In Search of Van Gogh: Capturing the Life of the Artist through Photographs and Paintings

A beautiful art book and travelogue detailing the life and inspirations of Vincent Van Gogh featuring over 250 black-and-white and full-color images.

“With this compact trove of contemporary photographs juxtaposed with Van Gogh’s artworks, homes, and friendly commentary, the intensity of the artist’s life will go down more easily. Van Gogh fans will enjoy walking in his footsteps, and it will surely inform new audiences as well.” —Library Journal

Follow in the footsteps of Van Gogh, from his birthplace in Zundert, Netherlands, to his last days in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, and explore the hidden inspirations behind the world-renowned artist’s most famous paintings . . .

In 1990, two photographers and art enthusiasts, Danilo De Marco and Mario Dondero, set out to explore the details of Vincent Van Gogh’s life, retracing his journey across Europe by foot and by train. Armed with the love and knowledge of Van Gogh’s work, they traveled from the Netherlands to England, Belgium, and France to take in the sights as Van Gogh might have seen them a century earlier. They also turned to art historian Gloria Fossi to better understand, experience, and contextualize Van Gogh’s brilliant mind, drawing insights from his personal letters and other historical documents.

Van Gogh’s well-documented travels come alive in this gorgeous book which brings together the landscapes, architecture, portraits, and cultural references that inspired his art. The authors juxtapose vintage and contemporary photographs with Van Gogh’s renditions, demonstrating not only the passage of time, but Van Gogh’s unique artistic vision, brilliantly revealed brushstroke by brushstroke. From the Netherlands, where the artist was born, to his last days in France, no place he visited in his thirty-seven years is left unexplored, and all have become timeless landmarks through his art.

In Search of Van Gogh brings into focus the places and objects that inspired and fueled Van Gogh’s artistic genius and offers fresh insights into his prolific work and process. In searching for the artist’s mind and soul, the authors create a pointillistic portrait of a human being whose life was remarkable, and whose story must be shared for generations to come.

“Art historian Fossi . . . and photographers De Marco and Dondero trace how Vincent van Gogh’s travels inspired his art in this perceptive, richly illustrated work. Fossi maps out van Gogh’s life in chronological order, weaving together letters, paintings, and images, along with contemporary photographs from De Marco and Dondero, who set out on a trip across Europe to photograph the geography and places that inspired his works. . . . Insightful and illuminating, this poetic work will entrance historians, artists, and art lovers.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

© 2024 Harper (Ebook): 9780063085183

Release date

Ebook: 11 June 2024