Fifield 1

Vincent Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait in Art and Letters

This book was technically written by Vincent Van Gogh but edited by H. Anna Suh. Suh

went to Princeton University and got her master’s degree in art and archaeology. She has worked

on many projects for the scholarly publications at the Met, New York University’s Institute of

Fine Arts, the Princeton University Art Museum, and Harvard University. As well as be the

curatorial staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now, she currently lives in New York City.

Gogh was a post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin. His work is notable for its rough beauty,

bold colors, and the emotional honesty in it. Gogh’s work has had much influence on 20th-

century art.

Vincent Van Gogh wrote hundreds of letters in his lifetime. Gogh wrote to people such as family

members, other artists, and his close friends Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard. But most of his

letters went to his brother, Theo Gogh. Theo’s wife, Johanna, collected the letters from Vincent

and because of her, and how much Vincent and Theo wrote to each other, the people of today

can see who Vincent was. We can see his genius and his in-depth observation. We can see this

struggling artist's raw emotions. Van Gogh wrote a lot about his techniques, theories, and his use

of color when he wrote to his artist friends, especially to Bernard. Like the letters, the book also

focuses on his works of art. The drawing and paintings help show the whole range of

development in Van Gogh’s artistry.

This is considered an important work because it helps bring attention to Van Gogh’s letters.

Many books mostly focus on Gogh’s letters to his brother since Theo is who he wrote the most

to, but this book includes more than just his brother’s letters. We see letters to other family

members and other artists like Van Gogh. Alongside the letters are his drawings and we see the

development of them and things that inspired his other works. I love Van Gogh but truly did not
 Fifield 2

know much about him. I have now gotten to see him express himself in his writing. I’ve gotten to

learn how he felt throughout his life, his techniques, and see the sketches that came along with

letters.