The Letters of Vincent van Gogh (Penguin Classics)

The description said it was in Dutch. It was not. It did not contain as many sketches as I thought it would have. Somewhat disappointed!

These letters as Roskill points out in his excellent introduction provide a record of the daily life of Van Gogh, and of his struggle as artist and man. His brother Theo was not simply his confidante and greatest friend, he was also his financial supporter. They shared a deeply religious family background and a knowledge of and interest in Art which was common to the broader Van Gogh family. Van Gogh is a remarkable writer and soul, who is alive to nature and to the colors of the world. He also is striving to incorporate in his own Art a moral and religious dimension. The Letters are filled with many beautiful and moving passages. They too contain Van Gogh's reflections on his own practice as Artist. "The world only concerns me in so far as I feel a certain debt and duty towards it because I have walked that earth for thirty years, and out of gratitude, want to leave some souvenir in the shape of drawings or pictures- not to please a certain cult in art, but to express a sincere human feeling .So this work is the aim - and given concentration on that one idea, everything is simplified in so far as it is not a chaos ,but done in its entirety with one aim in view." "But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things. Love a friend, a wife, something , whatever you like, and you will be on the right way of knowing more about it, that is what I say to myself.But one must love with a lofty and serious intimate sympathy , with strength, with intelligence, and one must always try to know deeper, better and more. That leads to God, that leads to unwavering faith."

this collection of van gogh's letters to his brother Theo both captivated me and broke my heart. Such an intimate look into the vulnerability of the artistic soul. Those who appreciate the artistic process will love this collection of letters. You don't need to be an admirer of Van Gogh's to appreciate this; but you will walk away admiring the man behind the sunflowers.

Van Gogh is a tremendously powerful letter- writer. In these letters mostly written to his brother we see a great , suffering , soul, a devoted artist tormented and striving. This may all sound like 'cliche' but Van Gogh is perhaps the most conspicuous example of the cliche of the suffering , rejected in- his- life artist who knows great recognition only after death. Van Gogh is a person of great intelligence, and of a very strong conscience. There are no greater letters I think ever written by an artist.And while they may be filled with a troubled and agonized spirit they too have a great richness of feeling and appreciation of life.

I bought this book several years ago in a college bookstore. How fortunate these students were to have been able to read and discuss this with others! I have had a long interest in Van Gogh and found this book to be fascinating, an almost voyeuristic look into his short life. I am glad to see that it is available * * and would hope that people now seeing the traveling Van Gogh portraiture exhibit might read it.De Leeuw has compiled letters covering over 25 years of Van Gogh's life, letters that offer the reader an intimate look into the artist's thoughts and emotions. He writes about his friendships, his family, his attempts at love affairs, his religious beliefs and questions, and most importantly, about his art. These letters reveal him as anything but the anti-social person often portrayed in the past, with the ones about his relationship with his brother Theo being particularly touching. Van Gogh was a prolific correspondent and an absolutely wonderful writer. His prose is remarkable--he could have been a writer as well as an artist. These letters shed light on the inner thoughts and the inspiration for his art and show him as a person of great passion and compassion.

This is probably the most terrific book I have ever read in my whole life. Before I bought this book I couldn't believe how Van Gogh 's life was so joined to his brother Theo and , after reading this book ,I realized how important could be in your life the presence of such an important person as a brother that support your life's choise as an artist or any other thing which needs strong support and stubborness to be archived. This told,the book offer Van Gogh's mail to Theo disclosing the whole process of Van Gogh artistic development from the early years when he was spending his lonely life ,to his relationship with Sien ,to the days of the great hope (Antwerp,Paris), to the total ruin in Arles and Sain Remi' in south of France. All those letter ends with a greeting from Van Gogh which I consider unique and that I want to borrow for my own: With a hand-shake your faithful Luca.