French Impressionist, letters to sister-in-law

Although there are only a very few letters included, considering how many he wrote that survive, still it is a good compilation. I liked the book very much mostly because of its subject. When I went to Arles a few years ago, it was the avenue and its trees in the Alyscamps that I photographed. I wasn't so much interested in the ancient tombs. But that avenue in the fall (I was there in October) with some yellow leaves on the trees, the rest having fallen, was so beautiful. It was later, when I started reading about Vincent, that I discovered that his reaction to that place was the same or, I should say that mine were the same as his had been. Mark Roskill refers, in his editorial note at the beginning, to his own "feelings towards this great artist and intensely lovable man." I feel the same. ( )

How blessed we are that these letters were saved! ( )

This generous selection of letters not only gives insight into Van Gogh’s aims and values as an artist, but stands as the literary record of a magnificent human soul. I was fascinated to follow him as he struggled to find his vocation. His detours as an art dealer, a bookseller, a preacher, all the while recording in his letters vivid visual descriptions of landscape and people. When he finally realized art was his calling, he had the sensibility of an artist from the start, even as he struggled with perspective and other matters of technique.
The hints of mania that take the form of religious fanaticism when he preached among coal miners transmuted to a personal approach to art. In a letter to his brother Theo in July 1885, Vincent contrasts his paintings of workers with earlier artists’ depiction of “types.” He is more interested in depicting work than in portraying exotic figures. When he paints faces, his ambition was to create a new kind of portrait, one that showed the mind, the soul, of the subject, rather than carefully recreating the surface facial features. To achieve what he’s after, he places less value on strict anatomical accuracy, becoming a forerunner of modernism.
Since most of his surviving letters were addressed to Theo, there is little from his hand to report his stay in Theo’s apartment in Paris. There he met the Impressionists and studied their trailblazing work. His own canvases from his time there reflect his absorption of their brighter palette. Yet when he left Paris for Arles, in the south of France, he consciously rejected many aspects of their style. He explained his decision to Theo. The Impressionists used color combinations to more accurately convey their visual impression than a direct application of color would. Van Gogh became convinced he should use vivid colors to express his emotional reaction to what he saw.
His letters not only report on his progress as an artist and his thoughts on theory, technique, and other artists. I was struck by how Vincent documents his passion for reading. It’s no surprise that he read books by and about artists, but he also devoured much contemporary literature, especially in French and English (he was good at languages).
In light of his complicated relationships (not only with Gaughin), his breakdowns, and his violent end, there is the temptation to read all his passionate outbursts and his tendency to preach condescendingly as ravings of a madman. The editor, Ronald de Leeuw, argues against this in his introduction. Yet, there are features in some of the letters that would sustain such a view. Balanced against this, however, are passages that convey his love of life and humanity and art. It took me a while to finish the book as I often stopped to copy out passages such as this one: “Anything complete and perfect renders infinity tangible.” Vincent Van Gogh’s output was impressive, both in volume and in its striking originality. Yet it is clear reading these letters that he is striving to convey the lustrous wonder of life, something far beyond what he or any other artist can achieve. ( )

Diaries and letters are my #1 favorite books to read. Doesn't matter if the person is famous or not. Unfortunately, Vinnie's letters were boring AF for me. I like to read about what people were doing, thinking, saying, feeling, eating, drinking...I skimmed around through the book and didn't really find any of that. However, I was having a REALLY BAD DAY thanks to my internet down and missing half a day of work, and I rarely get rid of a non-fiction book and don't think I've ever gotten rid of a book of diaries or letters, so back on the shelf he went. Maybe I'll try again another time. ( )