At midnight on July 29, 1890, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, who somehow shot and injured himself in a wheat field, worsened his injuries, and in a desperate situation of pain and inability to breathe normally, he gave up his life and died in the arms of his brother Theo. Unable to suppress the pain of losing his brother, Theo wrote to his mother, "Oh, Mom, he's more than just my brother. On January 25, 1891, Vincent's brother Theo also left, alone.
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, pioneer of Expressionism, profoundly influenced 20th-century art, and today Van Gogh is the world's most famous and expensive artist. Van Gogh was a great painter, and his remarkable talent was recognized by the world only after his death. He sold only one painting during his lifetime, and in his long and unremitting pursuit of the art of painting was his brother Theo van Gogh (1857-1891), the manager of the Guppier Gallery in Paris, France, who had been supporting him. "Without Theo, there would be no great Van Gogh." Most of Vincent Van Gogh's writings are letters to Theo. Later generations of people who study Van Gogh's paintings think that each of his paintings is a mystery to be solved, it seems that everyone who looks at Van Gogh's works will have a distinct personal imprint, we will appreciate Van Gogh's paintings from their own point of view, rather than the painter's point of view, we can explore the life of his art from Van Gogh's letters, notes, journals, interview records, books and articles, and the most abundant first-hand information is Vincent Van Gogh's 658 letters to Theo. The "Van Gogh Self-Statement" that I have read is the original text of Van Gogh's letters, almost all of which are letters to his brother Theo, and the content is also all-encompassing, from working away from home, family trivia, mental journey, art exploration, love understanding, life needs, etc., but it is more chaotic, and it does not sort out Van Gogh's life vein and artistic path.
The book "Vincent and Theo" is an analysis of the 658 letters written by the American writer Deborah Heiligman to Theo, telling the life course of Vincent and Theo, the complex and extraordinary brotherhood and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo, in Vincent's 37 years of life, Theo is the most important person: brother, confidant, supporter, advocate, friend. They are closely linked throughout their lives, they are inseparable brothers in blood, and they are another "self" who is emotionally inseparable. Throughout their lives, they share everything — stories of lovers and friends, stories of success and disappointment, stories of dreams and ambitions, and insights and pursuits of art and life. Without Theo there would be no great Vincent, and without Vincent there would be no glory in Theo's life. "Vincent and Theo" moved me not only by the persistence, enthusiasm, bravery and nobility of the great artists, but also by the inclusive and selfless understanding and love of the brothers.
I think I think of Van Gogh again, no longer just "great paintings, the most expensive works of art, suicide, mental illness, self-mutilation of ears, art and religious beliefs", but also his family, his brothers, his ascetic artistic practice, his sincere and pure emotions, his fanatical and perpetual and unsettling path of artistic innovation. Vincent's life didn't end with the end of his life, and so did Theo. Their life itself is a picture, and their relationship is the most perfect masterpiece of it. ”