Van Gogh: The Life

Hey, it's Megan with WTI and I don't really consider myself to be what some would call an art buff. However, I do really enjoy learning about people from history and I have been learning about maybe one of the most famous artists lately through this book Van Gogh the Life. This book gives a chronological picture of Vincent Van Gogh's life, which has been pieced together through his personal letter correspondence with his friends and family. And while I tended to think that he was born a natural artist, I was actually really surprised to find that he worked obsessively hard on improving his art. I found it interesting to see the overview of his tumultuous relationships with just about everyone he encountered, but especially his challenges with his close family members. Inside the book, there are several drawings and paintings of his and I have found it really intriguing to find out about the people and places depicted in them. There are also details given about his life experiences surrounding the completion of his different works, which I find gives added meaning and understanding to these images beyond just the surface. I found it really sad to read about his obvious poor mental health that plagued him throughout his whole life and to read about his gradual decline. This issue is not presented in a one-sided fashion though, because I also find myself sympathizing with his friends and family who really wanted to help him, but often just didn't know how. I found it really eye-opening to learn about Vincent Van Gogh's life through this book, and it's also made me much more interested in his art too. And that's my point of view.