A Secret van Gogh
His Motif and Motives
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“A Secret van Gogh" - in this edition with English and in Italian text - investigates a complex layer of mysteries and clues concealed in van Gogh's paintings and biography. New points of view on the painter’s life are introduced and a foundation is laid for the interpretation of the iconography within his work. The book deduces from the painter’s biography: a previously unexplored interpretation of the final argument with Gauguin; the critical role played by Rachel, la «jeune fille» d’Arles working in rue des Récollets; Theo’s role in quelling the scandal of the December 23rd ear amputation and Gauguin’s ensuing arrest. The author underscores his thesis though a series of details in van Gogh’s works, the painter’s own letters, and by re-visiting well known events in his life. This juxtaposing of biographical facts with the psychological origins of the works posits an exciting new thesis in "A Secret of Van Gogh: His Motif and Motives" that will be of great interest to a wide audience of readers. This iBooks Author edition provides many galleries of selected paintings and web links to van Gogh's correspondence.
Customer Reviews
life reflected in art
The author starts with the observation that even, and especially, inanimate objects in van Gogh’s paintings appear to be alive and goes to show how this life is not the result of some painterly trick, but a reflection of the life of the painter himself at the time a work was painted, a live characterized by a succession of high and low points that determine not only what van Gogh painted at a particular time, but also how he painted it. Along the way, Saggio offers his own reconstruction of the famous incident that resulted in van Gogh’s losing part of an ear. Recommended for readers interested in an easily accessible introduction to the painter’s work or an alternate take of it.