Publisher's Synopsis
Still-life painting has served artists for centuries as a sort of "practice" activity where the "subjects" are totally cooperative, just sitting or standing inanimately in view. Vincent Van Gogh was able to take the genre to new heights of expression, infusing life and vitality into shoes, smoked fish, fruits, vegetables, books, human skulls, mugs and dishes -- in early years by unique juxtapositions of items, in later years by the technique of his swirling, pulsating background. In some of his finest work, the objects are inseparably linked with the human elements that inspired them, edging over into literary and social criticism.As with other motifs of Vincent Van Gogh's artistic repertoire, his still life paintings enjoyed their zenith in the five-year span from 1886-1890, which also marked the master's last years of life. The lively color, form, and swirling post-Impressionistic grace found in art of inanimate objects form another proof of Van Gogh's genius. NOTE: An appendix featuring "Living Life" of the artists' depictions of birds and animals, contrasting the "Still Life" images, is an extra bonus found at the end of this volume. STILL LIFE Images include: Still Life with Beer Mug and Fruit, 1881Cabbage, Potatoes and Wooden Shoes, 1881Still Life with Jugs, Bottle and a White Bowl, 1884"Bearded Man" Beer Mug, Coffee Mill and Pipe Pouch, 1884Still Life with Two Bags and a Bottle, 1884Still Life with Paint Brushes in a Flower Pot, 1884Still Life with Three Bottles and Earthenware, 1884Biblical Book of Isaiah and Zola's Novel, "Joie de Vivre," 1886Still Life with Fruits and Vegetables, 1885Still Life with Yellow Straw Hat, 1885Still Life with Potatoes in Bowl, 1885Still Life with Clay Pot, Bottle and Wooden Shoes, 1885Still Life with Five Bird Nests, 1885Skull with Lit Cigarette, 1885Plaster Model of a Female Torso, 1886Plaster Model of a Kneeling Man, 1886Still Life with Bottle, Glasses, Cheese and Bread, 1886Pair of Shoes I, 1886Still Life with Mackerels, Lemons and Tomatoes, 1886Still Life with Apple Basket, Meat and a Baguette, 1886Still Life with Mussels and Shrimp, 1886Three Pairs of Shoes, 1886Pair of Shoes II, 1887Pair of Shoes III, 1887Still Life with Baked Goods, 1887Crocuses in Basket, 1887Still Life with Lemons on a Plate, 1887Flower Pot with Chives, 1887Still Life with Absinthe, 1887Still Life with Bottle and Lemons on a Plate, 1887Hyacinth Bulbs in a Basket (Oil on Wood), 1887Still Life with Three Books (Naturalist Novels by Jean Richepin, Emile Zola & Edmond de Goncourt, Oil on Wood), 1887Still Life with Smoked Herrings and Garlic, 1887Still Life with Red Cabbage and Onions, 1887Still Life with French Novels and a Rose in a Glass, 1887Still Life with Grapes, Pears and Lemons, 1887Still Life with Grapes, Apples, Lemons and Pears, 1887Still Life with Grapes, 1887Still Life with an Apple Basket, 1887Plaster Torso, Rose, and Two Novels (Edmont de Goncourt's "Germinie Lacerteux" and Maupassant's "Bel Ami"), 1887Still Life with Pears, 1887Skull, 1887Still Life with Potatoes in a Yellow Bowl, 1888Still Life with a Pair of Wooden Shoes, 1888Still Life with Coffee Pot, Dishes and Fruit, 1888Still Life with Bottle, Lemons and Oranges, 1888Pair of Shoes IV, 1888Still Life with Drawing Board, Pipe, Onions, Sealing Wax and Raspail's "Manual on Health", 1889Still Life with Smoked Herrings on Yellow Paper, 1889Still Life with Oranges, Lemons and Gloves, 1889
