Stranger on the earth; a psychological biography of Vincent van Gogh
Category: Books,Biographies & Memoirs,Arts & Literature
Stranger on the earth; a psychological biography of Vincent van Gogh Details
The personality of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)—a 19th-century combination of dropout, rebel, and genius—and the source of his enormous achievement continue to fascinate people as deeply as his vivid, wildly painted canvasses of sunflowers, peasants, and starry nights. In this first and only in-depth study of the relationship between van Gogh's psychological development and his art, Albert J. Lubin, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry (Emeritus) at Stanford University and a practicing psychoanalyst, draws on the tremendous wealth of information available about van Gogh, to explore his personal conflicts in the context of the forces that molded him: familial, historical, cultural, religious, artistic, and literary. Dr. Lubin approaches van Gogh not as a mysterious mix of sick eccentric and martyred artist, but as a complete man who transformed his suffering into a phenomenal body of work. Lubin's daring psychological insights and art criticism allow us to better understand, and more fully appreciate, van Gogh's artistic triumph over his inner torment. Read more
Reviews
I bought this book by Albert J. Lubin in 1975 (the Granada Publishing 'Paladin' edition). Then, not knowing what I know now about Vincent van Gogh, I thought it fascinating. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case: thus my 2-star rating.Mr Lubin had, like all psycologists and psychiatrists, come to his own conclusions about Vincent. Some reviewers here on Amazon found his analyses and conclusions hilarious. I too laughed at times. I mean, reading an analysis like trees etc having been symbols for women's behinds, well, how can one not laugh at that?Mr Lubin wrote well, which makes it all the more regrettable that he starts off telling the reader what was going on in Vincent's mind. Only one person knew what this was, and that person is dead: Vincent van Gogh himself.I would say if you want to read a straightforward biography of Vincent van Gogh, you will find better books than this one.