This book offers a rare chance to encounter a side of Van Gogh's art that still remains unfamiliar and underappreciated. Illustrated with some of his finest drawings, the text explains how draughtsmanship became an essential part of Van Gogh's artistic activity. From his first hesitant experiments in hybrid techniques through to the breathtaking power of his later compositions in reed pen and ink, drawing was much more than just a medium in which to study, practise and prepare for his paintings. The energy and vibrancy of his graphic style fed into his paintings. In turn, his drawings were informed by the brilliance and luminosity of his paintings. Many of his drawings were intended as works of art in their own right, and at their best they surely count among his finest creations as an artist.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was one of the greatest draughtsmen of the nineteenth century. As well as many preliminary studies, his drawings include highly ambitious, stand-alone works that testify to his capacity for artistic innovation. This lavish survey of Van Gogh's works on paper brings together around one hundred of the finest and most important drawings of his entire oeuvre, offering intriguing new insights into the artist's development.

Van Gogh focused almost exclusively on drawing at the beginning of his artistic career. Even when his attention turned more towards painting, from around 1884, drawing remained a passion. While living in Aries in 1888 he created some extraordinary drawings of the Provencal landscape in reed pen, while later, at Saint-Remy and Auvers-sur-Oise, he experimented with rhythm and colour, examples of which are beautifully reproduced here. The book also features a number of paintings in which motifs appear relating to the drawings.

  1880-1881

Borinage, Brussels, Etten

The early years

            PAGE 9

  1881-1883

The Hague and Drenthe

Townscapes and popular characters

            PAGE 23

  1883-1885

Nuenen

Rural life centre stage

            PAGE 49

  1885-1888

Antwerp and Paris

Opportunities in Antwerp

            PAGE 77

  1888-1889

Arles

The inspired line

            PAGE 93

  1889-1890

Saint-Remy

The garden in pen and colour

            PAGE 153

    1890

Auvers-sur-Oise

Return to the north

            PAGE 175