Don’t worry, you read the title right. Although you might feel lost in life when you read the emotional scenes featured in the book, you will eventually experience a new powerful lust for life, a huge desire to stand out and do your own part in the world you live in.
This biographical novelization of Vincent van Gogh’s life could easily be classified as Irving Stone’s masterpiece. Based on the consistent letter correspondence between the famous Dutch painter and his younger brother, Theo, the book extends across Vincent’s last 10 years of life, from the moment he leaves home for missionary work until the day of his death. I should probably just cut to the chase: the novel is too well-written. Despite its biographical touches, it is by far better than a lot of fiction novels out there. At times, it also features a more dynamic environment than the film adaptation from 1956, starring Kirk Douglas. The element I’m most pleased with is Irving Stone’s ability to recreate such a credible and vivid story with the help of the hundreds of letters between the two van Gogh brothers. It’s quite an accomplishment, a difficult achievement, no matter how detailed Vincent’s perspectives were. “Lust for Life” is not just a collection of pleasant and unfortunate events. It’s a suitable portray that helped me understand both the painter and the human being in the Dutch artist.
Vincent is a brother.
Although people are tempted to say that Theo is the more devoted brother, Vincent proves that he shares mutual feelings (perhaps at an even more emotional level):
“There was a sentence in your letter that struck me, ‘I wish I were far away from everything. I am the cause of all, and bring only sorrow to everybody, I alone have brought all this misery on myself and others.’ These words struck me because that same feeling, just the same, not more nor less, is also on my conscience.”
Their letters are undoubtedly more than just occasional catch-ups. They both end up expressing their most sincere thoughts and create a stronger bond with each letter they write. Gratitude and moral support are only a few of the most important components of this unique brotherly relationship.
Vincent is a lover.
Whether it’s admiration for a person, an object or a landscape, Vincent is constantly fueled with passion. The feeling may drive him crazy and bring him a lot of pain, but love is still an essential part in his life, the source of many of his paintings:
“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.”
“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”
Vincent is an observer.
When it comes to his paintings, Vincent takes a lot of time and energy to analyze the surrounding world in depth and tries to represent the sincere beauty of reality rather than to acknowledge the common traits of what you might call a beautiful person or scenery:
“We think all truth is beautiful, no matter how hideous its face may seem. We accept all of nature, without any repudiation.”
“I cannot draw a human figure if I don’t know the order of his bones, muscles or tendons. Same is that I cannot draw a human face if I don’t know what’s going on his mind and heart. In order to paint life one must understand not only anatomy, but what people feel and think about the world they live in. The painter who knows his own craft and nothing else will turn out to be a very superficial artist.”
Vincent is a dreamer.
Despite the fact that Vincent is never accepted by critics, he doesn’t stop dreaming, puts aside all the obstacles and always makes sure he puts his heart and soul into his every single work of art:
“I will be an artist. I am sure I will.”
“Someday my paintings will be hanging in the Louvre.”
“I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels tenderly’.”
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”
“I feel such a creative force in me: I am convinced that there will be a time when, let us say, I will make something good every day, on a regular basis... I am doing my very best to make every effort because I am longing so much to make beautiful things.”
Vincent is most importantly a human being.
At the end of the day, Irving Stone perfectly captures Vincent’s personality, creates a balance between the good and the bad, and equally highlights the painter’s pure honesty, potential talent, unmistakable lust for art, unique use of words, his periodic instability and above all, his struggling but rewarding life:
“It’s so easy to love. The only hard thing is to be loved.”
“Loneliness is a kind of prison.”
“Beautiful things mean painstaking work, disappointment and perseverance.”
“You cannot be firmly certain about anything. You can only have the courage and strength to do what you consider to be right. It may turn out to be wrong, but you will at least have done it, and that is the important thing.”
“Reading has always been the largest and most irreplaceable pleasure for Vincent; reading about other people’s successes and failures, joys and sufferings seemed to bury his own failures.”
“Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. I see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. And my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum.”
Although it would have been much easier to simply tell the story of Vincent van Gogh in epistolary format, Irving Stone’s novel can only receive a warm welcome. Not only does it prove to be helpful for curious people and completely necessary for discouraged individuals, but it also develops a tighter relationship between the protagonist and the readers. The author paid plenty of attention to the entire story development, pointing out even the smallest details and some random facts (other major artists’ particular painting styles and approaches, the way people looked, behaved and inspired Vincent), and letting the readers make their own judgement without being influenced.
As I look back on what I’ve written, I realize that my review is filled up with many of Vincent’s most touching words. Should I interpret them? I’ll leave this for another day. After all, the quotes express more than I could ever say. Forget about all the motivational speeches you’ve listened to. Grab the book, let the story consume you entirely, write down inspirational paragraphs and try to view your life from another perspective. Vincent van Gogh’s journey in life can easily function as a starting point for a better existence.
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