author

Vincent van Gogh

1853–1890

Best known for bold color, restless energy, and paintings like Sunflowers and The Starry Night, this Dutch artist created some of the most recognizable images in Western art. During his lifetime he struggled to find stability and recognition, but his work later became central to modern art.

1 Audiobook

The Letters of a Post-Impressionist

The Letters of a Post-Impressionist

by Vincent van Gogh

About the author

Born in the Netherlands on 30 March 1853, Vincent van Gogh tried several paths before fully turning to art. He worked in the art trade, spent time as a teacher and preacher, and then committed himself to drawing and painting in his late twenties. His early work focused on workers and rural life, while later years brought the vivid color and expressive brushwork that made his style so distinctive.

After periods in Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy, and Auvers-sur-Oise, he produced an extraordinary number of paintings and drawings in just about a decade. His letters, especially those to his brother Theo, reveal a thoughtful, deeply driven artist who cared intensely about people, nature, and the emotional power of art.

Van Gogh died in France on 29 July 1890 at the age of 37. He was not widely celebrated while he was alive, but his work went on to have an enormous influence, and he is now remembered as one of the defining figures of Post-Impressionism.