What a fascinating human. My heart truly broke for him and his mental health.

This was an informative read to go with our Vincent Van Gogh unit and would be a nice addition to any middle/high school library or classroom. Van Gogh's emotional state was in constant turmoil, which was reflected greatly in his art. Learning about this artist is essential to full appreciating his works. Just knowing that he amassed a HUGE body of work in the brief ten years that he devoted to painting is astounding.

*Additional note - this read has very few images of his work so it should not be used as the only resource to see his paintings, sketching and letters.

This book informed me about the life of Van Gogh. He was a very unique artist that created beautiful paintings. I enjoyed this book because i got to learn more about how his famous paintings were created. For example, before reading this book i have observed one of his paintings called STARRY NIGHT. But I just learned that that pice was based on the Dutch mountains and French houses that he has seen through out his life. I would recommend this book to any one interested about artists/art.

Overall - I thought this was well written - cohesive with clear central ideas running throughout the book. That said - the authors assume a lot of background knowledge on the reader's part. For example, the first page is a map of England, France, and Holland. Holland is no longer it's own country - so you have to infer that this is a map from the 1800's. There's no title or scaffold to help the reader do this. I detail more of my analysis at the blog entry above.

PROS for middle school readers -

*The book is clearly a biography and includes the typical structure of a biography. It follows a logical order - the sequence of van Gogh's life and specific dates are in the title of each chapter.
*The content is cohesive - there are clear themes running through the text.
*There are access features  - a map (don't get too excited, though - see my notes below), a timeline, a glossary of artists and terms.
*The authors lend authority and accuracy to the text with extensive notes at the end of the book. These notes list chapter by chapter which primary sources were tapped to create this narrative of van Gogh's life. In addition, van Gogh's letters and other's letters are quoted throughout the book as just such.

CONS for middle school readers -

*The first page after the contents page is a "map." The authors assume a lot of the reader's background knowledge in their choice of this map. It is a map of part of Europe (but Europe is not labeled or identified) - England, Spain, France, Belgium, and Holland. Catch that? Holland. Holland is no longer a country. North and South Holland are provinces of the Netherlands. The map does not have a title or any textual support to identify the larger region and the time period; there is no indication it is a map of a part of Europe and that the map reflects the countries of Europe at some point in the 19th century!
*The page after the map is the start of the "prologue." The authors begin -  "Hunched like a porcupine from the weight of his easel, brushes, tubes of color, and folding stool, Vincent headed out of Arles at dawn---too early for the gang of street boys to chase after him, to call him crazy" (p. 1). (If the reader looks back at the map, he or she will find Arles in southern France.) This first sentence for the whole book is a complex sentence with a LOT of information - the reader needs to visualize the dependent clause that begins the sentence to get the "how". The middle part has the subject and predicate of the whole sentence  (Vincent van Gogh is the subject and "headed out" means he is leaving early in the morning - probably to go paint because of the information shared in the beginning dependent clause). Then the reader must catch on to a problem as he or she reads the last part of the sentence - two dependent clauses that indicate van Gogh is not well regarded by local boys and sometimes even taunted. This sentence alone deserves a close reading because it says so much. This one sentence captivates themes that run through the rest of the book.
*There is a multi-page insert of glossy, colored images of van Gogh's paintings. BUT the reader is required to seek the images in the insert out as they are mentioned in the text. In other words, the reader has to be savvy enough to realize that the authors are describing one of van Gogh's pieces of art and it might be helpful to see that piece of art. Then the reader has to turn to the insert and find that piece of art except that not every piece of art referenced or even described in detail is included in the insert.
*The central idea(s) are abstract - this book is about how van Gogh searched for a purpose to his life - that embraced his compassion for all human beings, particularly the common folk, about how he failed many times, about how he persevered in finding his identity/technique as an artist, and how he dealt with physical and mental (although the authors do not call it "mental") illness. Conceptually, it's more difficult than "this person wanted to end slavery."
*At the end of the book, van Gogh commits suicide. As I read the book, I kept thinking "this guy is bipolar or manic depressive" and "he's depressed, depressed, depressed." The authors never mention this, though. They state that van Gogh had epilepsy. In truth (based on further research after reading), there are lots of theories about what van Gogh suffered from and if it was epilepsy (which is really one of the theories) - this would not have caused the angry outbursts and depression described in the book. (From what I can tell from my own research - I have been wrong before, though.) Depression (maybe as a result of, but not a side effect of epilepsy) was clearly a problem. I think the authors do the student reader a disservice by not just saying this and putting out there that we are not sure what he had, here are some theories. It makes the whole book easier to understand - without decreasing the rigor.

Just a last thought. I don't know any middle grade students who would pick this book up independently and who would stick with it if they did. I just doesn't strike me as an engaging read. Nevertheless, students need to read these books. So what to do? I'm thinking about it. At the least, it should be part of an integrated unit of study - on that time period during Europe, on post-Impressionists, on the past and the present in art. Something.

I loved this book, such a simple read of a very complex man. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to know more about the heart and mind of this great artist.

Well worth a read. Very interesting life story.

Vincent van Gogh-one of the 19th century's most brilliant artists-will forever be remembered as the Dutchman who cut off his ear. But this incident only underscores the passion that consumed him- a passion that, when he took up painting at age 27, infused his work. Whether painting a portrait, a landscape, or a still life, Van Gogh sought to capture the vibrant spirit of his subject. It didn't matter that others found his work too unconventional. Van Gogh persevered. And as he moved from the cold climate of Holland to balmy southern France, he pioneered a new technique and style.

In a career spanning only a decade, Van Gogh painted many great works, yet fame eluded him. This lack of recognition increased his self-doubts and bitter disappointments. Today, however, Van Gogh stands as a giant among artists

I randomly pulled this book off my self and finished in in less than a day. It was a great read, very fascinating! =)

I personally don't usually like nonfiction, although I would have to say that this book was marvelous as it portrays Van Gogh life in a thrilling way. When I picked out this book for my Lang class I expected it to contain just paragraphs of mind numbing facts, but instead it told it as if his life was a story. Most of the information came from letters that he wrote to his brother Theo, which made the book more personal. The book didn't just describe the art he created but who he was as a person. Through this book I got to see his personality and how he developed into the person he is known as today. I gave it 4 stars as it was incredible in the way it kept the audience engaged. I definitely recommend this book, the only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was only because I gave the book little women 5 stars and I really don't think this book wasn't as good as little women. But I think one quote that really sums up this book is "I put my heart and soul into my work and in the process I lost half my mind." I think this quote really demonstrates how hard he worked and he never knew the impact his work would have on this world. I think it shows that sometimes we need to give it everything we have even though we don't think it will have any big impact. Overall I do recommend this book as it will give you a different view on not just art but in life.

Good book to learn about an amazing and interesting artist.

Readable and interesting biography that connects well to the pictures discussed.
Great example of bibliography and sourcing info. Is there a different explanation for his death?

I really enjoyed learning about Vincent Van Gogh's life! He was so much more than the "crazy artist who cut off his ear". He was a poetic writer, an enthusiastic artist, and a best friend to his brother Theo. His life really was too short, and it's a shame he didn't achieve success while alive- however, I am thankful that he was able to make it after he died, as his paintings truly are a gift to the world!