Very well written and extremely informative. A treasure of information.

There are a few parts that were a slog to get through, really anytime things are going good for Vincent. Mostly a great read though. I'm questioning what the deal with epilepsy was Back In The Day. I don't think it sounds like he "just" had epilepsy which is what the author seems to be arguing. I feel like epilepsy was the male version of hysteria. Blanket diagnosis for anytime a guy was freaking out a lot.

Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist by Jan Greenberg
•tThis book is perfect for middle school students learning about art and culture. Van Gogh as we all know was an incredible artist, and this book gives information about his life and work in a way that is appropriate for younger ages.
•tTeachers may use this for Art and history
•tGrades 5-8
•tIndividual students will gain knowledge of a great artist by reading this book
•tSmall groups may read this book, form a literacy circle and discuss the importance of his work and the impression he made.
•tWhole class will use this book during a art history lesson.
•tWinner of the Robert F Silbert Honor book
•tAvailable in print

Veteran writers Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, wrote an interesting, readable, well-researched biography about Vincent Van Gogh. 16 pages of plates include many of his paintings, but not all of the paintings discussed in the book. End matter includes biographical time line, museum locations, glossary of artists and terms, notes, bibliography, photography credits, and index. A map shows the places Van Gogh lived at.

My 13 year old daughter and I read this together. We particiularly enjoyed being able to reference the color photos of some of the paintings as we read, and the mention of our St. Louis Art Museum in the "Museum Locations" at the end!

Title: Vincent Van Gogh, Portrait of an Artist
Author: Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Genre: 3-5 Biography
Theme(s): Biography, art, painters
Opening line/sentence:
“Hunched like a porcupine from the weight of his easel, brushes, tubes of color, and folding stool, Vincent headed out of Arles at dawn.
Brief Book Summary:
This is a biography about Vincent Van Gogh. The story details his life growing up in his family, his adolescent years, and finishes with his work as an artist.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1:

Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Aug. 1, 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 22))
Greenberg and Jordan, authors of titles such as Chuck Close Up Close (1998) and Frank O'Gehry: Outside In (2000), offer yet another outstanding artist's biography. In elegant, captivating language, they debunk myths about Van Gogh as lunatic and loner. Following his life story from birth to death, they describe the artist as an irascible, stubborn, and erratic member of a family that supported him through aborted attempts to become an art dealer and a preacher, before he finally settled on painting, a career fully supported by his brother Theo, with whom he lived in Paris. Also detailed are Van Gogh's years of drinking and schmoozing among the greats of the Montmartre art scene, organizing exhibitions, enjoying great friendships with other artists, and finally moving to the south of France, where he hoped to start an artist's collective. The authors do a remarkable job of presenting Van Gogh's complex personality (described by his brother as "gifted, delicate, and tender" and "cruel and hard-hearted"); his periods of manic energy; and the ear incident, in a straightforward, even understated way, showing that he was not "crazy," but rather suffered from epilepsy. They also help readers look at the painter's work, and at art in general, discuss the artist's motivations and techniques, and bring readers up-close with immediate, moving scenes ofVan Gogh at work in the fields as he strove to paint his "high yellow note." An exceptional biography that reveals the humanity behind the myth. Reproductions, a glossary, and other appended material will help this find cross-curricular support.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:

Elaine Wick (Children's Literature)
Vincent van Gogh, second born child, was named after his parents' stillborn first son. Perhaps, the authors speculate, this affected his lifelong yearning for love and understanding. In this highly engaging biography, readers will quickly be drawn into the artist's quixotic life and empathize with his moods and neediness. Sent away to school at age eleven, Vincent felt lonely, yet he learned four languages and received several years of valuable experience as an art gallery apprentice in The Hague. Rejected by his first love at age twenty, he became a religious zealot and began a course of study that he grew to hate. By age 26 and living on charity, he was rescued by his beloved younger brother Theo, who supported him throughout his life and to whom he wrote more than 600 letters. Their powerful bond is palpable in this book. Today, those letters are part of van Gogh's legacy, along with the vibrant, powerful paintings that he alone foresaw would eventually find an audience. Unfortunately, success did not come until after his tragic death. Each chapter is based on a new period in van Gogh's life and each opens with an excerpt from one of his letters. The authors balance happy moments in his life and his passionately humanitarian character against his demons and repugnant personal ways. In spite of his maniacal spells, self-deprecation and probable epileptic attacks, van Gogh created an astonishing body of work in his ten-year artistic journey. The book is a good introduction to the art itself, for example, van Gogh's motivation for depicting the life of laborers in his famous "Potato Eaters," or the special significance to him of the color Yellow and of achieving the "high yellow note." Nineteen glossy reproductions of his works are included, along with a biographical timeline, a list of museums with his works, a glossary of artists and terms, chapter notes, a bibliography and an index. A wonderful resource for researchers, artists and art aficionados and an enjoyable read for all.


Response to Two Professional Reviews:
The second review described how each chapter opens up with an excerpt from a letter, and I thought this was a powerful way to start the chapters. The letters corresponded to the chapter that followed, and it was interesting – as well as entertaining – to read the letter and then find out how it connected to each chapter. The first review spoke to how the book debunked the myths that Van Gogh was crazy, and suggested he was eccentric and I thought this was a fresh take on something that I had heard many times before.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
I thought the chapters were the perfect length to begin to move children towards more complicated texts. Each chapter was only a couple of pages, and were manageable as a result. Additionally, I loved the pictures in the middle of the book. I thought it was interesting to read all about the artist, and then see some of his work in the center of the book.

Consideration of Instructional Application:
This book is a biography about an artist, and I would want to incorporate both aspects of the book into a lesson. What I would want to do is have my children paint something about him or herself. It could be a self-portrait, a painting of a special memory, or anything really as long as they could explain how it represented an aspect of who they are. I would let the children paint whatever they pleased, and then I would have them present on why they painted it, and how it relates to them.

Not a bad book at all, but also not spectacular. It's almost similar to Van Gogh paintings, you know what it is, but it's not how you pictured it. Unfortunately, unlike Van Gogh paintings, it doesn't work out in the same way.

A competently written, short summary of Van Gogh’s life. Exactly what I was looking for: a quick easy read that gave me a much better understanding of the artist’s life and the influences that shaped his art. I enjoyed the book, and it didn’t require a huge commitment of time.

A Gift of Color

“Vincent van Gogh: portrait of an artist” is a great book . Besides the usual biography, of which I’ve read many, this book is very very organized.

The plot line goes over his life and mostly in a chronological fashion. Then laying out some periods sequentially.

The book is brilliantly referenced, meticulously drawn together with bibliography and as well as the 1986 book of all lessons letters.

It is a wonderful little book one that’s perfect for someone who wants an introduction, yet for those who are van Gogh fans it gives word crafted descriptions of his writings, artwork, letters, loves and losses.

This book exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it.

I think this biography of Vincent Van Gogh is great. I had a lot of fun reading this book. This book is very informational and I learned a lot reading this biography. Vincent Van Gogh was the quiet kid growing up and he was born into an upper-middle-class family. He moved to Paris in 1886 and that was when he started to get more recognized for his artwork. He was famous for making his artwork bright and colorful. He had his own style which was way different than any other painters. So overall, this book gave me a better view of Vincent Van Goghs life and upbringing, I would definitely recommend this book to others.

i too have cut off my ear and sent it to a lover.

This was a short book with quick bio of Van Gogh. Was informative, but the electronic version I read had a bunch of typos. I am guessing there are better biographies of Van Gogh than this one.