Vincent and Theo (The Van Gogh Brothers)

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Vincent and Theo
The Van Gogh brothers
By Deborah Heiligman
Hardbound, 2017, 454 pages

Interrupted by a Margarita sesh while I was nearing the end,  finally I finished it all down to the last page (yes, including the appendices). This book was a slow starter for me that I initially regretted getting it but once I progressed past 50 pages I guess, I couldn't get it down and finished it in three days (not without interruptions, of course). 

The world indeed would not have  Vincent without Theo. Vincent 1853-1890; Theo 1857-1891.

The author looked at Vincent through his love, hate, turbulent relationship with his younger brother Theo. Love, respect, admiration, belief, interdependence between them prevailed... and extended to Jo, Theo's wife. Like Vincent's Starry Night which I looked at from my point of view, reading about Vincent in  this Deborah Heiligman book, I saw Theo and Vincent with extraordinary relationship. Their brotherhood is a masterpiece by itself. 


Teary-eyed at some point, one of them was reading the love letter of Theo to Jo saying to the effect that If you will accept me, you should accept Vincent too. I'm consoled that just before they both died, Vincent and Theo at least had glimpses that the Van Gogh paintings were being appreciated. Now, I'm searching for the primary sources: letters and a compilation of the works of Van Gogh. 

By the way, the hats in the cover is an indication of who is in the Van Gogh portraits. The brothers looked almost identical. 


Postscript:
When I get to visit The MoMA (The Museum of modern Art), I will understand a bit the skies and the wind blowing in the Starry Night. It is one of Vincent's paintings which he painted during his lucid times, knowing he couldn't when he's sick.


The painting is only about 2 ft x 3 ft in contrast to its hugeness as I imagined before I saw it. It was painted by Vincent while he was recovering in St Rheimy, June 1889.

Postscript 
Official statement from Van Gogh Museum is that the Man in Straw hat is now known as self-portrait or Portrait of Theo.

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about/news-and-press/news/self-portrait-or-portrait-of-theo

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