Lust for Life

A magnificent diatribe of Vincent Van Gogh's life. Completed in 1934, before WWII. The Author attests to its authenticity: "The reader may have asked himself, 'How much of this story is true?' The dialogue had to be reimagined.... Aside from these technical liberties, the book is entirely true" (Page 489). If not for his devout younger brother Theo, Vincent could not have pursued his avant-garde artistic passion, as Theo loyally supported him for years while Vincent refined his craft. Unlucky with women, love, and, romance, Vincent was deeply transformed by his rejections which, ultimately, impacted his paintings. A stupendous illuminating revelation concerning Vincent's agonizing challenges, and, the eventual heartbreaking devolution of insanity. As Vincent astutely noted: "Well, we're all cripples in one way or another"(Page 302). Also, highly recommend the Author's other profound publication entitled "The Agony And The Ecstasy."

Everyone has read the tabloid sensational snippets. This chronological biography puts what you think you know about the intense Van Gogh and puts all in the context of a life lived deeply and fully in a manner so true and heartfelt-headlines didn’t even scratch the surface of his devotional commitment to living fully everyday

"Lust for Life" is a very good debut novel authored by Irving Stone. It closely follows the life of Vincent van Gogh. There is much dialogue that has to have been imagined. There is also a fairly strange delusional episode that the author states is fictionalized. However the story is also faithful to the life of Vincent van Gogh and as such is a semi fictional biography in the same context as a historical novel. The language in the novel is very readable and consistent with the norms of American Society in 1934 and as such there is no vulgar language. There are times that the story moves along somewhat slowly but is overall an Interesting, pleasant read. I enjoyed the novel a lot. As usual I did parallel reading and studying and learned a good deal. I had decided to read this novel as I simultaneously visited family in the Netherlands. This did add slightly to the reading experience. I then watched a movie based on the novel from 1956. In its totality this made for a fun reading and studying experience. (Assuming, of course, you are a geek with no life, like me!) Early in this fine novel, Vincent van Gogh serves as a clergyman in a mining town. As I read that part of the novel, I could not escape the feeling that I was rereading parts of my favorite novel by Emile Zola, "Germinal". Later within "Lust for Life", Vincent van Gogh meets Emile Zola and the novel "Germinal" is discussed. I am as certain as I can be that is no coincidence and "Germinal" served as a resource for this novel. As I very often do, I purchased an audiobook, narrated by Steve West, to augment my reading. The audiobook was very faithful to the written novel and was very professionally done. I am not one to suggest other people spend extra money. But I did also enjoy the audiobook. In summary, I completely enjoyed this reading and studying experience. The novel is a very good novel, that is slightly dated in style and, at times, moves along somewhat slowly. I am uncredentialed. Keeping that in mind,, I felt the writing style put me in mind of Herman Wouk from the 1940s. Speaking for myself, I am very glad that I read it, but I am also quite sure it will not suit the tastes of every modern reader. Thank You...

I have just completed reading Irving Stone’s magnificent biographical novel of the life of Vincent van Gogh “Lust for Life”. Even though the dialogue is fictional, it is based on truth. The book was written in 1934 and it is definitely one of those novels that are ageless and one can really enjoy reading it to this day. The characters come alive in this novel and are so vividly portrayed. Vincent van Gogh was never recognized in his time and had lived in dire poverty all his life. The book begins with his life in London where he had fallen in love with an Ursula Loyer, the daughter the landlady of the home where he had lodged. His love affair with her was a total disaster and she rejected him. She was engaged to somebody else. He fell out of favor with her family and he was ordered to leave their home for ever. He had worked at the London quarters of Goupils and Company for a while. He was never stable and after his breakup with Ursula he returned to his homeland. While in London he also did some teaching. He became fluent in English, French and was involved in helping pupils in their studies. He was very well read and also learnt Greek and Latin under the tutelage of Mendes da Costa. His father was a pastor and encouraged him to follow in his footsteps but he was not built for being a minister even though he preached a bit in the Borinage - a poor coal mining district. He had always identified with the poor peasants and mining workers. He had used them as subjects for many of his paintings. He struggled financially all his life and was supported by his younger brother, Theo, who had sent him 50 Francs a month for most of his life. Vincent was very close to his brother, who never abandoned him. The author portrayed Vincent van Gogh very vividly. You feel the pain and hardships that this struggling artist went through. His paintings were never recognized and he only managed to sell one painting in all his years as an artist. His work was severely criticized and it is just amazing that he never gave up. He travelled extensively in France and in the Netherlands. He lost his mind and became a heavy absinthe drinker, which must have affected his brain. He had been in out of two mental asylums. He had a close relationship with the doctors that treated him. The famous story of his cutting off his ear is also well described. Eventually at the age of 37 he committed suicide by shooting himself. He survived that and died a few days in his brother’s arms after his suicide attempt. It always remained a mystery where he acquired the revolver to end his life. This book gives one an excellent idea as to Vincent van Gogh’s extreme physical suffering and deprivation. It holds one’s interest right up until the last page.

I learned so much about Van Gogh reading this fictional biography. Thought it would be more salacious based on the title and back blurb, but it really wasn't.

Adelを髣髴させるような抑えた感じでいて 深い感じの歌い方はLana Del Reyの特徴だと思いますが このアルバムでは更に声が磨きがかかっていて 今までのちょっと暗い退廃的な感じとは違っていました。 曲のセンスのよさ、都会的で かなりの実力はだと思いました。 確かに、最近は声を張り上げる若いポップスターが多い中 どことなくヨーロッパの雰囲気を感じます。 このアルバムはとてもよかったです。

Great artists are not in a constant state of depression and pain, they become great artists in spite of it. The fact that these celebrated artists chose not to recoil in passive suffering and instead turned their sorrow into something the world would cherish, made them great artists. The idea of the tortured artist has long been debated in our culture, and you can’t say the words tortured artist without Vincent Van Gogh coming to mind. Van Gogh may have suffered from anxiety, absinthe addiction, and debilitating seizures, but his suffering gave him insight, and that insight, in turn, gave the world a new kind of art called Post-Impressionism. As a painter, Vincent Van Gogh secured his place in history as one of the most iconic artists to have ever lived. But beneath those vibrant brushstrokes, swirling colours and breathtaking landscapes lies another story, a tragedy of heartbreak and pain, poverty and mental illness. Pain was his art; he knew no other way. He was laughed at, mocked, being called "Le Fou Roux" - the red fool, being rejected by women he loved, he was an embarrassment to his family. His teachers and fellow painters didn't look at him seriously - his lines were never straight, he didn't study human anatomy, his colours were chaotic and his style was very childish. But it was his own. It was his passion. His lust for life. Vincent van Gogh’s story shows the indomitable strength of human spirit. And that the human spirit can rise above all forms of adversity and, produce great art that communicates meaningfully with the rest of the world. Plagued by hallucinations, nightmares and intense bouts of anxiety, Van Gogh created the achingly beautiful ‘Starry Night’ a year before his tragic death. Written with a passion reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings, Irving Stone's "Lust for Life" is a fictionalised biography of the famed post-Impressionist painter. Irving Stone gives us an insight into the life of Vincent Van Gogh and the struggles, both personal and creative, that went into his art. It’s commendable the passion with which the author manages to capture the eccentric personality that was Van Gogh. ‘Lust for Life’ starts off in London, where Vincent worked at his uncle’s Goupil Gallery as an art dealer. He had a simple work of selling photographs and often wondered how people can pay high prices for a cheap commodity when it comes to art. Most of the people who came in knew absolutely nothing about what they were buying. Still, Vincent used to sell fifty photographs on an average a day, making 5pounds a month and he was hardly 21yrs at that time. He was planning on asking Ursula, his landlord’s daughter to marry him and he was devastated when she rejected his proposal. Thats when he felt he had enough of art world and went home. Never to work at Goupil's again. After he left Goupil's, he worked as a tutor at Ramsgate, four hours from London. He had to teach French, German, and Dutch to boys from 10yrs-14years of age. After his London stint, he also worked as a book-seller for almost 4 months but he was not into it. And one fine morning he took the last train to his home in Zundert. It is at this time, his father convinced him that he is not meant to work in these shops, instead he is meant to work in the service of god, as a clergyman. Vincent goes to Amsterdam, to stay with his uncle, Vice-admiral Johannes Van Gogh. Although he wanted to be an evangelist and serve people, his uncle sets him up with a finest scholar, Mendes da Costa to tutor him in Latin, Dutch history, Grammar and Greek, so he can become a brilliant university graduate. He was very sincere and put in nearly 7-8 hours of study on a daily basis. Yet, he did not see how he was going to persevere in simple, regular study after all those emotional years. Vincent liked to talk to Mendes da Costa about general things of life, apart from his studies. One day he brought his teacher the study of A Baptism by Maris and launched into an enthusiastic description of Maris’s art. After one year of constant studying, he starts questioning himself if he is even fit for formal education and if he can he still take this for next 5 years? One day, after his regular lessons, Vincent and Mendes go for a stroll, a few blocks near Rembrandt’s old home in the Zeestraat and end up discussing Rembrandt’s art and his contribution to the world of art and other things in life. After his discussion with Mendes, he knew where his place was in the world, and Mendes had given him the courage to do what is right. Vincent’s will to serve god and do god’s practical work, and serve the humble and the weak lead him to an Evangelical School. Vincent initially makes himself believe that it is God who resides at its vortex and only through His work, he can fill in the meaningless void of his life. Van Gogh’s sojourn with the coal miners in Belgium was very moving. Striving for meaning, Vincent sets on the gravelled path of evangelical service upon which he stumbles, falls, gets bruised, and finally gives in to his helplessness and gives up his God and once again finds himself in an existential abyss. He had reached the low point in his life and he knew it. He felt that there was some good in him, that he was not altogether a fool and a wastrel, and that there was a small contribution he could make to the world. But what was that contribution? He was not fitted for the routine of business and he had already tried everything else for which he might have had an aptitude. It is in these dark moments, Vincent inadvertently picks up a tattered and yellowed letter and a piece of charcoal and thus, what follows was a light so strong that it still illuminates innumerable artists putting their heart and soul in their canvases. It is in Borinage, a small coal mining village in Belgium, that Vincent started sketching an old miner tramping across the field. Something about this man attracted Vincent. Next, another young miner came out and he began sketching him as well. He came home and copied those rough sketches and kept thinking about Rembrandt, Millet, Jules Dupre, Delacroix and Maris - artists he admired and fell into a deep, restful sleep for the first time, after coming to Borinage. He wakes up the next day and follows this routine of sketching his landlord, miners, and girls who worked in the coal mine. Vincent’s sketches were a bit rough and crude, still they captured something. His landlord called him an artist and Vincent just smiled and dismissed it. All he needed at that time was another artist's opinion. Although Theo, his brother, sends him money for his expenses, he literally spends his money on art and supplies, leaving him with no money at the end of the month. So, he literally walks 80km to Brussels, to discuss with Rev Pietersen about his sketches. Vincent showed his 3 best sketches to Rev.Pietersen and asked for his opinion. He was particularly taken by the sketch of a miner’s wife, picking up coal on the slope of a hill. Although it was not drawn in perfect proportion, and the technique wasn’t right, still Vincent managed to capture the spirit of the miner’s wife, she is just all the miner’s wives in the Borinage put together. And the fact that Rev asked for that sketch was a crucial test that he liked his art. Rev Pietersen not only gave him a start but also filled him with hope that others will also come to like his work in the future. He returned to Borinage and started copying sketches from ‘Le Travaux’ and Exercises Au Fusain’ by Bargue. The most momentous change in Van Gogh’s life was triggered by his younger brother Theo, who advised Vincent to become an artist. Vincent had been without a proper job since 5 years and it is at this crucial period Theo enters his life and takes him to Paris. Although his sketches were still raw and crude, he believed in Vincent’s gift and makes a pact with him. Theo would supply the funds, materials, paper and in return he had to supply the work. Theo would help him out financially. Needless to say, Vincent was overjoyed that he finally found his life work. “all these bitter months I've been working toward something, trying to dig the real purpose and meaning out of my life, and I didn't know it! But now that I do know, I'll never be discouraged again. Theo, do you realise what it means? After all these wasted years I have found myself AT LAST!!! IM GOING TO BE AN ARTIST. That's why I failed at all my other jobs, because I wasn't meant for them. But now I've got the one thing that can never fail.” Vincent's exploration of his artistic identity brings him to Paris. Van Gogh's Paris period is fascinating in terms of its role in transforming him as an artist.Here he is ushered into the era of modern art. After all, its in Paris, Van Gogh first saw Impressionist art, and he was inspired by the colour and light. He began studying with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Camille Pissarro and others. Vincent then abandons his contemporaries, and runs back into the harsh wilderness of solitude where he wants to paint how he started - amidst the passionate nature which fuels life into him. He felt a tremendous urge to get away somewhere by himself where it would be quiet, and he could pour his surging, nervous energy into his craft. He needed only a hot sun to bring him to fruition. He had the feeling that the climax of his life, the full creative power toward which he had been struggling these eight long years, was not so very far off. He knew that nothing he had painted as yet was of any value; perhaps there was a short stretch just ahead in which he could create those few pictures which would justify his life. During this time, Van Gogh became influenced by Japanese art and began studying Eastern philosophy to enhance his art and life. He dreamed of traveling there, but was told by Toulouse-Lautrec that the light in the village of Arles was just like the light in Japan. Van Gogh boards a train to the south of France and moves into a now famous “Yellow house" and spent his money on paint rather than food. Vincent dreamed of building an artists’ colony in the South of France, where he would live and work alongside other artists in the ‘Yellow House’ in Arles. Here in Arles, he starts creating the world as he sees it with that hypersensitivity which needed the artistic exaggeration to convey to us what he saw in those cornfields, sunflowers and almond blossoms his own desire to communicate to the world what's right in front of their eyes but hardly felt in the numbness that existence renders in the most of us. “nature always resists the artist...but if I really take my work seriously, I wont allow myself to be led astray by that resistance” Vincent's venturing into the extremities of physical nature ultimately took a toll on his mental capacity as well. He held on to his conscious thread to reality through his work and spends all his creative energies as he does his passion to paint. After the bursts of climax that satisfied his soul, he felt exhausted - a little more spent every time. He was practically living on coffee, bread and absinthe and his health took a toll- both physical and psychological. His brother was worried, and he offered Paul Gauguin to watch over Vincent. Before Gauguin’s visit, he had big artistic dreams to turn yellow house’ into a monastery for like minded artists. Within a month, Van Gogh and Gauguin were arguing constantly, and one night, Gauguin walked out. Van Gogh followed him, and when Gauguin turned around, he saw Van Gogh holding a razor in his hand and slashed off his ear. Vincent was discharged from the hospital in Arles in January 1889. His wounded ear healed, but his mental health remained precarious. Following this incident, Van Gogh suffered greatly from periodic seizures and depressions, and was confined in various psychiatric institutions. He was once again alone and depressed. For hope, he turned to painting and nature, but could not find peace and was hospitalised again. He would paint at the Yellow house during the day and return to the hospital at night. He created two, and sometimes even three complete pictures a day. He was working at a feverish pace to complete as many paintings as he could. During last days of his life at Arles, he was creating one canvas a day, and ended up creating 30canvases a month, by starting at 4am and working on till 6-7pm. “It was not the length of his stay on earth that mattered to him; it was what he did with the days of his life” Van Gogh decided to move to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint- Rémy-de-Provence after the people of Arles signed a petition saying that he was dangerous. And he began painting in the hospital gardens. It was here, he painted the now famous ‘Starry Nights’ painting. Even though he was in a mental asylum, he was determined not to vegetate in idleness and read books such as Richard II, Henry IV to keep himself occupied. If not reading, Vincent would throw himself into work with all his strength, fighting valiantly to keep grief from gathering in his heart. “the painter who knows how own craft and nothing else will turn out to be a very superficial artist.” It was work and letters from Theo, from Paris that kept him in high spirits although he kept having seizures regularly. Theo and his wife, Johanna, gave birth to a boy and named him Vincent Willem van Gogh after Theo's brother. Around this time, Theo sold van Gogh's "The Red Vineyards" painting for 400 francs. Vincent was ecstatic when Theo wrote to him about selling his 1st painting. That’s when Vincent requests his brother h move him away from St. Remy’s asylum as the hallucinations were getting worse after every seizure. Also around this time, Dr. Paul Gachet, who lived in Auvers, about 20 miles north of Paris, agreed to take van Gogh as his patient. Van Gogh moved toAuvers and rented a room. Vincent settled down once again to be a painter. somehow his periods of illness and idleness in St-Paul took its toll; the paint brush slipped in his hand. The feverish passion to paint in hot blood every minute of the day had left him. He now sketched in a leisurely fashion.now he worked from habit, because there was nothing else to do. Earlier, scenes from nature used to thrill him and excite him to paint, now they left him indifferent. At last he went on working only because he felt he owed it to Theo to capitalise on the years of investment. And yet, when he realised, in the very middle of a painting, that Theo's house was already jammed with more canvases than could be sold in ten lifetimes, a gentle nausea would arise within him, and he would push away his easel with distaste. The days passed. The middle of July came and with it came the news of Vincent Jr’s ill health, and a possible sacking of Theo from his work, as he was more interested in selling The Impressionists art form. All these issues took a toll on Vincent’s mental health. And he didn’t want to be a burden on Theo anymore and he felt empty, drained, washed out, as though the hundreds upon hundreds of drawings and paintings that had flowed out of him in the past ten years had each taken a tiny spark of his life. He tried working, but it was no good. He had painted every thing he wanted to paint. He had said everything he wanted to say. Nature no longer stirred him to a creative passion, and he knew that the best part of him was already dead. On July 27, 1890, Vincent van Gogh went out to paint in the morning carrying a loaded pistol and shot himself in the chest, but the bullet did not kill him. He was found bleeding in his room. On hearing the news of his brother’s attempted suicide, Theo travelled to Auvers immediately and so was present at Vincent’s deathbed. On July 29, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh died in the arms of his brother Theo. He was only 37 years old. He was buried at Auvers cemetery. "Vincent is not dead. He will never die. His love, his genius, the great beauty he has created will go on forever, enriching the world...He was a colossus...a great painter... a great philosopher...a martyr to his love of art." If there is one relationship that kept Van Gogh alive during his heartbreaks, misery, poverty, pain and illness it was the beautiful bond he shared with Theo. Always supporting, always loving and always there. He supported Vincent financially till the very end, besides providing an emotional cornerstone and friendship. Theo van Gogh played an important role in his older brother's life as a confidant, supporter and art dealer. And Theo, who never gets enough credit, kept him alive and to whom we basically owe Vincent. Theo was a saint. “and in their death they were not divided” Needless to say, Theo was devastated by his brother’s death. He was suffering from syphilis and weakened by his brother's death, died six months after his brother in a Dutch asylum. He was buried in Utrecht, but in 1914 Theo's wife, Johanna, who was a dedicated supporter of Van Gogh's works, had Theo's body reburied in the Auvers cemetery next to Vincent. They rest side by side in the little cemetery amid the wheat fields of Auvers. It struck me like a bolt of lightning that only a single canvas that Vincent produced ever went on sale. Vincent could be called as one of the greatest Impressionists of modern times and yet his life was one of destitute, loneliness and poverty stricken. The world now might buy his paintings for billions but during his lifetime he yearned for only one thing, a respectable decent life. A life of simple bread and butter which he thought he could earn by selling his drawings. I really liked how the author wrote about Van Gogh's life and personality. It's difficult to enter a mind of one artist, in this case, one of the most talented and known artist of the modern age, but Irving Stone did amazingly good job here. You can feel every emotion, every stroke of a brush, every written word, every breath that was taken in creating this beautiful book and bringing it into life Vincent didn’t just capture nature but captured its essence in his paintings. There is a certain timelessness to his paintings and his swirling colours, vibrant brushstrokes will continue to inspire artists for the generations to come. This biographical novel on Vincent Van Gogh will leave you emotionally exhausted. It's that kind of book which makes you cry in the end... And feel sorry you've finished it.I feel richer knowing more about this wonderful person, a man who spent his life trying to capture life, pain and beauty in his canvases. I enjoyed every moment of this book, every emotion that overwhelmed me is seared into my soul and into my heart forever, and I'm deeply grateful for this book and Irving Stone, and especially Vincent van Gogh. Read it!!! And witness Van Gogh’s creative journey from a struggling artist to one of the world's most celebrated artists

Um livro simplesmente maravilhoso que retrata o lado humano do gênio Vincent Van Gogh. Uma leitura obrigatório para os admiradores do artista.

Me fascinó la vida de Van Gog. La narración que hace el autor me parece muy apegada a la verdad. Cómo el arte puede provocar una inspiración casi divina y al mismo tiempo atribular la vida del artista a tal grado de desear la muerte. Me conmovió la unión y el amor de su hermano Theo. Era el único que lo comprendía y lo apoyó toda su vida.

This is a wonderful story is written with deep affection and gives insight into the soul of a profound and powerful artist