A good, thorough, relatively quick read. I feel a connection to this poor, tortured soul, and love the use of illustrations. I wish, however, they would have put more of his paintings in chronological order.

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In this novel, Vincent Van Gogh, Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan richly illustrated the life of the most truly passionate artist, Vincent Van Gogh. This novel brings out his strong, self destructive passion in art to life. Majority of people discouraged him because due to his late start in art, he could not become a great artist, however, Vincent proved them wrong as his vibrate style of painting through his expressive luminosity of color and blotchy brushstroke caught people’s attention. His talents, determination, hard work and passion has bring him to his greatest dream, he is determined to give happiness by create art. Behind his well known painting and his fame, he is struggled with his madness, his passion in art and determination that he is forever known as a guy who cut his own ear from madness. However, behind his madness is a guy with gifted hand who enriches the world with beauty and imagination.
I really enjoy reading this book because this book is so well written that I could actually see the world through his eye. I got caught up with the struggled he experienced with his progress and his impatient with capturing the beauty and emotions on canvas. He had put his heart and soul into his work and has lost his mind in the process. Throughout this novel, I get to experienced with his ideas and thinking process for his work and the messages he want to convey to the viewer. In addition, I get to see his artist of influence, his style of painting, his way of conveying emotion through the use of color and events that shaped his personalities and his painting style. He truly inspired and motivated people with his true passion and determination for art and his courage to pursuing for his dream.

great concise story of Vincent with enough examples to make it personal with a through while quick yet easy read. Letters to theo main resource. Great intro book to get to know his history, mind, relations and processes in art of his joys and torments of genius!

this is the best biographical book on van Gogh, and I've read a bunch, by a long shot. the authors delicately and poetically handled history and stayed out of the way while presenting perhaps the most enigmatic character who has ever graced the earth. Too often authors handling Van Gogh get a bit pretenscious, often in coloring in the mysterious with their assumptions and ego and proceed to pass it off as fact. Not the case here. As someone obsessed with Van Gogh this book showed him to me in a new light, based on all of the different perspectives they gathered, and it checked out historically. They highlighted the intrigue, while not missing the brass tacks. My personal favorite chapter was "the high yellow note" the authors brilliantly and poetically presented this period of his life and it left me awestruck. I was amazed to see this may be considered a children's book, as it won an award in the category.while I could see that it's very readable and never venturing into yawn territory, it's just that it's the finest book I've seen written on the subject. I look forward ,but I'm not sure when would be the appropriate time, to pass this off to my niece and nephew because it's absolutely glorious, and I'd love for them to know more about "the artist that cut his ear off", yet it would be certainly be introducing them to the rugged world of adulthood.
I laughed out loud,I couldn't put it down,I was intrigued throughout, and when it ended I sobbed like a baby.

This short but informative book on Vincent Van Gogh is a great book if you want an overview of the artist's life. It's a rather short book, but does well explaining his life from beginning to end. After I read this book, I truly saw that this artist was helpless to find a place to fit in socially. Once he discovered art, there was nothing going to stop him from doing art, including his bouts with of madness.

The book traces the unique life and artworks of the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh from his birth in 1853 to his death by suicide in 1890. The biography discusses many aspects of his life such as his various comrades, living arrangements, etc., and it traces his decent into madness later in life.

This book is a relatively easy read for a biography, and it is definitely a good fit for younger audiences. The writing is not stagnant or too technical/jargon-filled, as books of this type can often be, and the prose is engaging. It seems like it is a piece of fiction, most of the time. It offers numerous pictures, and it is very accurate. I thought the book painted a thorough picture of this misunderstood artist, and it never condemned him for his shortcomings, as so many books I read before do.

So glad I read this book. Here was a man that lived and breathed art. He spent his life learning, understanding and creating art. He was also a man who cared deeply about others. He was always there to help those in need. He was generous in heart....His instinct was to put himself inside his art, to bring his emotion the art he created. Never once did he ever think of doing a piece of art that was anything less than the integrity great art demands and is.

Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist
written by: Una Lynch

tWorld-renowned artist Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his entire lifetime. The book “Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist” by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan is about the life of Vincent van Gogh. The authors talk about Vincent’s decision to become an artist and his life in the art world. They talk about his physical and mental health, both of which were very unstable. But a major part of this book is the relationship between Vincent van Gogh and his brother, Theo. Theo was an art dealer in Paris during the time that Vincent van Gogh was an artist. Many of the things that the authors write about they discovered from many of the letters from Vincent to Theo. Vincent van Gogh traveled around France from Paris to Arles. But his life was difficult. He struggled with his mental health and would make rash decisions because of it. Some good did come out of it: when he was being treated for his illness, he painted “A Starry Night” and many other wonderful works. The book ends with an epilogue about his great success after death. The authors state, “Fate did not grant Vincent with a wife, children, good health, wealth, or charm. But he was given another gift, the ability to see deeply into nature, to put on canvas his own ardent soul.”

I really enjoyed this book. I have not always enjoyed non-fiction books but this was very different. It is the story of a very interesting man. This book was fascinating because I never knew very much about Vincent Van Gogh but this book really changed that for me. It is a short book so it is a quick read but it is chock full of information about him, his life, and his disabilities. He had such an exciting and interesting life that is worth knowing about. One of parts of this book that really stuck with me was his mental state and all the struggles he faced in becoming an artist. I think that this book is for so many different types of people. This is a good book for people interested in art history. This is because this book talks about different popular artists of his time, art techniques, his personal style, and his works. But it is not just for interested in art. It is a great book if you like stories about people with drive and determination. I've never read a book quite like this; I have read books about other artists but none compare to this. Another thing that makes this book so good is the exquisite writing. I believe that stories can change so much just based on the writing alone even if it is pure fact, like this book. The authors state, “On his work he was judged and found great. His legacy to us is not only powerful, vibrant paintings but also articulate, poetic letters. Through these we can relive his story, the story of Vincent the consummate artist.” This is why I deeply enjoyed this book. I thought these excerpts were almost poetic. The sad thing is that in his lifetime no one ever thought he had potential and he never got to see what became of his art. This is not the happiest book but it is worth reading. Overall this was an intriguing and thought-provoking book.

Grade Range: 5th-high school
Awards: Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, 2001~ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2001~ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2001~School Library Journal: Best Books of the Year~The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: Blue Ribbon Book~Booklist: Editor’s Choice~A New York Public Library Book for the Teenage


Vincent van Gogh deserves to be known as more than a crazy artist who cut off his ear and painted some of the world’s most valuable art. This biography tells the detailed and very human story of van Gogh’s complex personality and his successful struggle to find his calling and create great work.

Greenberg and Jordan have collaborated together on many award-winning books about art and artists; their understanding of artists and their sympathy for them comes through in this sensitive and nuanced biography of van Gogh. The letters between Vincent and his brother Theo, among many other primary sources, allow the authors to let readers in on van Gogh’s thoughts, and also give glimpses of what friends and relatives thought of him. We learn that van Gogh struggled to find his calling, trying several different careers before he settled on painting. The authors do a good job of showing the evolution of van Gogh’s personality and the trouble he put his family through as they endeavored to help him.

No matter how interesting the details of van Gogh’s life are it is because of his work we remember him. Excerpts from letters begin each chapter and offer insight into his art: ”I try to put the same sentiment into the landscape as I put into the figure”. Greenberg and Jordan devote a lot of text to van Gogh's descriptions of his painting process: what it was he was trying to capture and to evoke. The reader gets a great education in art history while being given intimate glimpses into a fascinating and compulsive genius’ mind. While the book has many color plates, they are clumped together and not all the paintings talked about are pictured. For kids with Internet access, images are only a click away, but others will need to flip back and forth and check out other books to see the art.

Van Gogh’s short life span and his late adoption of painting mean that all of his work was completed in ten years, with an astonishing flurry of production at the very end of his life. This manic energy comes across, pushing through the authors’ elegant prose, making the biography crackle with energy. Reader’s come away with a strong sense of the passion van Gogh poured into his art. We also learn of the importance of Theo’s wife Jo; it was she who faithfully kept the paintings others urged her to throw out. She collected and catalogued letters, drawing and paintings, arranged exhibits and wrote the first biography of van Gogh. It is thanks to her Greenberg and Jordan can show readers his vibrant art and enable us to relive his story.

Front matter includes contents, a map of the areas van Gogh lived and a prologue that vividly imagines van Gogh as he heads out from Arles to paint Harvest at Le Crau. Back matter includes a helpful biographical time line, a list of museums where his work is located, a glossary of artists and terms, extensive notes, which are divided by chapter, an extensive bibliography, photography credits and a brief biographic sketch of the authors.

As many people know, Vincent Van Gogh's life isn't the happiest one. He has had many failed romances, and many arguments typically ending with him being called a madman. At some point he cut off his ear and was put in an asylum for quite a while. Van Gogh even killed himself, thinking he was burdening others. But I never knew any of the good parts of his life, like how much people really cared for him at the end, such as his brother's family, and many other artists he knew. His artistic journey was amazing to read about, and he kept going to continue getting better, having strong motivation to keep going despite his problems. That's why I think this biography is so good. It manages to describe so much about his life, and the way it's described helps me understand Van Gogh's life from his perspective and to understand his emotions. If I hadn't read it, I would've missed out on so much of Vincent Van Gogh's sad but amazing life. I'd definitely recommend it for other's to read, and I'd be happy to read it again.

I don't go to the library these days because I decided to read the books I have.

Vincent Van Gogh(Protrait of an Artist) by Jan Greenbery and Sandra Jordan is one of the books I have had for a long time. I am so glad that I read this book especially at the beginning of the new year. It was easy to read, and full of lively and precise descriptions. This book made me feel as if I was with Vincent Van Gogh feeling his struggles for life and passion for paintings. I was surprised to find that he was not a naive painter. In the beginning, he did not find his calling; he once wanted to be a pastor like his father, he also taught students even though he did not hold a high school degree. But at last he found his real calling to painting. In a letter to his brother, Theo, who was closest to him, he wrote, "I foresee that a certain poverty will be my fate, but, but, I shall be a painter." In a decade before he died, he is said to have created about 2,100 artworks.

Vincent was sensitive to human suffering and identified with the laborers and drew those people. He also loved to paint landscape and still life since he didn't have to pay for modeling. At one point when someone pointed out that he had not signed the painting, Vincent said, "actually it isn't necessary, they will surely recognize my work later on and write about me when I am dead and gone." He was poor throughout his life, but when 'Vineyard' was purchased for 400 francs, he suffered as he believed, 'Success is the worst thing that can happen in a painter's life.'

I am glad through this book, I found out better the relationship between van Gogh and Paul Gauguin whose works I love a lot. After reading "The Moon and Six Pences," in my youth, I loved Gauguin and his paintings. I wanted to know why Gauguin broke out with Gogh after watcing a movie about Van Gogh. It was Gauguin who could not tolerate the way Gogh's living style and felt threatened by Gogh's unstable psychological state and left him.

Gogh might have been very difficult to live with, but he caused a lot of sympathy in the book. It was so frustrating and heartbroken to find out how Gogh died at 37 and how it led to Theo's death at 33.

Now I feel so close to Vincent van Gogh. I may look at his paintings I already like with newer eyes in the future and I want to read his letters especially to Theo and Theo's wife, Jo's biography of Vincent van Gogh.