Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An entirely new perspective on the genius of Van Gogh, revealing for the first time the artist's approach to nature through his innovative use of the close-up view



This sumptuously illustrated book offers a completely new way of looking at the art of Vincent van Gogh, by exploring the artist's approach to nature through his innovative use of the close-up view. Focusing on the last years of the artist's career--from 1886 until his death in July 1890--an international team of leading scholars in the field examines Van Gogh's radical approach to the close-up and sets it in the context of contemporary and historical references, such as his hitherto unrecognized use of photography and his fascination with the Old Masters and with Japanese art and culture.



One hundred key paintings dating from his arrival in Paris in 1886 to the end of his career show how Van Gogh experimented with unusual visual angles and the decorative use of color, cropping, and the flattening of his compositions. In some paintings he zoomed in on a tuft of grass or a single budding iris, while depicting shifting views of a field or garden in others. Van Gogh: Up Close not only reveals how these paintings became the most radical and innovative in the artist's body of work but also demonstrates that, far from being a spontaneous or undisciplined artist, Van Gogh was well aware of the history of art and was highly conscious of his efforts to break new ground with his work.



Published in association with the National Gallery of Canada



Exhibition Schedule:



Philadelphia Museum of Art

(02/01/12-05/06/12)



National Gallery of Canada

(05/25/12-09/03/12)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This catalogue by Homburg (formerly, Saint Louis Art Museum) and others accompanied an exhibition of about 40 of Van Gogh's masterworks, organized by the National Gallery of Canada and The Philadelphia Museum of Art. The premise for the show and catalogue is based on what the organizers describe as the "close-up view." This leitmotif within Van Gogh's oeuvre is found in his landscapes, where, for instance, he would often juxtapose a prominent foreground element against a broad vista or bring special attention via cropping and magnifying to often-overlooked, mundane subjects like shoes or dried thistles. Van Gogh's interest in this sort of detailed examination of things both natural and man-made is traced through his letters and writings, his religious outlook, his engagement with the art of the Old Masters and his peers, his interest in literary naturalism, and his study of Japanese art. The most important, though largely speculative essay by Ulrich Pohlmann examines Van Gogh's use of photography, a topic rarely discussed in the literature on the artist. All in all, the catalogue is well worth the investment not only for the essays but also for the many color illustrations used throughout. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. D. E. Gliem Eckerd College