I can't help mentioning the fact that as a teenager Vincent Van Gogh's paintings didn't impress me that much and it wasn't until I fell upon his letters to Theo that I started getting a deeper insight as to who he was as a person and thus fell under his spell. From then on I started buying everything that came out about him, from biographies to different book editions that spoke about him or even slightly mentioned him.
Jo Van Gogh-Bonger's short biography of Vincent is according to critics the closest one can come to Vincent the man, as seen and referred to by those who kwew him and I have to agree. I felt I wouldn't learn much more about him than what I had already been made aware of throughout these "study" years, but I was wrong and do praise his sister-in-law's efforts to have brought his works and him as a person into the public eye.
Amidst several unknown (yet rather interesting) things I learnt a certain Mr. Mendes Costa (undoubtedly a Portuguese origin person), the best teacher in the Classical languages was Vincent's teacher from 1877 through to 1878, together with having come across some painting reproductions I had never seen before, dating back to 1884/87 and more specifically those made in Cuesnes and Asnières.
I believe any Van Gogh lover will be happy to read this 187 page book I have read in two consecutive nights.
"Vincent impresses me as somebody who stands in his own light." - Reverend Mr. Pietersen
"Vincent craved a deeper understanding of his innermost self."
Note: the last two pictures are not from Jo Van Gogh-Bonger's book.
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