Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence Hardcover – 3 Nov. 2016

Good wring, a little smelly. I used the book for information helpful in making the play about Vincent I am workin on.

Since student days I have always loved Van Gogh's work and felt sorrow that he had such a turbulent life. I enjoyed reading about his life in Arles though sorrowed that such passion for his work brought him such pain. Yet again I was full of admiration for his brother who always supported him

I felt I was accompanying Vincent during his stay in Arles! There is so much relevant detail of the places and people. I would like to go there with this book! A dramatic tragedy which produced so much beauty. Very good images.

Super book and better than I anticipated. Very informative and well written with a large number of colour and black & white plates. A great addition to my Van Gogh library and recommended 100%. Excellent book. Thank you, Martin Bailey.

Superbly written book. Beautiful pictures. Wonderful depiction of Van Gogh's time in Provence.

Excellent, masses of fresh material,a good read and beautifully illustrated.A real surprise at the end about Van Gogh's bed!

Excellent -I could not put the book down.

I have always adored art and even think of myself as somewhat of an art aficionado - regardless of the fact I scraped through GCSE level with a C grade about 13 years ago, and my own artistic abilities are yet to be unearthed. Having said that, I feel a level of peace, calm, and comfort when reading about, watching about, talking about, and viewing artwork. If there’s a museum or art gallery about, I’m there! Especially if there happens to be any Van Gogh artwork present. His work is beautiful, not just in the literal sense of his brushstrokes, but in what his work does to us and means to us and makes us feel.I draw your attention to the Doctor Who episode “Vincent and the Doctor” (series 5, episode 10 - new who). In this classic episode, Bill Night’s character - a Van Gogh art expert - is asked to sum up, in one hundred words, where he thinks Van Gogh rates in the history of art. His response is as follows:“To me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular, great painter of all time. The most beloved, his command of colour most magnificent. He transformed the pain of this tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray to ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world, no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world’s greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived.”We all know the horrors of Van Gogh’s life and career, but is there more to the man other than his depression and the fact he cut off his own ear? Martin Bailey dived into uncharted territory with this book, providing us with tons of unknown (at least to me) information on Van Gogh. He presents us with background information we already know, but furnishes it with new findings. This makes the book approachable and friendly, but informative.I love how Van Gogh uses a lot of yellow in his art work. I know this isn’t a comment on Bailey’s book as such, but he has chosen the most gorgeous pictures to portray this. It is amazing how many of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings were done in the last year or so of his life. It’s a shame to think of the brilliance we lost so early.It is thoroughly researched and expertly written so not to simply regurgitate fact after fact, it is informative but entertaining. It is clear to anyone, even after reading just one page, that Van Gogh is not just Bailey’s interest but also his passion.