A vibrantly illustrated biography of Vincent van Gogh based on letters he sent to his brother Theo.

Combines van Gogh's paintings with his own words, describing each work of art and introducing young readers to the concept of color.

"Vincent van Gogh had one true teacher: Nature. Nature taught him about light, shadows, shape and colors"--Back cover

Entranced by the paintings of the unconventional artist Vincent Van Gogh, for whom her mother is working as a housekeeper, Claudine is saddened when the townspeople turn against him.

Co-published by Museum of Modern Art and the Van Gogh Museum in conjunction with the first exhibition to focus on Vincent van Gogh's depictions of nocturnal and twilight scenes, Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night examines the artist's night landscapes, interior scenes, and representations of the effects of both gaslight and natural light on their surroundings. It features over one hundred illustrations, including details of Van Gogh's iconic paintings and works by other artist important to the development of his style.

This title is one in a series presenting four masterpieces by four immortal nineteenth-century French painters. Each miniature book faithfully reproduces its title painting on the front cover, and is packaged in a handsome slipcase that doubles as a picture frame. The frame can stand up on a desk or tabletop or be hung on the wall to display the book cover's striking painting. Each book's interior discusses its title painting, describing the artist's approach to his work, analyzing the picture's fine points, and showing close-up details from the painting. A final two-page spread presents a timeline capsule biography that lists significant events in the painter's life. Van Gogh--Starry Night shows and discusses Vincent Van Gogh's masterpiece, which is a mystically glowing nighttime landscape, and ranks today as one of the artist's most popular and beloved paintings.

Abbreviated Lives profiles the life stories of artists, scientists & writers whose creative odysseys have been cut short by circumstances: penury, lack of recognition, mental breakdown, dictatorship and war etc. It also portrays the Matilda effect: how some women’s contributions have been ‘stolen’ by male colleagues, supervisors or husbands. However tragic the conditions in which they might have worked, all the characters in this book took passionate creative journeys till the final exit. From them, we may reaffirm that the journey matters more than the destination; one can rise to great heights in life given grit, commitment and hard work. These tragic stories also teach us that the efflorescence of artistic and scientific creativity needs democracy and freedom of thought; it may be cruelly stifled, if not completely destroyed, by unscrupulous dictators and authoritarian rulers. These tales not only can inspire the readers to carry forward their own journeys; moreover, they may ignite us to promote institutional, cultural and social factors that would help nurture the full blossoming of creative lives so that the society may fully ‘harvest’ their artistic, literary and scientific contributions. Sincere creative journeys, the lonely expeditions of pioneers would never go in vain; someday, kindred spirits would retrace the paths blazed by the forerunners.