Synopses & Reviews
In 1878, at age 25, Vincent van Gogh (1853andndash;1890) arrived in the area of Belgium known as the Borinage to work as a Protestant evangelist in rural coal mining communities. He failed in that vocation, and after months of soul-searching, in August 1880, he decided to become an artist. This fascinating publication is the first to examine in depth Van Goghandrsquo;s time in the Borinage and his artistic development in the following years, when he created his works that in many cases have direct ties with this early period.
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Vivid essays tell the story of Van Goghandrsquo;s life in the mining communities, and the effect this environment had on his way of thinking and seeing the world. Augmenting the text are letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo from the Borinage, in which he describes his desire to sketch, and drawings that he modeled after prints of masterworks by artists such as Jean-Franandccedil;ois Millet. Other essays trace Van Goghandrsquo;s development as an artist in subsequent years, including his move to Brussels to fully pursue life as an artist. Thought-provoking examinations of works that Van Gogh completed after leaving the Borinage demonstrate how motifs that he developed thereandmdash;rustic dwellings, laborers, agriculture, natureandmdash;became themes that spanned his entire oeuvre. and#160;
Review
"The scholars present new connections between the artists' lives and reveal the extent to which the younger artist was fascinated by the elder's art and personality."and#8212;Dylan Klempner, Art New England
Synopsis
An unprecedented, in-depth exploration of the dawn of Van Goghandrsquo;s artistic career
Synopsis
A revelatory study of the importance of nature in Van Gogh's art throughout his life in Holland and France
The celebrated painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) had a lifelong fascination with the natural world. He spent his youth in rural Holland, and the country's flat landscapes, trees, flowers, and birds would feature in his early art. After he moved to Paris, he encountered new radical thinking about art and humanity's changing relationship with nature. Later, in Provence and Auvers, he discovered unfamiliar terrain, flora, and fauna that further influenced his artistic ideas and subject matter. Van Gogh's images of such diverse environments reflect not only his immediate surroundings but also the artist's evolving engagement with nature and art.
Van Gogh and Nature is an eye-opening and beautifully produced catalogue, which accompanied the best-attended special exhibition in the Clark Art Institute's history. It chronicles the artist's ongoing relationship with nature throughout his entire career. Among the featured works are Van Gogh's drawings and paintings, along with related materials that illuminate his reading, sources, and influences. Vivid color photography and explanatory texts based on new research by the authors clarify a central theme of Van Gogh's oeuvre.
Synopsis
This fascinating publication is the first to examine Van Goghandrsquo;s time in Belgiumandrsquo;s Borinage region, where he decided to become an artist and explored motifs that would echo throughout his career.
Synopsis
The great Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) exhibited a lifelong fascinationand#8212;some might say and#8220;obsessionand#8221;and#8212;with the work and personality of French artist Edgar Degas (1834-1917). In this groundbreaking study, noted Degas scholar Richard Kendall and Picasso expert Elizabeth Cowling present well-documented instances of Picassoand#8217;s direct responses to Degasand#8217;s work, as well as more conceptual and challenging affinities between their oeuvres. Richly illustrated essays explore the artistsand#8217; parallel interests in modern urban life, ballet dancers, activities such as bathing and combing the hair, photography, and the challenges of sculpture. The book also provides the first extended analysis of Picassoand#8217;s engagement with Degasand#8217;s art in his final years, when he acquired several of the French artistand#8217;s brothel monotypes and reworked some of them in his own prints. Offering many fresh ideas and a significant amount of new material about two of the most popular and influential artists of the modern era, this handsome book promises to make a lasting contribution to the literature on both artists.
Synopsis
A revelatory study of the importance of nature in Van Goghandrsquo;s art throughout his life in Holland and France
Synopsis
This catalogue offers the first study of the importance of nature in Van Goghandrsquo;s art, from his youth in Holland to his mature artistic engagement with the landscape of Provence.
Synopsis
The celebrated painter Vincent van Gogh (1853andndash;1890) had a lifelong fascination with the natural world. He spent his youth in rural Holland, and the countryandrsquo;s flat landscapes, trees, flowers, and birds would feature in his early art. After he moved to Paris, he encountered new radical thinking about art and humanityandrsquo;s changing relationship with nature. Later, in Provence and Auvers, he discovered unfamiliar terrain, flora, and fauna that further influenced his artistic ideas and subject matter. Van Goghandrsquo;s images of such diverse environments reflect not only his immediate surroundings but also the artistandrsquo;s evolving engagement with nature and art.
and#160;
Van Gogh and Nature is an eye-opening new catalogue that chronicles the artistandrsquo;s ongoing relationship with nature throughout his entire career. Among the featured works are Van Goghandrsquo;s drawings and paintings, along with related materials that illuminate his reading, sources, and influences. Vivid color photography and explanatory texts based on new research by the authors clarify a central theme of Van Goghandrsquo;s oeuvre. and#160;
About the Author
Elizabeth Cowling is Professor Emeritus of History of Art at Edinburgh University, and an independent scholar and exhibition curator. Richard Kendall is Consultative Curator of Nineteenth-Century Art at the Clark, as well as an independent scholar and exhibition curator. Cand#233;cile Godefroy is a researcher at the Fundaciand#243;n Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte in Madrid. Sarah Lees is Associate Curator of European Art at the Clark. Montse Torras is Exhibitions Coordinator at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona.