Vincent's Portraits: Paintings and Drawings by Van Gogh

Product detailed description

​

Vincent's Portraits: Paintings and Drawings by expert Ralph Skea charts Van Gogh's passion for portraiture, which he considered his most important artistic activity. During his ten-year career, he created a series of striking portraits in which he eschewed photographic accuracy, instead using vivid colors and expressive brushstrokes to depict character. 

The book traces the development of his portraiture from early intimate compositions in his native Brabant, through a series of self-portraits from his Paris period, to portraits of farmers, prostitutes, and café owners that reflected the social reality of the time. 

The works are complemented by excerpts from Van Gogh's letters, in which the author explains why he believed that through portraiture he could express the spiritual core of human existence and how he was inspired by human suffering and joy.