Vincent Van Gogh: The Drawings

2005, am extensive and comprehensive study of Van Gogh's drawings, profusely illustrated

Author

Colta Ives, with Susan Alyson Stein, Sjraar van Heugten, and Marije Vellekoop

Publisher

Metropolitan Museum of Art / Van Gogh Museum, New York & Amsterdam, 2005

Printing Details

First edition. Hardback in dustwrapper. 29 × 25.5cm, 380pp

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) believed that drawing was 'the root of everything'. A self-taught artist, he succeeded, between 1881 and 1890, in developing an inimitable graphic style. This book traces the artist's successive triumphs as a draftsman, first in the Netherlands and later in France, highlighting the diversity of his technical invention and the striking continuity of his vision. Given the pivotal role drawings played in Van Gogh's artistic conception and the rich dialectic they enjoyed with his oil paintings, a small selection of related canvases by the artist is also featured. This beautiful book presents approximately 120 works in charcoal, ink, graphite, watercolour and gouache. The authors explore enduring questions that surround Van Gogh's drawings, including their manufacture, artistic precedents and contribution to Modernism. In addition, the text discusses the significance of the artist's drawing practice to his development as a painter. The essays and entries feature the most current research on Van Gogh's drawings and provide fresh interpretations of the motivating influences that shaped the artist's contributions to the history of drawing.

Condition

This copy is in very good condition. There is some minor edgewear to the wrapper and a small dent to the spine but otherwise in strong readable condition.