Product Description

One of the most important and powerful works in the literature of art, this critically acclaimed classic is now available in a boxed set edition with all the original text and illustrations.

Articulate, intimate, written with honest directness, these letters lay bare the events of van Gogh's dramatic life, providing remarkable insights into the creative process and touching revelations of his personal anguish. The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh was first published by New York Graphic Society in 1958. Surely among the most distinguished books ever published, it is still the only complete edition of the letters in English. Illustrated by the more than two hundred ink drawings the artist sketched into his letters, the collection has been the source of numerous biographical and fictional works, but none has matched the intensity of the original material. Most of the letters were written to the artist's brother, Theo, and it was Theo's son, Vincent, who acted as consulting editor for the publication. A touching memoir by Theo's wife serves as the introduction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84074 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1896 pages

From Amazon.com
After more than 1,500 pages of Vincent van Gogh's letters, most of them addressed to his younger brother, Theo, a reader is exhausted by the struggles, arguments, and ultimate suicide of the creator of some of the most coveted paintings on earth, and yet elated by the triumph of art and family devotion over constant sorrow.

However depressing the life of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), his struggle is continually redeemed by lucid, analytical observations on art and artists as disparate as his black-sheep friend Gauguin, Manet, Degas, Japanese prints, and even the American illustrator Howard Pyle. He retains a touching certainty that his early hero, Millet, whose pictures of peasants so moved him, will prove to be the precursor of all that is progressive in art.

This three-volume, boxed set is a replica of the one originally published in 1958 by the New York Graphic Society, a translation from the Dutch of letters painstakingly ordered and preserved by Theo's young widow, Jo, in the early part of the 20th century. It would have benefited from annotations reflecting recent van Gogh scholarship and theory, but nonetheless it remains a remarkable collection of documents, including Jo's well-known memoir and family history. The early drawings are shockingly clunky, without a hint of grace or confidence. This awkwardness never disappears entirely, but evolves into an aura of hard-won authenticity, as if van Gogh were continually grappling with some fundamental, but ineffable, truth.

The symptoms of madness, "an illness much like any other," alienated Vincent from everyone around him. Even his aging parents, he wrote, "feel the same dread of taking me in ... as they would about taking in a big rough dog."

"How much sadness there is in life," he wrote to Theo. But he found the antidote: "The right thing is to work." Work he did, with astonishing single- mindedness. He mercilessly demanded supplies and continual financial aid from his brother, and although we think of their relationship as a perfect union, Vincent wrote with occasional anger, impatience, or even cruelty, once coldly assessing Theo's personality: "The bright side of your character is your reliability in money matters."

There is a tremendous dramatic tension in the third volume of letters, as we see the artist leap ahead in skill and insight, knowing all the while that this is a life that does not go all the way. This collection requires, and rewards, a devoted reader. --Margaret Moorman

Ingram
"Had van Gogh been only a mediocre artist, these letters would have assured him a place in literature, for they are written with a power, intensity, and insight rare even among the great writers."--Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times. First published in 1958, this is still the only complete edition of the letters in English. Illustrated with over 200 ink drawings van Gogh sketched into his letters.

About the Author
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was born near Brabant, the son of a minister. Largely self-taught as an artist, he moved to Paris in 1886 and lived with his devoted brother, Theo, who as a dealer introduced him to artists like Gauguin, Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec and Seurat. In 1888, he moved to Arles hoping to establish an artists' colony. He was joined briefly by Gauguin in October 1888, but the visit was not a success. A final argument led to the infamous episode in which van Gogh mutilated his ear. In 1889 he became a voluntary patient at the St. Remy asylum, where he continued to paint. He moved to Auvers to be closer to Theo in 1890. He died, having sold only one work, following a botched suicide attempt.

Customer Reviews

Vincent Van Gogh correspondence
This beautiful set of Van Gogh's letters starts with an introduction by his nephew (Theo's son) and a biography of Vincent Van Gogh by his sister-in-law , Theo's widow. It is a special set of books. The boxed set is very beautiful and I have it on display in my living room. I was fortunate enough to have seen the Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam ..., (and to have seen the Van Gogh exhibit when it came to the U.S. over 30 years ago. ...). I feel the artist's extraordinary family did so much to bring his art and writing to us, including this lovely book set. I thought the ... price was most reasonable considering what I got, and it made my trip to Holland even more special!

If you have the time...
I've seen Van Gogh's paintings many times in various museums and I find him one of the most fascinating characters in the history of art. Vincent's letters correspondence with his brother Theo are both revealing and transformative. Vincent writes as he painted--with great passion as he tries to communicate his inspirations, insights and frustrations to his dear brother Theo. The result of reading them is that they make you, the reader, see things in a new light.

This three-volume compendium is essentially everything you'd ever want to know about Vincent and then some. Frankly, for me though it was too much. To wade through Vincent's endless letters and replies was more work than pleasure. Though I didn't feel comfortable settling for any of the abridged collections that various biographers have published recently.

The only one of such books that I would recommend is "Stranger on the Earth : A Psychological Biography of Vincent Van Gogh" by Albert J. Lubin, which is a fascinating and, thankfully, shorter insight into Vincent's fascinatingly fragile personality.

An invaluable Van Gogh resource
This three volume set is an absolutely invaluable reference for any Van Gogh enthusiast. Van Gogh's letters offer tremendous insights into his life and works. That's why a complete set of the letters is a must--most of the other versions are heavily edited ("butchered" some would say). Dr. Jan Hulsker (one of the world's foremost Van Gogh scholars) once wrote: "[His letters] enable us to know more about Van Gogh's life and mentality than we do of any other artist. The letters form a running commentary on his work, and a human document without parallel."

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is working on an exciting and ambitious project to issue a completely new and revised set of the letters, but until that extraordinary reference is available, this set is the next best thing. Even for those not especially interested in Van Gogh's art, the letters are a striking, and sometimes painful, exploration of a man consumed with doubt, filled with compassion and profoundly troubled.