"What distinguishes Bell's elegant rendering is an astute perception of his artistic vision and shimmering descriptions of his work.A graceful, empathetic, deeply probing portrait." -- Kirkus Reviews "Bell brings his insight as a fellow artist to the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh in a condensed, accessible primer on the renowned artist." -- Publishers Weekly "Vincent Van Gogh's life story is almost too well known, but Julian Bell has made it harrowing, urgent, and touching all over again. Bell's pulsing, immaculately carpentered language is an event in itself. Passage after passage made me stare in wonder (and some jealousy) at his word choices and the never conventional rhythms of his sentences. And how great to have Van Gogh's story told without heroics or sentimentality--and with the edgy vitality with which it was lived." --Sanford Schwartz "Van Gogh writes beautifully about his own life and art, but his words don't always match what he painted or what he did.

Bell works the gaps, poring over a drawing, scanning the artistic horizon, backtracking to make a connection, delivering an irreverent aside. Bell interprets; the result is captivating." -- The New York Times Book Review "A splendid new biography." -- The New York Review of Books "An impressively concise biography." -- The Wall Street Journal "[A] short, fervent biography.a respectful portrait of van Gogh." -- The Washington Post "Bell, like van Gogh, writes to explain what painting won't." -- The Toronto Star.