The Glory of Van Gogh: An Anthropology of Admiration

by Nathalie Heinich

Book Overview

The image of the great artist as a suffering visionary is a recent invention, observes sociologist Nathalie Heinich--an invention rooted in the "canonization" of Vincent van Gogh as a cultural hero for the twentieth century. Heinich explores how and why the impoverished and mentally tormented van Gogh came to be glorified shortly after his suicide at the age of 37. Did the secular art world need a rebel-saint of its own? In considering this possibility,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691032696
• ISBN13: 9780691032696
• Release Date: February 1996
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.8" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Written For The True Artist

A nicely written, well-thought out complex review of the life and work of Van Gogh. Written with a voice and tone of a purist this anthology delves into the social, theological and psychological effect that this man and his work had on the world of art and the world. Appreciated most by those with a strong vocabulary. Well worth it...