Book Analysis Of Vincent Van Gogh

My book report is about Vincent Van Gogh, as portrayed in the 1934 biographical novel Lust for Life by Irving Stone. Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter, who is most well known for his contributions to modern art. The novel covers a ten year period in Van Gogh's life, eventually leading up to his suicide in 1890. Within the book report, I will discuss Van Gogh's personality, his mental problems, and his relationships. I am going to be comparing the novel to the 1990 film, Vincent & Theo, directed by Robert Altman. Vincent Van Gogh is often remembered for his enigmatic personality. In the novel, he is portrayed as timid and unsure of himself. Although Stone takes a lot of creative license with the novel, the book version of Van Gogh sounds very similar to the real one. In the novel he says, "You cannot be firmly certain about anything. You can only have enough courage and strength to do what you consider to be right. Maybe it turns out that was wrong, but still you would have done his, and it is most important" (Stone, Irving). This quotation accurately summarizes up much of Van Gogh's character. He is hesitant about the choices he makes in life, yet he does not regret them. This is an integral characteristic that the writer chose to emphasize. Much of Van Gogh's art is based off of that concept of
The film is a much darker perspective on Van Gogh's life. The director, Robert Altman explores the serious side of the artist's life. Mainly his relationship with his brother Theo. While Irving Stone makes an attempt to romanticize Van Gogh and his life, Altman evidently does not try to present a happy, falsified version of the artist. Altman's main goal is to portray Van Gogh in the most historically accurate way possible. While I thoroughly enjoyed Stone's interpretation, I think that the film is a more accurate depiction of his