By Kailey Franklin, staff writer
Vincent van Gogh is one of the most well known artists in the world, and most people know at least a little bit about his rollercoaster of a life. For those who want to learn more about Van Gogh, Julian Bell’s Van Gogh: A Power Seething is a must-read.
Seething is a complete biography of van Gogh’s life, with a plethora of excerpts from his letters to his siblings, Theo van Gogh and Wilhelmina van Gogh.
Bell gives the reader a real sense of what van Gogh’s life was like, which is refreshing after hearing the tired, half-told story in the media so often. Vincent van Gogh goes from a clichéd character to becoming a three-dimensional person as you read Bell’s book.
At certain points, Seething becomes almost difficult to read, but this is definitely not because the book is poorly written. Bell puts so much detail into the harrowing parts of van Gogh’s life and you can feel his pain through Bell’s (and sometimes van Gogh’s) words.
The reader also learns the backstory of many of van Gogh’s paintings, such as “Almond Blossoms” and “Starry Night.” While the art was always spectacular on its own, after reading Seething, and knowing the circumstances of which a painting or drawing was made, the art holds a deeper meaning.
Seething is a must-read for any art lover, or anyone interested in van Gogh’s life. (4.5/5 stars)