Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890

Heavy tome that will delight you for years. I leave mine on the coffee table to read the chronological back stories and, at random, open to infuse in a Van Gogh of the day

I love this book. Over 800+ letters by Vincent Van Gogh were saved and they are astonishing! There are pictures and jottings and this book is mesmerizing!

Not a literary review here, I'm just a lover of pure aethsetics. I was looking for a version of Van Gough's letters that included high quality images of his sketches along with the translated text. This printing does that and much more, selecting 150 of the most interesting letters. We're just fans, not academics, so it's great to find a collection of his work that doesn't break the bank. And don't be put off by the soft cover edition, this is a well made book with thick, glossy paper and a heft that made me think it was a hardcover when I took it out of the box.

Love everything about this book

After visiting the traveling multi-sensorial exhibit of Van Gogh's art in the states, I needed to read more. I have always envied his creative art on the canvas, but I had never read his words until that exhibit. I spent three hours reading them over and over again and decided I needed this book! It really provided insight into the mind and heart of a deeply gifted yet conflicted soul. What a kind person Van Gogh must have been but oh! How he never discovered how precious and talented he was! After reading, I hopped a jet to Amsterdam to visit his lovely museum. You might decide to do that too after reading the book!

I saw this book first at the MOMA in New York. Waited until I got home to see if I still wanted it...I did...so found it on Amazon. I love all things Van Gogh and this book is a good one to have if you do. For $20, it's really nice to have a reasonably comprehensive book about the letters between him and his brother Theo and the prints of his paintings are well done. This is one of two books that I keep on the ottoman in my living room (the other a world guide to street art).

Since I learned who he was, Vincent Van Gogh has been one of my favorite artists. Van Gogh's Letters by H. Anna Suh has taught me much more about him. This book provides English translations of all the letters Van Gogh wrote to his younger brother Theo, who supported and encouraged the artist throughout his difficult and troubled life as a painter. Though he was never financially successful in his tireless efforts to break new ground in his work, he never lost his passion for painting or for people, especially poor working people. Through his letters, the reader shares his passions as well as his struggles with a developing madness that eventually led him to take his own life. His wonderful and colorful paintings, however, remain. Though his contemporaries, who neither understood him or his work ever recognized his genius, successive generations did. H. Anna Suh has produced a book that allows us to see just what it took for Van Gogh to bequeath his brilliant work to the world. In addition, Ms. Suh has provided images of his paintings throughout, making it a feast not just for the mind, but for the eye as well. Jean Barber

Very deep and touching letters full of wisdom, sadness and love for art and people. Thanks to these letters, we see Van Gogh as a kind, generous and very modest man. This is the real life of great artist.

Perfect book for Vincent fans

Love it. Such a great book for Van Gogh’s fans.

It has taken me a week to carefully read this, and when I got to the end, I was disappointed: what no more? The sub title is 'the mind of the artist in paintings, drawings and works, 1875-1890.' The editor, translator, and publisher are to be congratulated: the selection for the letters - I did not want to read the full seven volume set, with the linking with both drawings and paintings, is low key, but sensitive, and the reproductions are excellent. I did have an initial question mark about an impression which marked the first few pages, but hopefully other 'new' editions, are not deemed sub-standard by the printers - I know it happens. Van Gogh's output in a very short space of time was phenomenal, and the letters in fact reveal the growing passion to depict what he saw. What is very interesting is how the early drawings - where he quite openly admits, he is learning to draw, begin to take on a new meaning when he starts to paint, some water colours which I found quite beautiful and somehow innocent, and then the surety with which colour is handled in an increasingly and idiosyncratically expressive way in the later oil paintings. What comes through the letters is a number of qualities, a spiritual insight into things which reminded me of Hopkins's concept of 'inscape'; a love of Nature; a humility as a human being - something I had also found in Pisarro's letters to his son; and a growing passion. The way his drawing developed from sketches to similitudes of later brush strokes I found very interesting. There is so much in the letters, that one cannot even begin to comment. I had the same experience last year reading the Journal of Delacroix - one of the painters of the Barbizon school he looked up to, and he does talk about other painters with increasing familiarity. Seeing how the drawings developed was a revelation, but also seeing that almond blossom and a starry sky at night, came from the same eye and the same hand, was part of the mystery that was, and doubtless will be for quite some time, Van Gogh. A super book.

Fantastic source of ideas, very moving letters to his brother Theo.

Very good book for reading.