I read Naifeh and White-Smith, their book, autobiography of Van Gogh and was moved to tears by some of the stuff I read and just think he had a tough time and made the best of it as best he could…. it’s an individual life / story but one most of us go through, life and all the shit it throws at us… But what really interested me was N and W-S’s take on the suicide, that it was not suicide, it was youths, one in particular, who, whether playing around or deliberately, shot Vincent… the story, N and W-S’s interpretation of events, just has the ring of truth about it whereas the Irving Stone version (Lust for Life) well, it never really quite washed… so I thought it’d make a studied painting, the suffering of the artist or his crucifixion even… the subject is enormous and too big to discuss here… so it’s a kind of “taking my hat off to you Vincent…. respect” if you like.
I’ve read that hypothesis too somewhere, or is it in that animated Vibcent film can’t remember. I have a book of his letters here, waiting to be read. I don’t know if I’m savouring the anticipation of reading or afraid of the emotion it may unleash
I’ve only seen snippets of that animated Vincent film and frankly I don’t like it because it’s made his work look tame and pretty – which it wasn’t / isn’t! The man was a revolutionary painter… his stuff was hated, laughed at, mocked, and just plain ignored by everyone who saw it. I have the 3 vol edition of his letters just for reference purposes… I ought to read them again, I read them back in the 1980’s, but I don’t really have the time…
peter robinson fine art 
Looking back on all your VvG posts – how/why did you start this theme?
I read Naifeh and White-Smith, their book, autobiography of Van Gogh and was moved to tears by some of the stuff I read and just think he had a tough time and made the best of it as best he could…. it’s an individual life / story but one most of us go through, life and all the shit it throws at us… But what really interested me was N and W-S’s take on the suicide, that it was not suicide, it was youths, one in particular, who, whether playing around or deliberately, shot Vincent… the story, N and W-S’s interpretation of events, just has the ring of truth about it whereas the Irving Stone version (Lust for Life) well, it never really quite washed… so I thought it’d make a studied painting, the suffering of the artist or his crucifixion even… the subject is enormous and too big to discuss here… so it’s a kind of “taking my hat off to you Vincent…. respect” if you like.
I’ve read that hypothesis too somewhere, or is it in that animated Vibcent film can’t remember. I have a book of his letters here, waiting to be read. I don’t know if I’m savouring the anticipation of reading or afraid of the emotion it may unleash
I’ve only seen snippets of that animated Vincent film and frankly I don’t like it because it’s made his work look tame and pretty – which it wasn’t / isn’t! The man was a revolutionary painter… his stuff was hated, laughed at, mocked, and just plain ignored by everyone who saw it. I have the 3 vol edition of his letters just for reference purposes… I ought to read them again, I read them back in the 1980’s, but I don’t really have the time…
I didn’t like it either