Reviews" The definitive biography for decades to come ."--Leo Jansen, curator, the Van Gogh Museum, and co-editor of Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Letters "In their magisterial new biography , Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith provide a guided tour through the personal world and work of that Dutch painter, shining a bright light on the evolution of his art. . . . What [the authors] capture so powerfully is Van Gogh's extraordinary will to learn, to persevere against the odds." -- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Captivating . . . Winners of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for their biography of Jackson Pollock, [Naifeh and Smith] bring a booming authorial voice and boundless ingenuity to the task and have written a thoroughly engaging account of the Dutch painter. Drawing on Van Gogh's almost uniquely rich correspondence . . . the authors vividly reconstruct the intertwined stories of his life and his art, portraying him as a 'victim of his own fanatic heart.' . . . Their fine book has the potential not only to reinvigorate the broad base of popular interest that Van Gogh already enjoys but to introduce a whole new generation to one of art history's most remarkable creative spirits." -- Jonathan Lopez, The Wall Street Journal "Could very well be the definitive biography . . . In it we get a much fuller view of Van Gogh, owing to the decade Naifeh and Smith spent on research to create this scholarly and spellbinding work. . . . How pleased we should be that [these authors] have rendered so exquisitely and respectfully Van Gogh's short, intense, and wholly interesting life."--Roberta Silman, The Boston Globe "This generation's definitive portrait of the great Dutch post-Impressionist . . . [The authors'] most important achievement is to produce a reckoning with Van Gogh's occasional 'madness' that doesn't lose sight of the lucidity and intelligence--the profound sanity--of his art."--Richard Lacayo, Time " Brilliant . . . Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith are the big-game hunters of modern art history. . . . [ Van Gogh ] rushes along on a tide of research. . . . At once a model of scholarship and an emotive, pacy chunk of hagiography."--Martin Herbert, The Daily Telegraph (London), " The definitive biography for decades to come ."-Leo Jansen, curator, the Van Gogh Museum, and co-editor of Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Letters "In their magisterial new biography , Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith provide a guided tour through the personal world and work of that Dutch painter, shining a bright light on the evolution of his art. . . . What [the authors] capture so powerfully is Van Gogh's extraordinary will to learn, to persevere against the odds." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Captivating . . . Winners of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for their biography of Jackson Pollock, [Naifeh and Smith] bring a booming authorial voice and boundless ingenuity to the task and have written a thoroughly engaging account of the Dutch painter. Drawing on Van Gogh's almost uniquely rich correspondence . . . the authors vividly reconstruct the intertwined stories of his life and his art, portraying him as a 'victim of his own fanatic heart.' . . . Their fine book has the potential not only to reinvigorate the broad base of popular interest that Van Gogh already enjoys but to introduce a whole new generation to one of art history's most remarkable creative spirits." - Jonathan Lopez, The Wall Street Journal "Could very well be the definitive biography . . . In it we get a much fuller view of Van Gogh, owing to the decade Naifeh and Smith spent on research to create this scholarly and spellbinding work. . . . How pleased we should be that [these authors] have rendered so exquisitely and respectfully Van Gogh's short, intense, and wholly interesting life."-Roberta Silman, The Boston Globe "This generation's definitive portrait of the great Dutch post-Impressionist . . . [The authors'] most important achievement is to produce a reckoning with Van Gogh's occasional 'madness' that doesn't lose sight of the lucidity and intelligence-the profound sanity-of his art."-Richard Lacayo, Time " Brilliant . . . Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith are the big-game hunters of modern art history. . . . [ Van Gogh ] rushes along on a tide of research. . . . At once a model of scholarship and an emotive, pacy chunk of hagiography."-Martin Herbert, The Daily Telegraph (London) From the Hardcover edition., " The definitive biography for decades to come ."-Leo Jansen, curator, the Van Gogh Museum, and co-editor of Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Letters "In their magisterial new biography , Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith provide a guided tour through the personal world and work of that Dutch painter, shining a bright light on the evolution of his art. . . . What [the authors] capture so powerfully is Van Gogh's extraordinary will to learn, to persevere against the odds." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Captivating . . . Winners of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for their biography of Jackson Pollock, [Naifeh and Smith] bring a booming authorial voice and boundless ingenuity to the task and have written a thoroughly engaging account of the Dutch painter. Drawing on Van Gogh's almost uniquely rich correspondence . . . the authors vividly reconstruct the intertwined stories of his life and his art, portraying him as a 'victim of his own fanatic heart.' . . . Their fine book has the potential not only to reinvigorate the broad base of popular interest that Van Gogh already enjoys but to introduce a whole new generation to one of art history's most remarkable creative spirits." - Jonathan Lopez, The Wall Street Journal "Could very well be the definitive biography . . . In it we get a much fuller view of Van Gogh, owing to the decade Naifeh and Smith spent on research to create this scholarly and spellbinding work. . . . How pleased we should be that [these authors] have rendered so exquisitely and respectfully Van Gogh's short, intense, and wholly interesting life."-Roberta Silman, The Boston Globe "This generation's definitive portrait of the great Dutch post-Impressionist . . . [The authors'] most important achievement is to produce a reckoning with Van Gogh's occasional 'madness' that doesn't lose sight of the lucidity and intelligence-the profound sanity-of his art."-Richard Lacayo, Time " Brilliant . . . Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith are the big-game hunters of modern art history. . . . [ Van Gogh ] rushes along on a tide of research. . . . At once a model of scholarship and an emotive, pacy chunk of hagiography."-Martin Herbert, The Daily Telegraph (London)
Dewey Decimal759.9492 B
SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "The definitive biography for decades to come."--Leo Jansen, curator, the Van Gogh Museum, and co-editor of Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Letters Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, who galvanized readers with their Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Jackson Pollock, have written another tour de force--an exquisitely detailed, compellingly readable portrait of Vincent van Gogh. Working with the full cooperation of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Naifeh and Smith have accessed a wealth of previously untapped materials to bring a crucial understanding to the larger-than-life mythology of this great artist: his early struggles to find his place in the world; his intense relationship with his brother Theo; and his move to Provence, where he painted some of the best-loved works in Western art. The authors also shed new light on many unexplored aspects of Van Gogh's inner world: his erratic and tumultuous romantic life; his bouts of depression and mental illness; and the cloudy circumstances surrounding his death at the age of thirty-seven. Though countless books have been written about Van Gogh, no serious, ambitious examination of his life has been attempted in more than seventy years. Naifeh and Smith have re-created Van Gogh's life with an astounding vividness and psychological acuity that bring a completely new and sympathetic understanding to this unique artistic genius. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review * The Washington Post * The Wall Street Journal * San Francisco Chronicle * NPR * The Economist * Newsday * BookReporter "In their magisterial new biography, Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith provide a guided tour through the personal world and work of that Dutch painter, shining a bright light on the evolution of his art. . . . What [the authors] capture so powerfully is Van Gogh's extraordinary will to learn, to persevere against the odds." -- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Brilliant . . . Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith are the big-game hunters of modern art history. . . . [ Van Gogh ] rushes along on a tide of research. . . . At once a model of scholarship and an emotive, pacy chunk of hagiography." --Martin Herbert, The Daily Telegraph (London), NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "The definitive biography for decades to come." --Leo Jansen, curator, the Van Gogh Museum, and co-editor of Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Letters Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, who galvanized readers with their Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Jackson Pollock, have written another tour de force--an exquisitely detailed, compellingly readable portrait of Vincent van Gogh. Working with the full cooperation of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Naifeh and Smith have accessed a wealth of previously untapped materials to bring a crucial understanding to the larger-than-life mythology of this great artist: his early struggles to find his place in the world; his intense relationship with his brother Theo; and his move to Provence, where he painted some of the best-loved works in Western art. The authors also shed new light on many unexplored aspects of Van Gogh's inner world: his erratic and tumultuous romantic life; his bouts of depression and mental illness; and the cloudy circumstances surrounding his death at the age of thirty-seven. Though countless books have been written about Van Gogh, no serious, ambitious examination of his life has been attempted in more than seventy years. Naifeh and Smith have re-created Van Gogh's life with an astounding vividness and psychological acuity that bring a completely new and sympathetic understanding to this unique artistic genius. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review - The Washington Post - The Wall Street Journal - San Francisco Chronicle - NPR - The Economist - Newsday - BookReporter "In their magisterial new biography, Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith provide a guided tour through the personal world and work of that Dutch painter, shining a bright light on the evolution of his art. . . . What the authors] capture so powerfully is Van Gogh's extraordinary will to learn, to persevere against the odds." -- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Brilliant . . . Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith are the big-game hunters of modern art history. . . . Van Gogh ] rushes along on a tide of research. . . . At once a model of scholarship and an emotive, pacy chunk of hagiography." --Martin Herbert, The Daily Telegraph (London)