Customer Reviews (1)

a must for any art student or art lover
I really found this book to be a vauable source of in formation about Van Gogh.So much can be learned about an artist through studying his sketches and drawings. Its a very beautiful book and a perfect addition to an artenthusiast's collection. This book offered much more than the traditioalVan Gogh collections. Unlike the majority of Van Gogh books, it offeredmore than reprints of only his most famous works. ... Read more

Product Description
Beyond the sunflowers, irises and the portrait of Doctor Gachet, there is a man, Van Gogh, signified by his fragility and his talent. From his birth in 1853 to his death in 1890, the Post-Impressionist Van Gogh shaped nineteenth-century concepts of painting with his creativity and technique over the course of several years. He became a forerunner of the Expressionists, the Fauves and Modern Art. Today, however, Van Gogh remains the symbol of the painter tortured by illness, by other people and, especially, by himself. In this work, the author follows Van Gogh's correspondence, as well as his paintings, which express a new approach to colour. The legend often rubs shoulders with the banal and great artistic genius is confronted with the petty realities of existence. ... Read more

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Details from 12 revolutionary works by one of the most popular painters of all time, among them Sunflowers, Starry Night, and Café Terrace on the Place du Forum.
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Customer Reviews (11)

very nicely made
When I reived the Van Gogh bookmarks in the mail, I was plesently surpried. The bookmarks come in a book formart, instead of a packed bag I had been expcting it to be. The paper quility is slightly heaver that a postcard, but still easily removable.

VAN GOGH BETWEEN THE PAGES
This was a fun find browsing Amazon.com. I purchased these for myself and another avid reading fan and we were both delighted to have something as colorful as these between our reading pages. I'll be purchasing more in the future. So many books..not enough bookmarks!

Miniature Artwork
I've always admired Van Gogh's work and can now enjoy it everytime I mark a place in my reading.

Talk about great quality and at an amazing price.
Van Gogh has always been one of my most favorite painters, second to only Vermeer. The quality of the bookmarks are amazing and the color is absolutely beautiful. These are larger than I thought they would be. They come in a little booklet and you can detach them one at a time so it keeps the remaining ones organized. I will be buying more of these for the other artist. You can't go wrong with the price.

Van Gogh's bookmarks
I have always admired Van Gogh's paintings and now I have the chance to have some of them on my bookmarks, and I can look at them everytime I read a book.
They are a pleasure for the sight. ... Read more

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Explores the spiritual vision of Van Gogh's painting The Night Café. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Lovely and fascinating!
This is a truly interesting and insightful read about Van Gogh's painting "The Night Cafe" in which author Edwards discusses the spiritual components of the work, and how this spirituality may have evolved in Van Gogh as a result of the artis's life, reading, and inner beliefs and torments. It's fascinating to read how Van Gogh, who was denied a career as a preacher, turned his spiritualty into artistic creativity.

This book is very readable (you don't have to be an intellectual or an art expert to enjoy it) and I am certainly going to check out Edwards' other books on Van Gogh. Highly recommended!

On the spiritual journey of the artist Vincent Van Gogh
"Mystery of the Night Cafe" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction.Professor Edwards's book interview ran here as cover feature on August 26, 2009.

Cliff hanger
Cliff Edwards deconstructs Van Gogh's Night Cafe using his letters and history. He makes connections between Van Gogh's personal demons and his struggle for salvation.

Mystery of the Night Cafe
In Mystery of the Night Café, Cliff Edwards takes the reader on an intimate journey into the creative genius of Vincent Van Gogh by focusing on one painting that reveals "the inner life and intent of the artist himself." Rather than portraying Van Gogh as a gifted person tormented by fits of mental illness, Edwards shows us though primary sources (the artist's total work, his correspondences, and books and paintings that influenced him) the sheer force of Van Gogh's aesthetic vision that informs all of his work. It is a vision of compassion and service to others, emerging in part from a thoughtful life exposed to repeated loss and failure, which grew into a search for the true meaning of the self. It is a way of seeing the mystery, the reality behind the form or label, which Van Gogh urges us toward in his painting, and in this sense the artist's quest is essentially a spiritual one. Edward's takes the reader along as he discovers the "mystery within a mystery" found in this intriguing yet often overlooked painting.

I highly recommend this thoughtful and beautifully illustrated work by Cliff Edwards (author of two previous books on the painter, _The Shoes of Van Gogh_ and _Van Gogh and God_). It is much more than simply a meditation on a single painting by one of the great masters, for through the life of Van Gogh we glimpse the archetypal journey toward the true self.

Mark Ferrara
SUNY Oneonta

What do you see when you see the painting for yourself?
Having meditated, as it were, at the shrine of Vincent van Gogh's Night Café while reading Cliff Edwards' book, I must say that the book, in keeping with the painting, is absolutely superb.The author captures in his interpretation not only the holy essence of this work of art but also of the artist.I believe Professor Edwards has got Vincent's spirituality exactly right, including the selfless, sacrificial nature of his death.

Truth is, we all live in some manner of speaking, or some manner of silence, within the Night Café.Cliff Edwards has not only unraveled its mystery, but has led us further into the mysterium tremendum where we come to know the inscrutable nature of our own poverty and desire in the face of the Infinite, which without doubt was Vincent's purpose.

I shall never gaze again upon Vincent's depiction of the Night Café without seeing the figure of Christ draped open in the doorway to the café's inner sanctum.I had sought him elsewhere in the scene.I had even thought the white-clothed figure without legs might symbolize an effigy of the risen Christ (the "innkeeper" as Edwards notes), but until reading this book I had not seen the "Empty Tomb" within the canvas as the thinly veiled visage of the Invisible One, Christus Consolator, just as Vincent envisioned God to be manifest in the life and suffering of the marginal poor of his day, which included himself.

It is Vincent's distinct and indomitable spirit that is captured in the Night Café.By leading us through the work of art back to the artist, thus also to the Ultimate Reality to which the artist symbolically points us, Cliff Edwards deserves a literary award for bringing the mystery of this painting, in concert with Vincent himself, to light.

As you come yourself in sacred pilgrimage before Vincent's alluring "sanctuary" of the Night Café, and as you read Cliff Edwards in order to gain his deep in-sight, be prepared to ponder the profound Mystery that Vincent conveys, which is to say, to understand it by standing under it long enough to see what otherwise remains invisible to the observing eye.
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120 pages ... Read more

Product Description
This is an illustrated study of Vincent Van Gogh, one of the great forerunners of 20th century painting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Beautiful book, exactly what I was looking for
I am using Photoshop and trying to emululate some artist's work. I found this book both informative about Van Gogh andthe prints had more than enough detail so I could see brush/knife strokes. very nice

Good, but not perfect
I have had good experiences with purchasing Taschen's introductory overviews on the various basic genres.I was expecting this book to adhere to the basic pattern:a few pages in the beginning to serve as a larger overview (in this case, a biography), while the rest of the book concentrates specifically on individual pieces of art (reproducing the art work in full on the right hand page, while furnishing a page long analysis on the left).

Unfortunately, that is not the way this work is constructed.It is one long biography with reproductions of art work interspersed here and there throughout the book.That means an art work under discussion in the text is often pages away from where it is being discussed.All the page flipping back and forth to match description with picture is confusing and tiring.One star off for the inconvenience.

Still, this is a highly serviceable introduction for the novice (of which I must count myself).The pictures are reproduced in good quality. The prose is intelligent and erudite, though a bit wordy at points. I walked away having a greater knowledge and appreciation of Van Gogh and his place in art history, and that is really what matters in the end.

A good find!
Cleaning out some bookshelves the other day (a never-ending task), I found this book which I boughtsome months ago. So I read it yesterday (it is just 96 pages) and even though I know quite a bit about Van Gogh, this was still a delight. Walther combines biography, paintings and analysis of them, and discussion of Van Gogh's techniques. I especially liked the illustrated time line at the end.

Very well done. This author clearly knows his art and artists. Great find!

A novice liked it
I spotted this book and, having been impressed by the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery last year, decided to check it out. (That being said, I know very little about art and seldom read about it, so this reviewshould be taken in that light.)

Van Gogh was an amazingly prolificpainter. His artistic career lasted scarcely ten years, but in that time hecreated enough paintings to decorate nearly every page of this 250-pagebook - and those aren't even all of them.

The book itself is acombination of a biography and an analysis of his paintings. This flowssmoothly, perhaps because Van Gogh put so much of himself into his art: hismoods are clear from what he depicted and how he depicted it.

Thebiographical portion makes for interesting reading in and of itself. VanGogh actually came rather late to art after failing at other occupations,including that of a minister. Once he turns to art, he is almostimmediately remarkably capable. Later on, he attempts to set up an artisticcommunity in his famous "yellow house," with the help of Gaugain. It's acollaboration that fails disastrously, with Gaugain leaving and Van Goghcutting off his earlobe. Van Gogh has a difficult time psychologically fora few years, then, when it seems he has finally turned things around, goesout and shoots himself. The authors suggest it's due to his believe that adead artist is more valued than a live one, a strange but possibly truepremise.

The analysis of the paintings, comfortably intertwined with thebiographical information, are interesting as well, at least to someone likeme who only barely understands painting. While the analysis occasionallydescends into what is to me artsy gobbledegook, by and large the commentsare incisive and point out the distinctive qualities of each painting andhow it relates to his other work. The tone is positive and descriptive,which I liked. I could easily have imagined a much more critical approachor a tone that indicated this is the way to look at this painting. But theauthors fall into neither trap.

So this artistic novice, at least, foundthis to be an excellent book about a great artist. Recommended for allthose with an interest in the subject.

IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE COMPLETE PAINTING THIS IS FOR YOU
I purchased this book not being aware of the complete painting book but if I knew about the other one ( complete painting ) I probably would have chose that book for sure ! Anyway, as a second choise this is a great valuebook . The picture are beautifull and the text is full of detail about VanGogh's life that is exceeded only by the Letter to Theo book published byPenguin. Well,now that you know my opinion, order this book if you aretight with money; other wise you may consider the complete painting if thequality of the picture and the text is as good as this book. Ciao ... Read more

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Briefly examines the life of the renowned Dutch painter and traces the development of his art. ... Read more

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Letters to an Artist From Vincent van Gogh to Anton Ridder van Rappard 1881-1885 Translated from the Dutch by Rela van Messel With an Introduction by Walter Pach Published by the Viking Press, New York 1936 FIRST PUBLISHED IN SEPTEMBER 1936 COPYRIGHT 1936 BY THE VIKING PRESS, INC, PRINTED IN U. S. A. BY THE HADDON CRAFTSMEN AQXJATONE ILLUSTRATIONS BY EDWARD STERN COMPANY DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK, INCLUDING THE FACSIMILE LETTERS AND DRAWINGS, MAY BE REPRO DUCED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS. Translators Note In rendering these letters into English I discovered that a strictly literal translation would be confusing, for van Goghs peculiar style, to say nothing of many Dutch expressions, is all but untranslatable. Nevertheless, I have kept as close to the text as possible in order to preserve the distinct flavour and vigorous colour of the letters. Van Goghs handwriting is also unique it is uneven and vari able, now slanting, now perpendicular, sometimes so small that one has to use a magnifying-glass, at other times, especially when he wishes to give extra emphasis to what he says, unusually thick and large. He habitually used different nibs in the same letter, and frequently it looks as if he had dipped them into India ink, thus making the reading of the next page almost impossible, for he wrote on a certain type of thin ruled paper common in Holland. Often van Gogh, after concluding a letter, would go back and make additions in tiny script at the end of paragraphs in order to reinforce a statement or to make clearer what he was afraid he had not expressed well enough. Such additions are to be found in nearly every letter they are typical of him, as are his rugged style and enthusiasm which I have tried to convey. Nothing, however, has been omitted except a few passages of sheer repeti tion and some lists literally, catalogue notes of van Goghs acquisitions for his print collection. As most of the letters are undated, the task of arranging them chronologically was extremely difficult, if not impossible but I feel that the order in which they here appear will at least not in terfere with the readers sense of continuity. A casual conversation about the exhibition of van Goghs works, then current in New York, first revealed to me the ex istence of the contents of this volume. Closer access to the hith erto unpublished letters of the Dutch artist has only increased my belief in their significance, and I am most happy to see them now made available to the public. RELA VAN MESSEL Introduction BY WALTER PACH IT is not unfitting that the first presentation of the letters of Vincent van Gogh composing the present volume should be made on this side of the Atlantic, his hold on the admiration of Americans having proved a strong one from the very first. Any number of our cities have applied for the loan of that great collection of the painters work which is travelling about the country as I write these lines, but circumstances have made it necessary to limit the places for the exhibition to New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, San Francisco, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto. Even so, with over a hundred thousand visitors in each of the places where the pic tures have been shown so far, it is almost certain that more Americans will have attended the exhibition than have ever gathered before to see the production of a single artist. But American interest in van Gogh is of far earlier date. Well before the Armory Show of 1913 brought to this country a splendid group of his paintings, he was represented in such col lections as those of John Quinn and Katherine S. Dreier in New York, and of Sir William Van Home in Montreal. In 1920 an important showing of his works, from those in the possession of the van Gogh family, was eagerly welcomed in New York... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The importance of drawing for Van Gogh
Besides the reproductions of Vincent's drawings. This book goes into the craft of making sketchbooks: How pages are organized. Sewing the bindings.The construction of the cover.There are a plethora of books on making sketchbooks in the past few years. But, this book is a double whammy. It not only contains intimate information on VanGogh's work in drawing,but has this explicit information about the craft of the books. He had a compartment in the rear of the book to keep notes.Of all of the books I own on sketchbooks this book is the most valuable.It shows how valuable sketchbooks were to an artist that seemed as though he would never master the basics of drawing . But, became one of the greatest draftsman of all time.The modest price on this book is money well spent.

What a glimpse...
Both the text and the images in this book are priceless -- the photos of the actual sketchbooks of Van Gogh evoke a feeling that right here, inside these small books, is a map of the process of an artistic genius. The end section that shows some of the sketches next to finished works is a great illustration of that exact process.

The essays and description of the reconstruction of these sketchbooks was both interesting and scholarly.Good reference for art historians and artists alike. ... Read more

Product Description
Collected here are the original publications from one of the most important exhibitions in the history of American art--the 1913 Armory Show.

Opening on February 17, 1913, in New York and traveling to Chicago and Boston, the Armory Show was meant to be a simple exhibition of the new abstract and cubist art coming out of Europe. What it ultimately became was a sprawling showcase of some of the most ground-breaking(and many said subversive) art America had ever seen. Sensational to crowds, controversial among critics, and inspirational for artists, the Armory Show radically changed the face of art in America.

This volume collects the complete text of "For and Against: Views on the Infamous 1913 Armory Show" (9780982325711) and "The New Spirit: Pamphlets from the Infamous 1913 Armory Show" (9780982325728). Here you'll find excerpts from Paul Gauguin's provocative Tahitian journal, Elie Faure's enthralling essay on Cezanne, a range of impassioned views both for and against the "new" art, and president Theodore Roosevelt's famous essay, "A Layman's Views of an Art Exhibition". Long out of print, these writings (which were first published in pamphlets and sold at the exhibition itself) reintroduce readers to artists and ideas as powerful today as they were nearly a century ago. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A great little calender
It is only a calender but it fits easily in a purse, the pages don't fall out, and it looks and stays nice all year.

Van Gogh Calendar
A very nice pocket calendar with lovely prints of the most famous of his works scattered through it and ample space to write in appointments. It has a rigid plastic cover to protect it and is spiral bound so it lays flat when open. The only drawback is that it is a bit bulky since it is an inch thick. However, its size also helps one to locate it in a cluttered purse. ... Read more

Product Description
These attractive, affordable and adorable miniature versions of popular Prestel titles for point-of-sale and counter-top displays make perfect gifts. "The Minis" are packed with colour and small enough to fit into any pocket. They are as easy on the eye as they are on the wallet and there are titles to suit every occasion, taste and interest. Like all of Prestel's products, these "Minis" feature splendid reproductions of amazing artwork of all kinds, elegantly designed and packaged. Whether for a birthday, an anniversary or just as a surprise, these miniature treasures prove that little things mean a lot. ... Read more