literature, these letters paint the portrait of an incredibly gifted writer with a unique sense of literary styleread as autobiography, they chronicle an artists life and his ability to use his brush as an expression of himself.

Detailing his views on his contemporaries, the Expressionist painting style, his art and inspirationsThe Letters of a Post-Impressionist: Being the Familiar Correspondence of Vincent Van Gogh is a beautifully written epistolary biography that provides an intimate look into the mind of one of the most talented and celebrated artists in the world.

Author Bio

Vincent Van Gogh (1853--1890) was a highly influential Dutch Post-Impressionist painter best known for his uniquely expressive brushwork and use of bold, dramatic colors. Van Gogh's early life and formative adult years were marked by mundane security; he was born into an upper-middle class family, received a rounded education, and was able to make a living off of his interest in art by working as a dealer; however, while his employment provided the opportunity for travel, it also exacerbated his lifelong struggle with his mental health. It wasn't until 1881--nine years before his death--that he began to produce his own art. His early work would consist mostly of still lifes and character studies but as he began to travel and become acquainted with new artistic communities, his art would become brazen and bright--capturing vivid portraits of the natural world. However, while Van Gogh would correspond and receive financial support from his younger brother, Theodorus, he often found himself skirting the line of poverty. His lack of commercial and financial success with his painting would lead him to neglect his physical and mental health, resulting in increased psychotic episodes and delusions; the worst of which ended with Van Gogh severing part of his own left ear. After a lifelong battle with depression, on July 27th, 1890, he went out into a wheat field where he had recently been painting and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Van Gogh would die from his injuries in his room at the Auberge Ravoux just two days later. In the aftermath of his death, Van Gogh's story would--for better or worse--cement his legacy in the public imagination as the "tortured artist" and in the decades that followed his work would gain worldwide critical and commercial beyond what he could have ever imagined.