Sjraar van Heugten – författare

An unprecedented, in-depth exploration of the dawn of Van Gogh’s artistic careerIn 1878, at age 25, Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) arrived in the area of Belgium known as the Borinage to work as a Protestant evangelist in rural coal mining communities. He failed in that vocation, and after months of soul-searching, in August 1880, he decided to become an artist. This fascinating publication is the first to examine in depth Van Gogh’s time in the Borinage and his artistic development in the following years, when he created his works that in many cases have direct ties with this early period.  Vivid essays tell the story of Van Gogh’s life in the mining communities, and the effect this environment had on his way of thinking and seeing the world. Augmenting the text are letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo from the Borinage, in which he describes his desire to sketch, and drawings that he modeled after prints of masterworks by artists such as Jean-François Millet. Other essays trace Van Gogh’s development as an artist in subsequent years, including his move to Brussels to fully pursue life as an artist. Thought-provoking examinations of works that Van Gogh completed after leaving the Borinage demonstrate how motifs that he developed there—rustic dwellings, laborers, agriculture, nature—became themes that spanned his entire oeuvre.  Distributed for Mercatorfonds and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mons, BelgiumExhibition Schedule:Foundation Mons 2015, Belgium (01/23/15–05/17/15)

A new look at the ways van Gogh represented the seasons and the natural world throughout his careerThe changing seasons captivated Vincent van Gogh (1853–90), who saw in their unending cycle the majesty of nature and the existence of a higher force. Van Gogh and the Seasons is the first book to explore this central aspect of van Gogh's life and work.Van Gogh often linked the seasons to rural life and labor as men and women worked the land throughout the year. From his depictions of peasants and sowers to winter gardens, riverbanks, orchards, and harvests, he painted scenes that richly evoke the sensory pleasures and deprivations particular to each season. This stunning book brings to life the locales that defined his tumultuous career, from Arles, where he experienced his most crucial period of creativity, to Auvers-sur-Oise, where he committed suicide. It looks at van Gogh's interpretation of nature, the religious implications of the seasons in his time, and how his art was perceived against the backdrop of various symbolist factions, antimaterialist debates, and esoteric beliefs in fin de siècle Paris. The book also features revealing extracts from the artist's correspondence and artworks from his own collection that provide essential context to the themes in his work.Breathtakingly illustrated and featuring informative essays by Sjraar van Heugten, Joan Greer, and Ted Gott, Van Gogh and the Seasons shines new light on the extraordinary creative vision of one of the world's most beloved artists.

Vincent van Gogh's work has had a profound influence on twentieth-century art, and his extraordinary life is almost as renowned as his paintings. A prolific artist, he produced hundreds of paintings and drawings in a career lasting a mere ten years - the last ten years of his life. The largest and most representative collection in the world of Van Gogh's work once belonged to the Van Gogh family, and is now held at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The collection comprises some 200 paintings and 500 drawings, as well as sketchbooks and over 700 letters. This complete catalogue of the collection, to be published in seven volumes, has been meticulously compiled and reflects the most up-to-date research on the artist. Four volumes are devoted to the drawings, and three to the paintings. Vincent Van Gogh Drawings Volume 1: The early years 1880-83 concentrates on the early drawings of Van Gogh, as he embarked upon his professional career as an artist in 1880. It includes sixty-eight drawings reproduced in full-colour, an in-depth analysis of each drawing, and full catalogue details on all works. The series of volumes thus constitutes a complete reference guide to the work of Vincent Van Gogh, and represents the most important recent contribution to studies on the artist.

A groundbreaking new exhibition will be presented by the Het Noordbrabants Museum, focusing on the impact of Van Gogh's interpersonal relationships on his work. Part biography, part art history, the catalogue of this exhibition will dismantle the commonly-held conception that Van Gogh's genius stemmed from his mental illness and isolation. Revealing a complex, emotionally engaging picture of the man behind some of the most celebrated works in history, this catalogue includes well-known works and pieces from private collections, as well as rare documents virtually unknown to the public, such as a never-before exhibited sketchbook that Vincent gifted to Betsy Tersteeg, daughter of an art dealer at The Hague; poetry he sent to his dear brother and confidante Theo; and six rarely featured letters of condolence received by Theo after Vincent's death. Masterpieces include Still life with Bible (1885), Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle (La berceuse) 1889, and L'Arlésienne (Madame Ginoux) (1890). The catalogue also contains numerous less well-known portraits of family and friends, revealing how they appeared through the artist's eyes. Van Gogh's Inner Circle sheds light on Vincent's often tempestuous personality, his love affairs, his eventual estrangement from many of his colleagues, and how his relationships influenced the work he produced in the years leading up to his premature death.