Product Description
VINCENT VANGOGH

Few artists command such fervent devotion amongst art lovers and such high prices in the salerooms of the art world. Love him or hate him, Vincent van Gogh is one of a handful of artists who is now a cultural event.

Stuart Morris's study concentrates on the paintings first, and employs van Gogh's eloquent letters as an aesthetic reference point. Much of the book is concerned with metacriticism - the way van Gogh has been critically received over the years.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most celebrated of painters.It's a bit of a mystery. The mystery (or irony) is that his paintingshave commanded the highest prices in the auction rooms of the contemporary art world (88 million dollars, 53 million dollars, and so on), yet he only managed to sell one painting during his lifetime, and he lived in poverty (with financial support from his brother Theo).

Why is Vincent van Gogh so popular? His legend has developed relatively rapidly. His art is loved by the critics and public. The crazy prices paid for single oil paintings are the manifestations of the fervour that van Gogh seems to generate. He is one of the handful of painters who cause great excitement every time exhibitions of his work are put on. One thinks also of Claude Monet, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonaroti and Pablo Picasso. These are artists that the public go mad for, so that when they are exhibited, there are huge queues trailing around the block.

The 1990 centenary celebrations of 'poor Vincent' showed how much he is exalted. There were films about him, discussions and conferences, TV documentaries, magazine articles, reviews, letters, and much merchandize was sold, to the great glee of the manufacturers: posters, tea towels, calendars, mugs, souvenirs of all kinds. What would the dishevelled, obsessive man who painted those small canvases in the years up to 1890 in Southern France make of the amazing fuss that now surrounds his work? What would van Gogh think of just one of his paintings being bought for 88 million dollars? It is a huge sum even in today's expensive world. You could build a hospital or two with the money. Imagine it! Did Vincent know that when he painted those blue irises on that small, standard-size canvas, that it would one day be 'worth' millions of dollars?

I shall count myself very happy if I can manage to work enough to earn my living, for it worries me a lot when I think that I have done so many pictures and drawings without ever selling one.

Like the workers he depicted in numerous images, Vincent van Gogh himself worked very hard to improve his art. With a dogged determination van Gogh copied the Old Masters, as well as Japanese prints. His determined self-education and self-improvement paid off, resulting in more than 800 paintings in about 8 years. The years of van Gogh's art are relatively few - nearly all of the important works were made in the decade 1880-90. Hence his paintings are credited in art history books with the month and sometimes the day as well as the year of production. For most artists, 1889 would suffice. For van Gogh, the credit is October 1889. Producing 800 paintings in 8 years is an average of a hundred per year, or one every three and a half days. More likely, van Gogh would have worked on a number at the same time, or within a short space of time.

Product Description
These letters, written between 1887 and 1889, are among the most important and relevant sources of insight into van Gogh's life and art. Of his decision to make the letters public, Emile Bernard said, "after reading them one could not doubt his sincerity, his character, nor his originality; there, pulsating with life, one would find the whole of him." Twenty-three missives, accompanied by reproductions of a number of van Gogh's major paintings and facsimiles from his letters, radiate their author's impulsiveness, intensity, and mysticism. Essential reading for scholars and students of art, the volume will also be treasured by artists and art lovers. Chronology. Select Bibliography. Index. 32 full-page, black-and-white illustrations.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Vincent Up Close & Personal
What an enlightening opportunity to be a fly on the wall reading letters from probably the most verbal of all the famous painters.Imagine, as a bonus, getting "the rest of the story" from the massive number of letters van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo.This was an amazing labor to gift us who buy this book to learn what van Gogh thought about other painters who also became famous, how he painted, painting processes he engaged in, and sometimes what troubled him and how he spoke about his "episodes" to others in his circle.I felt I had secret access to van Gogh as I read his thoughts about relationships he had with other masters and his feelings about other painters in his time.

As a painter, I loved learning about van Gogh's painting technique, color choices, and thought processes.I learned first hand what van Gogh was thinking when he painted individual paintings I have seen many times, the ideas, the color combinations, the places he loved.

Even though I had read many books about van Gogh and many more that contained information about him, after reading this book, I felt I had an intimate knowledge of him, really knew him, even felt mentored by him.

You don't have to be a lover of art or artist to gain tremendous insight from this book. Anyone curious about people, interested in exploring the mind of a genius, and especially those interested in personality traits and individual psychology would find this book a treasure trove. ... Read more

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Sunflowers, The Bridge at Langlois, The Postman Roulin, Vincent’s Chair, Café Terrace By Night, and 11 others.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Nicely written and interesting to read
Nicely illustrated and easy to read.I often enjoy only the plates in art history books however I found the text interesting as well in this book.

A "must" for Vincent van Gogh enthusiasts!
Vincent van Gogh is one of the truly influential painters of his day and painted art revealing complex spirituality and intense emotion that continue to impress art students, connoisseurs, and artists today. He was able to imbue his work with his own psychological presence as is especially evidenced in his many self-portraits. In Van Gogh, art historian and Post-Impressionist expert Belinda Thompson has assembled his paintings and works drawn from the archives and collections of the Art Institute Of Chicago including such famous works as an 1887 Self-Portrait, The Bedroom, and Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle. Thirty of the images are reproduced in full color, together with another twenty-two duotone comparative illustrations. Van Gogh is further enhanced for the reader with an informative account tracing the great artist's development as a painter in Holland, England, and France in a career that was to last less than a decade. Van Gogh is a very highly recommended addition to any personal, academic, or community library Post-Impressionist art history reference collection in general, and to Vincent van Gogh enthusiasts in particular.

Good stocking stuffer or use for stationary, envelopes, etc.
These stickers are approx. 1 3/4" x 2 3/4" and include the titleof the painting and artist name.They are clear, good quality despite beingsticker size.There are many applications for these including stationary,envelopes, etc. or make great stocking stuffers.

Van Gogh art stickers
Beautiful and affordable.They make wonderful additions to letters for friends, and my young son likes to make his own stationery with them.We also contributed some art stickers by Matisse and Degas to his classroomfor a celebration of spring. ... Read more

Product Description
How well he has understood the exquisite nature of flowers!
--Octave Mirbeau (1848-1917), French art critic and the first owner of Irises

Vincent van Gogh painted Irises in the last year of his life, in the garden of the asylum at Saint-Rémy, where he was recuperating from an attack of mental illness. Although he considered the painting more a study than a finished picture, his brother Theo submitted it to the Salon des Indépendants in September 1889. Its energy and theme--the regenerative powers of the earth--express the artist's deeply held belief in the divinity of art and nature.
This groundbreaking book fills a gap in Van Gogh scholarship with an in-depth study of Irises--among the J. Paul Getty Museum's most famous paintings--placed in the context of his glorious flower and garden paintings. Full-color reproductions include not only Irises, but also a panoply of nature paintings from collections around the world, by Van Gogh and the artists who inspired him, such as Albrecht Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin. ... Read more

Product Description
This exciting new art series combines the most popular artists with expert text and a fresh, unique, format destined to appeal to children and adults alike. Each of the Rizzoli Quadrifolios features sixteen foldout pages that open into huge poster-sized reproductions of the work, allowing readers to feel as though they have leaped into work itself. The series begins with two artists whose work continually compels audiences: Michelangelo and Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh features a variety of the best-known paintings by the Dutch artist, whose work continually breaks records at auctions. A tour of Van Gogh's portraits will travel to major American museums throughout 200 and 2001.
Amazon.com Review
No other painter better embodies the idea of the tortured artist than Vincent van Gogh. Modern-art historian Meyer Schapiro recognizes this when he states that "what is most important is that van Gogh converted all this aspiration and anguish into his art, which thus became the first example of a truly personal art, art as a deeply lived means of spiritual deliverance or transformation of the self...." What naturally follows from Schapiro is not only a synopsis of van Gogh's artistic career and personal travails, but also an insightful analysis of van Gogh's technique and handling of paint, and how they manipulate the viewer's emotional response to his paintings. With a sympathetic yet penetrating essay by Schapiro, this book is a pleasure to read for van Gogh enthusiasts of any level. The more expert art historian might prefer van Gogh's drawings, of which approximately 20 are reproduced here in black and white. It is for his paintings, however, that one admires van Gogh, and this book's 49 full-page color plates with accompanying comments by Schapiro are its strength. Van Gogh contains works from no less than 30 different worldwide collections to better represent all phases of the artist's development, and includes his most famous and best-loved works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I never saw the book.
I bought a book from Vika. It is on my order list for delivery, but Vika decided not to send it to me. Can the seller do that?

Wonderful
This is a wonderful collection of Van Gogh -- they fold out.At this price, it's a great purchase, not to mention a first-rate gift idea.

Beautiful images heightened by unusual binding
This unusual book was quite a find.It was made using a binding process I've never seen before.The pages actually unfold in a variety of ways to present images of Van Gogh's best loved paintings in a highly effective manner.Some pages fold out horizontally and present four works side-by-side, others fold out twice forming small posters.The quality of the graphics is excellent--especially the minute details shown in some of the enlarged reproductions.A beautiful volume and an asset to anyone who loves art. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

A great story that's very hard to follow
I found the book extremely hard to follow for a couple of reasons.First is the type font and the layout.The book seems to have been condensed to save space for some unknown reason.The font is extremely small, letters are compressed together and the spaces are extremely tight within a paragraph which will make your eyes strain to read and ultimatley will give you a headache.Second and most important, the book was translated from French to English and the translation is difficult to comprehend at times causing to re-read what you have just read.It reads like someone who is learing English and writing for the first time and the sentence structure is baffling through out most the read.You will have to do your own interpretations of what is attempted to be said.I haven't even made it through two chapters yet I am already frustrated trying to get into this stroy.Having been written in 1931 also doesn't help matters since it seems wtiting styles were very different back then just adds to the difficulty in reading this book.But, I will continue on hoping that I can learn more about the life of Van Gogh which is why is bought this book in the first place.

Wonderful Biography
I just finished this excellent biography this afternoon. After reading Stone's Lust for Life, I was curious to read a regular biography about Van Gogh. This is not exactly a "regular" biography, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. Meier-Graefe blurs the line between historical fiction and biographical nonfiction. The result is really fantastic. I felt like I got a sense of Van Gogh's tortured soul, his complex relationships (with his brother, with Gauguin..), and how it all worked together to create his art. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore Vincent van Gogh's life and art, and the influences that shaped his work.

Discover the tragic genius of Vincent van Gogh with this beautiful and highly informative guide, which tells the fascinating story of his life and work. Superb specially commissioned photographs show the methods and materials van Gogh used to create his masterpieces, while art expert Bruce Bernard offers a rare "eyewitness" view into the painter's distinctive canvases, and the complex character behind them. See van Gogh's striking use of color and texture, the originality and expressiveness of his techniques, the masters that inspired him, and the work he produced during his madness. Learn of young Vincent's painful unrequited love, how poverty and illness added to his despair, how we won Monet's praise and influenced Toulouse-Lautrec, and about van Gogh's interest in Japan. Discover the astonishing speed at which van Gogh painted, the crisis that caused him to cut off part of his ear, his friendships with other artists, including Paul Gauguin, and much, much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Van Gogh
Eyewitness Books are filled with wonderful photographs and pictures.They tell great stories and information about a wide number of nonfiction topics.This book is about Vincent Van Gogh.It covers his life and works right up to his death.The book is written for grades 5 and up.I use them for a teaching tool for ESOL students in a middle school setting.The reading can be tough but great for the more advanced kids.The photographs and pictures help a lot in bringing an understanding about a topic to a student who doesn't understand much English.My homeroom kids love these books too.I highly recommend them to teachers and parents alike.

Pleasing to the eye
This is an easy to read, summary of his life, with nice pictures and information.

WELL WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED PLUS SUCCINCT INFO! FOR AGE 9-99!
First of all I must say anything DK Publishing touches turns to gold; and the same goes double to infinity for Vincent. You would not believe the information packed into this 64 page carry anywhere book full of photographs of family and places he lived, amazing sketches, personal belongings, influences, quotes, and over 70 of his most popular and beautiful paintings and so much more! This is for everyone! It does not include "Starry Night" however.

Here are the contents: 1YOUTH AND FAMILY2LIFE IN ENGLAND3PREACHING AND POVERTY 4THE IMAGE OF THE SOWER 5ETTEN AND THE HAGUE 6PEASANTS AT WORK 7A LOVE OF NATURE 8A MATTER OF FAITH 9A PEASANT MEAL 10ARRIVAL IN ANTWERP 11THE ANTWERP ACADEMY 12A PARISIAN EXPERIENCE 13IMAGES OF PARIS 14THE IMPRESSIONISTS 15NEW APPROACHES 16JAPANESE INFLUENCES 17SUNFLOWERS 18A STUDY IN YELLOW 19THE LURE OF THE SOUTH 20VAN GOGH AND GAUGUIN 21A HEROIC SELF PORTRAIT 22THE AFFLICTED ARTIST 23NATURAL STUDIES 24COPIES 25PROVENCAL LANDSCAPE 26AN ERRATIC RECOVERY 27A RETURN TO THE NORTH 28THE FINAL ACT 29KEY DATES/ VAN GOGH COLLECTIONS 30GLOSSARY/ WORKS ON EXHIBIT 31INDEX/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

What makes this book so enjoyable is that it has it all. Most books I've seen on Vincent are either loaded with art but the book layout is impossible to read due to lack of organization; or the opposite--books with tons of information but nothing but black and white thumbnail sketches. This book is a gem; extremely colorful plus has some black and white-- but each and every page is fully organized and beautiful to read and look at. Bruce Bernard, you have got to be the most organized man in the universe! WOW!

A must own for anyone and everyone! Especially the beginner to intermediate van Gogh enthusiast, however; the personal belongings, photographs, quotes and succinctness of this book would be well appreciated by the most acumen of Vincent's studiers/admirers.

P.S. I highly recommend this book and any other of the series of Eyewitness books that strike your fancy. I also own book #25 Crystal and Gems. There are 110 different books from everything to Music, Fossils, Reptiles, Invention, Weather, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Bible Lands, Volcano and Earthquake, Shark; Aztec, Inca and Maya; Castle, Pyramid, Ancient China, Archeology, North American Indian, Ocean, Battle, Witches and Magic-Makers, Space Exploration, Crime Detection, Force and Motion, Chemistry, Time and Space, Astronomy, Earth, Human Body, Medicine, Technology, Electronics, Renaissance, Impressionism, Goya, Manet, Monet, Leonardo & his times, Future, Mythology, Titanic, Football, Hurricane & Tornado, Presidents, Baseball....on and on! Oh I've got to buy a few more I see!

Good things come in small packages
For a smaller book designed to give a high level overview of Van Gogh's life and career as an artist, this book is surprisingly informative and well written. Van Gogh's life is covered in a well researched commentaryand there are also sub-sections devoted specifically to"Masterpieces".The graphics are excellent and the analysisclear and concise. In terms of a good, brief overview of Vincent van Gogh,this book is first rate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Walking With Vincent and Theo
I must say, I found this book totally by accident at the Strand in NYC and it was so big, I had to have it shipped home.I am so grateful to the gods who led me to this masterpiece of a book.I had read other biographies on Vincent van Gogh, but Jan Hulsker is where every person interested in Vincent's art, life and his brother should begin.I felt like I was walking with Vincent and Theo through every day of their lives, understanding all the joys and pain, the disappointments and elation.Dr. Hulsker is THE authority on all things van Gogh and for every question you've ever had or happening you've wondered about, he has the answer... here in this thorough and easy-to-read book.He corrects us on every myth and misconception and breaks us of old habits we've all probably developed when thinking of van Gogh.Most important of all: Dr. Hulsker understood that Vincent and Theo were one person - without Theo there was no Vincent and without Vincent there was no Theo.I'd recommend following this book with the letters of Theo and Jo van Gogh-Bonger.

The Best
This is probably the best biography of both Theo and Vincent Van Gogh ever written! It is very informative and has been extremely useful in my report on Van Gogh: The Artist. I'd recommend it to anyone needing extensiveinformation on Vincent Van Gogh ... Read more

Product Description
The Art for Young People Series is a wonderful way forchildren to get to know the people behind the paintings. Throughcolorful narrative, pictures, maps, photos, and more, kids willdiscover that art is an exciting and interesting way to explore theworld.

Bold strokes and colors swirling off the page distinguish the style ofVincent Van Gogh. He was a passionate and tormented man, a fact thatis reflected in his paintings. Follow the painter through the rollercoaster of his life, and watch his paintings change with his state ofmind. Meet Van Gogh's beloved brother, Theo, and his good friends andfellow artists Paul Gaugin, Emile Bernard, and Toulouse-Lautrec.Visit Arles in the south of France, where Van Gogh lived andworked. It was there that he grew lonely and depressed, eventuallybecoming mentally ill. As his mind began to weaken, his paintingsbecame more distorted. In a way, they are a window onto what Van Goghwas seeing in his mind's eye. While he was living, he never sold asingle painting. Today Van Gogh is known as one of the greatestartists of all time. Enjoy his story through entertaining narrative,colorful pictures and photos, illustrations, maps, and more. ... Read more

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Blank
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Customer Reviews (16)

Not what I expected!
Terrible waste of money! Very thin small booklet with all white pages (blank pages) -
can be purchase anywhere for 50 cents or less.
Van Gogh would be very upset seeing its work exploited like this!

very disappointed
I thought these were actual notebook size not these teeny tiny books you can't do anything with--any ideas out there--stupid choice!!!

Good filler item.
I ordered this item as a filler item so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping.It's a pretty small book, but it does occasionally come in handy for writing notes.I'd only order it again if I needed a filler item, as I don't think it's a particularly good bargain otherwise.

Not Very Large
Though I was cautioned about the small size in another review, I didn't realize exactly how small it would be.O.K. for a book to jot down random thoughts or phone numbers or web addresses, but not room for much more than that.Honestly, I used it to get the dollar I needed for free shipping.For that purpose it's ideal!!!

too small . . not worth it
this "notebook" was much smaller than I expected . . and the pages are blank. I'm not sure what to even use this for. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the life, art, and legacy of the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. Includes a timeline linking the events in his life with world events. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

One of the best art books period.
Without question a must have for the Vincent enthusiast. The letters from those who lived at that time to witness His transformation of how and what we see, are extra-ordinarily real, and may bring tears of joy and appreciation to the reader. The repos are beyond museum quality- WOW!!!

True Value With Hundreds of Van Gogh Plates
Don't miss this one. Cover price is $75 and worth every penny. Now available on the Amazon Marketplace for just a few dollars. All of Van Gogh's best work with hundreds of full-color plates.

Best One-Volume Source on van Gogh
This is a very useful book. If you are interested only in the reproductions (good drawings as well as paintings), you will enjoy their high quality--and the breadth of Vincent's work that they cover. If you are interested in primary resources about van Gogh's life--newspaper articles; letters and reminiscences from friends, fellow artists, relatives--this volume is a real treasure. Between the excellent reproductions and the extraordinarily fine collection of biographical materials, this must be the best one-volume source on van Gogh. A great shame that it is out of print. Get one NOW!

For Van Gogh lovers.
This book is a georgeous table top or reference work , with comprehensive plate coverage and great colour resolution. What a shame it's out of print all ready! ... Read more

Product Description
Two dozen of the great Dutch artist’s most famous works, reproduced in card format: Starry Night, Roulin the Postman, The Night Café, Bouquet of Sunflowers, Self-Portrait with Pipe, L’Arlésienne, Boats on a Beach at Saintes-Maries, The Church at Auvers, and 16 others. Lovely reproductions in miniature for framing, for use as bookmarks, or for sending brief messages.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Good, Artistic, and usable
It is real good to have giftwrap paper related to Van Gogh's painting. The cost is cheap and is worthful. ... Read more

Product Description
Vincent van Gogh: The Painter and the Portrait, produced in conjunction with the international loan exhibition Van Gogh: Face to Face, explores the artist's changing conception of the portrait from his first experiments with drawing character studies around 1880 to his astonishing explorations of expressive color at the end of the decade. Illustrated with more than 50 color plates, the text incorporates selections from van Gogh's extraordinary letters, bringing the artist's singular vision of portraiture to life. This beautiful collection features portraits of the artist, his friends, neighbors, family, and other figures from his daily life offering the reader an opportunity to see inside van Gogh's world, so passionately evoked in his canvases. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Explores the artist's changing view
Vincent Van Gogh: Painter & Portrait accompanies the international loan exhibition and explores the artist's changing view of how the portrait was produced. From his first experiments with character studies around 1880 to his transition to new media and representations, this includes pieces from the artist's letters to provide a fine portrait of Van Gogh's perspective.

Vincent van Gogh...G.T. Shckelford.Universe (small edition
The eight by seven and a half format makes it easy to carry around and digest, but tasty enough to encourage the reader to look up more of Van Gogh's letters than those quoted, and references to other paintings.The overview of his Van Gogh's life emphasizes his intellect and relationship with other art lovers rather than illness and matters of the heart.What I love about this book are the close-up reproductions that clearly show details, like how Van Gogh painted the eye, sometimes very photographically, other times as a single stroke.A series of portraits like those of Postman Roulin illuminate the intensity of van Gogh's passion to conquer composition and color.Both words and pictures offer surprises for even those familiar with van Gogh's life and work. ... Read more

Product Description
Big art for little hands, these enchanting activity books allow young artists to explore the world's masterpieces on their own terms and with plenty of space to colour outside the lines. ... Read more

Product Description
Discover how artists work and share ideas

Living alone in the south of France, Vincent van Gogh missed the company of other painters. Hoping to attract artists to Arles, where he was staying, van Gogh invited Paul Gauguin to come live with him in his Yellow House. For two months, in the fall of 1888, the two men painted side by side.

However, the artists set about their work in very different ways. Vincent painted what he saw around him; Paul painted from his memory and imagination. Vincent painted quickly, while Paul often worked on canvases over a period of time.

The Yellow House, published in association with the Art Institute of Chicago, is a thought-provoking story about how artists generate and share ideas and how they work. Along with reproductions of actual paintings by van Gogh and Gauguin, the rich and lively illustrations by Jos. A. Smith bring to life the history of two artists at work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great except for potentially scary or inappropriate content
This is a picture book format story for children aged 4-8, about the time period when Paul Gaugin lived with Vincent van Gogh in Arles, France. Bright and lovely illustrations by Jos. A. Smith and reproductions of van Gogh and Gaugin's works comprise the illustrations. There is not much coverage of the impressionists in general. If this is read as a first exposure to van Gogh, Gaugin, or impressionism, the child will be confused or not understanding. I feel this is a great accompaniment after the child knows something about the Impressionist movement, van Gogh, and Gaugin. The bright and lively illustrations really make this a special book.

The story covers the time when van Gogh invited Gaugin to visit through their visit and then ending with a description of their pen pal relationship after Gaugin left Arles. The story explains the different painting methods they used, even when painting the same subject at the same time. The author explains their use of their favorite colors for backgrounds is shown and how van Gogh preferred to paint exactly what he saw while Gaugin preferred to paint from his imagination or from the content of his dreams.

Their explosive relationship is discussed, including a fight that culminated in van Gogh cutting off part of his ear, which was the last straw for Gaugin, resulting in Gaugin's departure. Depending on the sensitivity of the child, learning of this event this could be disturbing. At the back of the book is a one-page biography of each artist. I am not sure if this part was intended to be read to the child; within the van Gogh bio, it is explained that van Gogh suffered from strange moods since boyhood, then goes on to say that after the ear-cutting episode the townspeople "demanded he be locked up in a mental hospital" and goes on to say he did end up in a mental asylum. Whether you want to read this to your young child is up to you. I take issue with the idea of telling young children that townspeople can call for someone to be locked up and then knowing it came to fruition! There is also the question of how much information you want your young child to know, or how much can they understand, about depression, mental illness and the mental asylums of the 1800s. I am not calling for censorship or shaming of depression or mental illnesses, but I have issues with as to the appropriate age to venture into a discussion of mental illness, depression and self-mutilation. Other van Gogh biographies for children aged 4-8 have not included information about the ear-cutting or about the mental asylum visit, although adults seem to always be interested in this part of van Gogh's life.

If the book did not contain the ear-cutting incident in the main body of the story I'd rate this 5 stars; I'll rate it 4 stars due to the content potentially being disturbing for children aged 4-8 which the publisher states this is appropriate for.

Meet Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin
During the fall of 1888, Vincent Van Gogh invited Paul Gauguin to come live and paint with him in the Yellow House in the south of France."...he missed the company of other people, especially artists who could discuss painting.He hoped that warm, sunny Arles would attract fellow painters to join him.Together they would form a kind of family of artists, a Studio of the South."Van Gogh and Gauguin were very different in both temperment and style.Van Gogh worked quickly, painting "exactly what he saw with his own eyes", and often completed a painting in just one sitting.He "liked to load his brush with lots of paint and put it on the canvas in dots and dashes...Thick swirls of strong colors expressed his feelings-his love of nature, his joy in painting."Gauguin worked very differently.He painted more slowly, blending his paints on a palette, and spreading the colors "smoothly in careful shapes."He "painted pictures from his imagination-feelings, fantasies, and dreams."Together they worked side by side for two months, discussing art and techniques, and learning much from each other.And even after Gauguin left Arles, they continued to encourage each other through their letters.....Based on actual events, Susan Goldman Rubin has written an elegant and compelling story about the relationship between these two great artists.Her eloquent text is straightforward and informative.But it's Jos. A. Smith's artwork that really makes this book stand out.His evocative illustrations dazzle as they compare and contrast Van Gogh's and Gauguin's styles, techniques, and use of color, and include reproductions of some of the paintings created during that two month period.With biographies at the end to fill in details about both painter's lives and work, The Yellow House is an engaging, fact filled introduction, rich in history and drama, that is sure to intrigue young art lovers 5-10, and send them out looking for more

For inquisitive and artistic young minds
The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh & Paul Gauguin Side By Side is a children's color picturebook about the how two legendary artists, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, lived together in a Yellow House the south of France in 1888, and shared ideas about their painting. Yet they set about their artwork in very different ways; for example, Vincent painted what he saw while Paul painted from his memory and imagination. The Yellow House is not only an enjoyable story, but also an excellent introduction to the world of art for young readers. The vibrant color artwork strives to emulate a spark of the creative genius that van Gogh and Gauguin themselves poured into their life's work. The last two pages of The Yellow House consist of short biographies of the famous artists. An ideal gift book selection, The Yellow House is highly recommended gift book for inquisitive and artistic young minds.

LESSONS IN ART AND AMIABLENESS
What a wonderful way to teach children about art!And, not only are young readers introduced to two of the most colorful and compelling artists, but they also garner lessons in learning from one another and getting along with others.

Published in association with the Art Institute of Chicago this keepsake volume includes fine quality reproductions of paintings by van Gogh and Gauguin, as well as a brief but instructive biography of each painter.

During the autumn of 1888 these two mercurial artists shared a home in the south of France.Lonely and wanting the company of other painters van Gogh invited Gauguin to share his home in Arles.For some two months the men worked in close proximity to one another.

Disagree? Of course, they.did.In addition to technique and style they probably argued about a number of things.One thing they did agree on was that they could learn from each other.

Regrettably at that time van Gogh was on the brink of his nervous breakdown, and when that occurred Gauguin fled to Paris.

Yet, in many ways their time together was productive and memorable for both artists."The Yellow House" will surely live in the minds of many young readers! ... Read more

Product Description
Vincent van Gogh was a tormented man. From a young age, he was troubled by fits of depression. After a string of unfulfilling jobs and failed relationships, he found that painting would relieve him of his suffering. Even so, he cut off part of his left ear in a fit of rage. While in the hospital, doctors tried to diagnose his melancholy. Once he was released, he continued to paint. In a remarkable career that spanned about a decade, he turned out hundreds of paintings, including at least forty self-portraits. And then, before he was forty years old, he took his own life. Few other artists have been as successful in expressing their feelings as Vincent van Gogh. Dozens of his works are considered masterpieces. Scholars continue to try to diagnose his mental state and wonder at the talent that was lost. ... Read more