Reddit reviews Van Gogh: The Life

There is new evidence, such as accounts from people alive at the time, that suggest he was killed by a young man. (it is unclear why the boy shot him, could have been accidental, could have been malicious)

Here is an article about it that sums it up well: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2014/12/vincent-van-gogh-murder-mystery

Here is a book that goes into copious detail: https://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Life-Steven-Naifeh/dp/0375758976/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1481781701&sr=8-4&keywords=vincent+van+gogh

I myself read all the letters that are currently published between Vincent and his brother Theo, over 600 letters spanning his life time, read the interviews with people who knew him, looked at his medical history, and though its clear he was unhappy, he did not have the intention of killing himself that day (via the letter he sent that morning), and his autopsy helps prove that he was unlikely capable of creating the wound that he died from.

Frankly, His artwork was just starting to get noticed by the art world, having had his work officially critiqued, he was working on a new piece for a gallery exhibition him and his brother were going to host together to display Vincents work, all together, he was getting better. A couple more months and he would have had the fame he is renowned for. He was having a good day, and died.

I got it from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Life-Steven-Naifeh/dp/0375758976/ It's 700 pages, but quotes all the letters to his brother to keep it factual.

I did a project on Van Gogh last semester and after watching the Power of Art episode, I ended up reading the entire book, Van Gogh: The Life, insanely detailed yet really depressing.

My expectation is the only source for his paper dealing with the suicide being a murder was the book he posted in the comment above. The theory isn't really something that has been accepted, or researched in terms of true academic rigor outside of this book.

In saying that, it is a good book on Van Gogh. It takes its liberties, but that is normal. I'd also suggest [Lust For Life] (https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/lust-for-life/author/stone/pics/) as an option as well. It is a bit more fun to read, and hits a lot of interesting points in his life while taking a few artistic liberties.

This definitely resonates with me. I am definitely on a different path from most people and even do things differently from other artists. I've started avoiding talking shop with other lighting people because my design philosophy differs so much from everyone I meet. I also stubbornly stay freelance rather than taking a stable full time job somewhere which makes my schedule really weird. In January I worked 0 hours one week, 81 hours the next, and 0 the week after that.

Doing things alone definitely seems to creep people out. I have a couple small groups of friends but I hate mixing groups for the most part so I guess most people assume I have no other friends. I suppose another creepy thing about me is that I am a really big, strong guy (6'4", 250lbs/193cm, 113kg). It's not sexy bodybuilder strength but more like burly dock worker strength. Huge guy with mental issues? Run for the fucking hills...

I also love to read. On my days off, I'll bring a book down to the coffee shop under my apartment. I recently started reading the newish Van Gogh biography, Van Gogh, the Life. It is a tough read because I see so much of myself in him. What sort of things do you read?

Van Gogh: The Life

Vincent enjoyed some minor acclaim near the end of his life from one rising young Parisian star that recognized Vincent's brilliance and sold a few paintings as a result. Still, he was living in an Italian convalescent home, basically an asylum, and was rapidly deteriorating mentally and physically.

The notion that he died without enjoying even a minute fraction of what his legacy would be come is somewhat mistaken. It's also worth nothing that Vincent was brusque, rude, and often belligerent, so our conception of him as a deeply sympathetic tortured soul, while essentially correct, ignores the painful realities of mental illness and social stigmatization and its behavioral manifestations. He was a deeply complicated person that hurt people in his life, though rarely intentionally. His brother Theo suffered the most in trying to support him.

He is and always will be my favorite artist, and seeing his works in Musee D'Orsay was profoundly moving. Separating the person from the art might be impossible here, so it's best to have a more complete and complex picture of who he really was.

This book was outstanding.