Van Gogh (Poster Portfolios)

"This man will either go mad or he will outstrip us all." Such was the fate that Camille Pissarro, the great Impressionist painter, predicted for his colleague Vincent van Gogh, a struggling artist still vainly seeking a buyer for his pictures. He was to prove right on both counts.

Van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, near Breda, the eldest son of a Dutch pastor. He tried his hand at numerous professions, working as an art dealer, a teacher, a lay preacher and a book-seller before finally embarking, largely self-trained, upon a career as an artist. All his life, however, he remained a solitary and despairing figure, and his self-destructive nature drove him in his later years to the brink of madness.

Feeling himself alone in the world, his only true friend and source of moral and financial support was his brother Theo, who attended van Gogh's welfare throughout his life and who would ultimately follow him, within the space of six short months, to the grave. The recognition and admiration for which van Gogh fought so bitterly would only be granted him after the self-inflicted revolver shot which ended his tragic life.

Today, van Gogh is not only considered the most important pioneer of 20th-century art, but is widely regarded as one of the most significant and best-loved painters in the entire history of art.

Images included:
The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum in Arles, 1888
Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, summer 1887
Vase with Irises against a Yellow Background, Saint-Rémy, May 1890
Vincent's Bedroom in Arles, 1899
Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889
The Church at Auvers, 1890
Drawbridge at Arles. "Pont de Langlois", 1888
Sower (after Millet), 1888
Irises, 1889
Noon: Rest from Work (after Millet), 1890
The Yellow House (Vincent's House), 1888
Vase with twelve Sunflowers, 1888
Thatched Cottages in Cordeville, 1890
Starry Night, 1888

About the Series:
TASCHEN portfolios feature high quality prints that beg to be framed. Tucked in each portfolio are 14 large-format reproductions, each with a brief description. Guaranteed to brighten any day, they also make great gifts for art lovers!