The majority of the following resources have been documentaries, movies, books, and performances I have personally enjoyed and believe to be accurate and passionate representations of Van Gogh's life. If the material is available through streaming or a physical copy, check the statement for a hyperlink to the library, streaming service, or other method of delivery.
Documentaries
Van Gogh: A Brush with Genius
Director: François Bertrand Release: 2009 Run Time: 40 min IMdB Rating: 7.3/10 Amazon Description: "Dive into the heart of Van Gogh s paintings. For the first time, discover in IMAX the fantastic colors and passionate brushwork of a great genius as they take on a new life before our eyes. Relive Vincent s life journey through his letters, see the places that inspired him, and the paintings. The film retraces the artist s footsteps, leading us through the painter s subject matter and sources of inspiration." This documentary is available at Hancock County Public Library as a nonfiction DVD. |
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PBS Series: Secrets of the Dead: Van Gogh's Ear
Director: Jack McInnes Release: 2016 Run Time: Approx. 1 hr IMdB Rating: 6.9/10 Hoopla Description: "Everybody has heard of the moment when Vincent van Gogh, one of the world's most loved artists, looked into a mirror, held up a blade, and cut into his own ear– it defines his art and turbulent life. But what really happened on the night of December 23rd, 1888, in the French town of Arles?" This documentary is available through the streaming service, Hoopla Digital. Review (sourced from Amazon): "Everybody has heard about when Vincent van Gogh looked into a mirror and cut into his own ear. Bernadette Murphy, an independent researcher, has uncovered definitive evidence, which reveals exactly what happened that night, and how it ultimately shaped van Gogh's remarkable art. Murphy's detective work finally provides answers to the mystery that has divided art historians for decades." --Editorial Review on Amazon "Best documentary on Vincent. Well thought out and sequenced to keep interest in the subject matter." --Amazon customer review |
Feature Films
Loving Vincent
Directors: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman Release: 2017 Run Time: 1 hr 34 min IMdB Rating: 7.8/10 IMdB Decsription: "In a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there." More information, including awards, the making of the movie, and more, please visit: http://lovingvincent.com/ This item is available at Hancock County Public Library in DVD and Blu-Ray formats. Reviews (sourced from Amazon): "…the filmmakers transform famous works of modern art into a hypnotic and beguiling cartoon." --A. O. Scott, The New York Times "…a fitting, miraculous tribute to its subject." --Joe McGovern, Entertainment Weekly |
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At Eternity's Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel Release: 2018 Run Time: 1 hr 51 min IMdB Rating: 7/10 Director's Statement from the film's site, https://www.ateternitysgate-film.com/: “This movie is an accumulation of scenes based on painter Vincent van Gogh’s letters, common agreement about events in his life that parade as facts, hearsay, and scenes that are just plain invented. The making of art gives an opportunity to make a palpable body that expresses a reason to live, if such a thing exists. Even with all the violence and tragedy that has been associated with Van Gogh’s life, there is no doubt, his was a life lived rich with magic, profound communication with nature and the wonder of being. His unique perspective is one whose belief and vision make visible and physical the inexpressible. He seems to have transgressed death and encouraged others to do the same. This is not a forensic biography about the painter. It is about what it is to be an artist.” ~Julian Schnabel This item is available at Hancock County Public Library in DVD format. Reviews: "It’s an impressionistic film, concerned more with the atmosphere around genius than explaining it away." --rogerebert.com "There have been plenty of films about the tortured Dutch artist, but none as evocative and affecting as Julian Schnabel's latest, starring William DaFoe." --Rolling Stone Review |
The Small Screen Tributes
Doctor Who Series: Vincent and the Doctor
Director: Jonny Campbell Release: 2010 Run Time: 47 min IMdB Rating: 9.3/10 The highly acclaimed Doctor Who series spans over five decades, featuring a cast of over a dozen different actors portraying "The Doctor", a timelord with the ability to travel with his TARDIS through time and space. In this episode, the 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith, along with his companion Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan, visit 1890s France to meet Vincent Van Gogh and help discover the alien-monster that only Van Gogh can see. The episode is one of the series most infamous and loved for its portrayal of Van Gogh's madness as something other than a mental disorder. Aspects of the episode are true to Van Gogh's life, while others are fabricated and manipulated to suit the series. One of the final scenes of the episode feature the Doctor and Amy sneaking Van Gogh into an exhibit of his, at which point they as the curator of the exhibit, Bill Nighy, what his opinion of the artist is. This is Amy's attempt to save Van Gogh from death, and although in the end there are fixed points in time that simply cannot be changed, it is an extremely emotional clip for fans and strangers to the series alike. Please enjoy. This episode (season 5, episode 10) and others of Doctor Who are available at Hancock County Public Library in DVD format. Reviews: "All in all, we're kind of torn over 'Vincent and the Doctor'. On the one hand, it had the best intentions, genuine heart and surprising respect for both its audience and its subject matter. On the other, it was hard to shake the feeling that Curtis was more interested in exploring Van Gogh than he was writing an episode of Doctor Who - and the result was a smart, sweet but unevenly paced, and sometimes limp oddity." --IGN |
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Stage Performance
Vincent
Performer/Director: Leonard Nimoy Produced: 1979 as a TV Movie Run Time: 1 hr 28 min IMdB Rating: 8.3/10 Hoopla Description: "Leonard Nimoy stars in this critically lauded one-man performance that movingly reveals Vincent van Gogh as few knew him. Based on more than 500 letters exchanged between van Gogh and his brother Theo, the play examines the passion and torment of the extraordinary artist's life and death as seen through his brother's eyes. As van Gogh's paintings are projected in the background, Nimoy becomes both Theo van Gogh and Vincent in this compelling, touching portrayal that has thrilled theater-goers across the country." This item is available through the streaming service, Hoopla Digital. Reviews: "The passion, the love, and the tormented beauty of the life of Vincent van Gogh is dramatized in this intimate play, which playwright Leonard Nimoy adapted from the hundreds of letters between Vincent and his closest ally: his brother, Theo." --theatremania.com |
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YouTube Videos
Culture Bits: Van Gogh and Video Games
Kaihatsu December 10, 2016 Run Time: Approx. 6 min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5i7LkBNU4M I discovered this video on a Google search for Van Gogh Games. I was intrigued by the notion of analyzing two of my favorite things: art and video games. Kaihatsu draws interesting and legitimate parallels between various artists, primarily focusing on Van Gogh, and their influence on video game art and landscape. Kaihatsu's Video Description: "Today we look at how Vincent Van Gogh and other artists have influenced art direction in video games." |
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Vincent van Gogh: The Colour and Vitality of his Works
The National Gallery March 11, 2016 Run Time: Approx. 29 min The National Gallery provides a playlist of various videos they dub "lunchtime talks" in which various artists, works, and concepts from the museum are explored. This special focuses on Van Gogh and how his mental state impacted his art. Description from video: "Special Projects curator Colin Wiggins walks you through the life and work of Vincent van Gogh, from the bright colours of 'Sunflowers' to his battles with depression. Discover Van Gogh's changing style and the influence of the Post-Impressionist artists in Paris." |
Podcasts
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Stuff You Missed in History Class series: How Vincent Van Gogh Worked
Narrators: Holly and Tracy Produced: November 2011 Run Time: Approx. 30 min https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/how-vincent-van-gogh-worked.htm Podcast Description: "Today, Vincent van Gogh has come to fit our idea of the tortured artist. Aside from his art, he's best known for cutting off his ear and committing suicide. Yet new research debates both of these van Gogh moments. Listen in to learn more about van Gogh." This podcast is also available for streaming on iHeartRADIO. |
Games
Vincent Van Gogh Sunflower Matching Game
ArtK12 website https://artk12.com/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers/ Posted October 1, 2015 by Kristin In this interactive online game designed to introduce school-aged children to the various paintings by Van Gogh, the user flips 2 cards at a time, revealing a different painting of Van Gogh's. The game is free to play online, and an account can be made free of charge to track scores and post on the online scoreboard. |
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The Night Cafe: A VR Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh
Platform: PC game, available through Steam Developer: Borrowed Light Studios Players: 1 Cost: Free Released: June 2016 Awards: Platinum Award, Community Choice award at Oculus Mobile VR Jam 2015 https://store.steampowered.com/app/482390/The_Night_Cafe_A_VR_Tribute_to_Vincent_Van_Gogh/ Steam Description: "The Night Cafe is an environment that allows you to explore the world of Vincent van Gogh first hand. Take a moment to enjoy his iconic sunflowers in 3 dimensions or walk around the chair he painted in his bedroom to see it from another angle. Step into the vivid colors straight from his palette." Reviews: "The Night Café is an amazingly surreal immersive VR experience of walking through a space that’s inspired by a painting by Vincent van Gogh. I speak with Mac Cauley about the inspiration behind the experience, which won both the Platinum and Community Choice awards in the experience category for the Oculus Mobile VR Jam 2015." --Road to VR |
Websites
Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en
By far one of the most helpful websites in understanding, discovering, and debunking the mythos behind Van Gogh is that of the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam. This museum opened in 1973, has over 2 million visitors a year, and boasts the largest collection of Van Gogh's works. Their website allows users to not only discover information and insights on the famous artist, but also allows for digital exploration of the works that are housed there, though if you are on the search for Starry Night you'll have to check out New York City's Museum of Modern Art. Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam houses such famous paintings as: "The Bedroom", 1888, "Wheatfield with Crows", 1890, "Sunflowers", 1889, "Self-Portrait as a Painter", 1887-1888, amongst many others, including some of his works that weren't oil paintings.
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en
By far one of the most helpful websites in understanding, discovering, and debunking the mythos behind Van Gogh is that of the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam. This museum opened in 1973, has over 2 million visitors a year, and boasts the largest collection of Van Gogh's works. Their website allows users to not only discover information and insights on the famous artist, but also allows for digital exploration of the works that are housed there, though if you are on the search for Starry Night you'll have to check out New York City's Museum of Modern Art. Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam houses such famous paintings as: "The Bedroom", 1888, "Wheatfield with Crows", 1890, "Sunflowers", 1889, "Self-Portrait as a Painter", 1887-1888, amongst many others, including some of his works that weren't oil paintings.
Audiobooks
Conversations with Van Gogh
by: Vincent Van Gogh and Simon Parke Narrated by: Andy Havill Produced: 2010; White Crow Productions Ltd. Run Time: 2 hr 24 min Simon Parke delivers a series of various audiobooks called "Conversations with ___", and in this particular book, Van Gogh's letters and journals have been used to build a dialogue with the late artist. Overdrive Description: "Conversations with Van Gogh' is an imagined conversation with this remarkable figure. But while the conversation is imagined, Van Gogh's words are not; they are all authentically his." This item is available for streaming on Overdrive. Reviews: "I feel like Vincent is right here beside me." --Richard Addis |
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Books
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
By: Deborah Heiligman Published: 2017 by Henry Holt and Co. Goodreads Rating: 4.08/5 Awards: Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2018), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction (2017), YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (2018) Goodreads Description: "The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers' lives. Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend, Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Meticulously researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the love of the Van Gogh brothers." This item is available at Hancock County Public Library in the Young Adult Nonfiction section. Reviews (sourced from Amazon): "A unique and riveting exploration of art, artists, and brotherly love." ―The Horn Book, starred review "An intensive exploration of their turbulent lives" ―Publishers Weekly, starred review |
Vincent
By: Barbara Stok Published: 2015 by SelfMadeHero Goodreads Rating: 4.11/5 Goodreads Description: "The turbulent life of Vincent van Gogh is a constant source of inspiration and intrigue for artists and art lovers. In this beautiful graphic biography, artist and writer Barbara Stok documents the brief and intense period of creativity Van Gogh spent in Arles, Provence. Away from Paris, Van Gogh falls in love with the landscape and light of the south of France. He dreams of setting up an artists' studio in Arles - somewhere for him and his friends to paint together. But attacks of mental illness leave the painter confused and disorientated. When his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin refuses to reside permanently at the Yellow House, Van Gogh cuts off part of his ear. The most notorious event of art history has happened - and Van Gogh's dreams are left in tatters. However, throughout this period of intense emotion and hardship, Vincent's brother Theo stands by him, offering constant and unconditional support." This item is available at Hancock County Public Library in Adult Graphic Novel Biographies. Reviews (sourced from Amazon): “Stok has drawn an emotional, informative, and inspirational biography for artists and art lovers everywhere. Fantastic.” (Library Journal online (starred review)) “This inventive art biography eschews the usual visual cliches and brings its subject into a sharp and sympathetic focus.” (Publishers Weekly) |