Ces {Lettres, }écrites entre 1873 et 1890, sont le témoignage déchirant d'un homme sur sa peinture. Van Gogh en sa genèse, Van Gogh en ses couleurs, travaillant sans relâche. L'homme à qui s'adresse un tel déchaînement de lucidité se prénomme Théodore, marchand de tableaux "apôtre" qui envoie à son grand frère tubes, brosses, toiles et argent -- quand c'est possible.

Lettres à son frère Théo - (*)

"If ever there was any doubt that Van Gogh's letters belong beside those great classics of artistic self-revelation, Cellini's autobiography and Delacroix's journal, this excellent edition dispels it."   --The Times  (London)  "Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all."   Few artists' letters are as self-revelatory as Vincent Van Gogh's, and the selection included here, spanning the whole of his artistic career, sheds light on every facet of the life and work of this complex and tortured man. Engaging candidly and movingly with his religious struggles, his ill-fated search for love, his intense relationship with his brother Theo and his attacks of mental illness, the letters contradict the popular image of Van Gogh as an anti-social madman and a martyr to art, showing instead that he was capable of great emotional and spiritual depths. Above all, they stand as an intense personal narrative of artistic development and a unique account of the process of creation. The letters are linked by explanatory biographical passages, revealing Van Gogh's inner journey as well as the outer facts of his life. This edition includes the drawings that originally illustrated the letters.  For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The letters of Vincent Van Gogh

Peinture et virilité - Lettre à Emile Bernard

De 1872 à sa mort, Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) ne cessera jamais de correspondre avec Théo, son frère cadet, Misère matérielle, déceptions affectives, vocation contrariée de prédicateur évangéliste, passion naissante pour le dessin, admiration pour Millet et Rubens, lecture enthousiaste de Dickens et Zola, enchantement des couleurs : rien, de la vie douloureuse et exaltée du peintre, n'est caché dans cette correspondance, en grande partie rédigée en français. Ses dernières lettres, écrites à Auvers-sur-Oise juste avant son suicide, constituent une sorte de journal de ses derniers mois de création, un véritable testament artistique. Et le plus émouvant des autoportraits.

Dernières lettres

La première lettre de Vincent Van Gogh à son frère Théo, datée d'août 1872, est envoyée de La Haye. Il a dix-neuf ans. Il ne sait pas qu'il va peindre. La dernière lettre, inachevée, Théo la trouve dans la poche de Vincent qui s'est tiré une balle dans la poitrine le 27 juillet 1890 à Auvers-sur-Oise. Des dizaines de toiles encombrent sa chambre. Presque quotidiennement, dix-huit ans, Vincent a écrit à Thëo. Et Vincent écrit à propos de tout à Théo comme il lui envoie toutes ses toiles. Il lui montre ce qu'il peint comme ce qu'il est. Ces lettres incomparables - des récits, des aveux, des appels - sont nécessaires pour découvrir le vrai Van Gogh devenu mythe... Il n'est pas un peintre fou. Au contraire, solitaire, déchiré, malade, affamé, il ne cesse d'écrire, lucide, comme il traque la lumière.Pascal Bonafoux

Lettres à son frère Théo

A new selection of post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gough's letters, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh put a human face on one of the most haunting figures in modern Western culture. In this Penguin Classics edition, the letters are selected and edited by Ronald de Leeuw, and translated by Arnold Pomerans in Penguin Classics.Few artists' letters are as self-revelatory as Vincent van Gogh's, and this selection, spanning his artistic career, sheds light on every facet of the life and work of this complex and tortured man. Engaging candidly and movingly with his religious struggles, his ill-fated search for love, his attacks of mental illness and his relation with his brother Theo, the letters contradict the popular myth of van Gogh as an anti-social madman and a martyr to art, showing instead a man of great emotional and spiritual depths. Above all, they stand as an intense personal narrative of artistic development and a unique account of the process of creation.The letters are linked by explanatory biographical passages, revealing van Gogh's inner journey as well as the outer facts of his life. This edition also includes the drawings that originally illustrated the letters.Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853-1890) was born in Holland. In 1885 he painted his first masterpiece, The Potato Eaters, a haunting scene of domestic poverty. A year later he began studying in Paris, where he met Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Seurat, who became very important influences on his work. In 1888 he left Paris for the Provencal landscape at Arles, the subject of many of his best works, including Sunflowers.If you enjoyed The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, you might also like 100 Artists Manifestos, available in Penguin Modern Classics.'If there was ever any doubt that Van Gogh's letters belong beside those great classics of artistic self-revelation, Cellini's autobiography and Delacroix's journal, this excellent new edition dispels it'The Times

Las Cartas

Quand Vincent Van Gogh se suicide en juillet 1890, il laisse une oeuvre considérable, pas moins de 879 peintures, gravures et dessins.
Mais il laisse aussi une correspondance capitale comprenant plus de 800 lettres, écrites entre 1872 et sa mort. 668 sont adressées à son frère Théo, son confident, son ange gardien éternellement présent, qui a toujours cru en sa peinture et l'a soutenu matériellement et moralement jusqu'à sa mort. Les lettres sélectionnées ici témoignent de toute la vie d'adulte de Vincent depuis sa quête de Dieu aux Pays-Bas jusqu'à la dernière étape d'Auvers-sur-Oise.

Lettres à son frère Théo - (*)

Résumé

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