I loved this graphic biography! I’m a big Van Gogh fan and I believe it told his tragic life beautifully. I loved the art style. It gives an interesting perspective as it is told from someone in his family his sister in law. Recommended for those who want to learn more in an easy to digest story.

It’s not every day I pick up and willingly read a biography, but I figured I’d give this one a shot since van Gogh happens to be one of my favorite artists. (I was obsessed with his The Starry Night painting as a kid.)
I am ever so glad I did pick this one up, because if I hadn’t, I never would have known about Jo, the woman who made Vincent famous. Honestly, she deserves all the praise for sticking up for her brother-in-law, and championing after his and her husband’s deaths. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
I did know a little about van Gogh before reading this biography (like the infamous moment of him cutting off his ear and eating oil paints) but it was nice being able to see the why behind his paintings and his actions. Art books were always so dry and boring when I had to read them for school, but this one was engaging enough that even little uninterested teenage me would have devoured it. The illustrations in van Gogh’s style and writing the book as if from Jo’s perspective really helped bring the story of this tragic painter to life.
It really makes me wonder about him and want to know more. Like, if anyone has any theories on why he would suddenly faint. It mentioned that a doctor had diagnosed him with epilepsy, so was this the cause? The book never really made that clear. But it was obvious that Vincent was chronically depressed from childhood and had very sensitive feelings (maybe autism?). I never knew that he had only painted for a decade before passing. Or that he wanted to be a preacher. There are so many more interesting facts about him presented in this book, and it’s definitely worth the read.
Overall, Vincent: A Graphic Biography, is a wonderfully clever book and an easy read for those less inclined toward non=fiction. It’s insightful and empathetic, and a perfect read for those curious about the arts and Vincent van Gogh.
NOTE; I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was AWESOME and I’m afraid that’s still an understatement.
An enigma of an artist, his life story in the format of a graphic novel – this is absolute perfection.

This was so fun!

A great way to tell the story of the brilliant Van Gogh.

Love all of the art, and would definitely recommend to a friend

Honest review in exchange of an e-arc from netgalley.

I asked to review this book as Vincent Van Gogh is my favourite painter, and I love to learn more on his history. I thought this was a fantastic way for people who are not necessarily big fans of non-fiction, or reading in general, to learn more about one of the worlds most famous painters! Being a graphic novel-style book, it was quick to get through, but found there was just the right balance of illustrations and text. It felt like there was enough text to get context, information and the emotional backstory etc of Vincent and his life across, but not so it's overwhelming. I loved the creativity of this book and will definitely be getting a physical copy to read again!

I didn't enjoy reading this book mostly because of Vincent's character. Man, that guy was a lot. Of course it's a biography, so it's not the book's fault that he behaved the way he behaved, but the way his behaviour was framed doesn't sit right with me at all. All his wrongdoings are brushed off with "oh, but he's a ✨tortured genius✨". The book is written in first person from the point of view of Vincent's sister-in-law. Her dedication to making sure Vincent's paintings are appreciated is admirable, but I'm really curious if she actually held his private life with such high regard, or is it the author's imagination. Vincent seems like a pain in the ass to deal with and the book fails to fully acknowledge it. It's extremally biased to paint him in a positive light and while it's probable that his sister-in-law was biased, I feel that something that has the word "biography" in its name should be more objective.

Another aspect that I did not like was the artstyle. The cover looks nice and it's a shame most of the illustrations inside don't look nearly as good. The artstyle is very simple and, no offense, it looks like a work of a teenager who is still learning to make digital art. Still, there are some things that I really appreciate about it: 1) character designs were distinct enough to differentiate the characters without difficulty; 2) emotions were portrayed in an expressive way and it was clear to see what the characters were feeling. (One image that particularly striked me was Vincent shouting at page 108.... man that was scary)

But overall, despite the fact that some things were not to my liking, the book was very informative and quick to read. I learned a lot about Vincent van Gogh's life in a short time, so the book served its purpose and for that it deserves two stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!
Vincent Van Gogh's life is depicted from his sister-in-law's perspective in this book. His entire life from birth to death, his love affair and career, his mental health and family in pictures.
I was not convinced by the choice of narrator. Although it seems promising, it seems to me that the artist's life is shown in a less than objective way, going so far as to praise him too much (mind you, I'm not saying that he isn't a great artist, but none of us have a perfect life in which we haven't made mistakes).
Another aspect that is not clear to me is the audience that the work is aimed at. I thought it would be middle-grade or young-adult, but it mentions topics that don't fit me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great little book on Vincent van Gogh. It is very detailed containing pieces of his life such as changing careers and failed love interests that are often not considered when we think of van Gogh, instead favouring his art and mental health. The illustrations were really well done and at times helped to bring levity to the story which isn’t often the happiest of lives.

This is a visually captivating exploration of Vincent van Gogh's life. This graphic novel dives into the hectic journey of his life all the while blending his artistic capabilities with the struggles he experienced throughout his life. This graphic novel did a great job of conveying complex emotions through its illustrations that mirrored van Gogh's own style. I love that it does not shy away from showcasing the uglier bits of his life such as his battles with mental illness, and how he struggled with isolation or poverty. Having this biography in graphic novel form is fantastic for people who find them daunting and can be especially helpful for younger readers. Getting to know his life's story allows one to view his artwork with new lens and see them differently than before.

As an artist, I absolutely adored this book! I loved learning about Van Gogh throughout highschool and to be able to revisit that and learn about him even more, was amazing!
I can definitely see how this book will be incredibly helpful for younger artists who inspire to learn more about such a world famous artist. The way the story was planned and displayed via both text and pictures is incredible!

A really nice illustrated biography of Van Gogh. His life is told from the point of view of his sister in law, Jo, who was Theo’s wife. It is told with kindness and also admiration for Van Gogh’s talent, in spite of all the hardships this created for Theo and his family. The book illustrates well the commitment Jo had to make Vincent known and to develop the international recognition for his art.
It is well written and well illustrated, with colours reminiscent of Vincent and some of his own pictures.
A really good book to discover Vincent Van Gogh and understand how his art acquired the fame it has today.

This was a wonderful read, the illustrations really made the story come to life. Heartbreaking to understand more about Vincent and his life story and how his sister in law worked so hard to preserve both his and Theo’s names. I think a trigger warning at the beginning of the book would be a good addition as I wasn’t expecting to see certain events illustrated even if they weren’t detailed.

The graphic memoir frames van Gogh's life through the perspective of the wife of his borther, trying to pull his life story together out of the pieces she knows from his family and the letters he wrote to he husband, However the art style was not what I hoped and the graphic presentation of information was not the most imaginative. It was informative but at times reading it felt like a chore, which is the opposite effect of what graphic non-fiction should aim for.

I learned a lot about not only van Gogh's short life and career through this short graphic biography, along with his family dynamics and the survival of his legacy. Told from the unique perspective of Theo van Gogh's widow, Jo, the narrative reveals her role in keeping van Gogh's work in the public eye, and finding a way to honor the legacy of both her husband and brother-in-law. Jo's voice feels real, as there are emotions, 19th century perspectives, and self-effacement of her accomplishments throughout. The main critique I have is that the art is somewhat uneven at times; the people depicted are frequently very simple and lacking in detail, though the re-creations of van Gogh's works and style in some of the panels is beautifully done. Overall, a compelling depiction of van Gogh's life, delving into his work as an artist and his troubles as a human.

It’s important to note that I went into this book expecting a narrative graphic novel, but the book itself is closer to those illustrated histories you probably remember from school. I was a bit confused who the audience was meant to be. The writing and the fact that it was illustrated led me to believe it was for a younger crowd, but then some of the themes discussed were certainly of a more adult nature. However, van Gogh is endlessly fascinating to me and it was interesting learning new bits of his life that I wasn’t quite so familiar with. I do want to give a special mention for the illustration which was clearly done in a van Gogh inspired style. I read this on digital, but I would love to see how the physical copies came out.

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

This book explores Vincent Van Gogh’s life from the very beginning until his tragic demise, through the lens of his sister-in-law. It is with beauty, longing and sadness that we get to see a glimpse of Van Gogh’s life, his art and several beautiful illustrations that bring Vincent’s story to life. I really enjoyed the depiction of Van Gogh’s life, but bear in mind that this is, in no way, a deep analysis of the artist; however, it is still a great way to know more about him.

I am a pretty big art history fan and am a particular fan of Vincent Van Gogh. There has been a huge push into telling his life story in the past few years, and each has told a different narrative. I liked that this biography was told from the perspective of his sister-in-law, but I did not think the perspective of his story was very nuanced or objective. It seems as if the biography is pushing a rather outdated understanding of his life story that some scholars have proven to be inaccurate.

This was a NetGalley book [original due date <b>8.6.2024</b>] with a 'download by' date of <b>6.27.2024. I downloaded it a couple of days before to read ad when I opened it, the whole book was empty, with no words and only 2 pages of illustrations [I deleted it and downloaded it again to no avail as there was still no words and this time no illustrations either]. Thankfully, I was able to get it at the library [<b>FLP OverDrive</b>] when it was published. The review is below.

This is a brilliant and comprehensive biography [filled with bright, colorful illustrations as well as re-creations of Vincent's works] of the genius that was Vincent van Gogh, and of the brother [Theo] that loved him to distraction [regardless of his own health and status], and the sister-in-law [Jo] who also loved him, enough to complete the work that Theo set out to do [and charged Jo to finish when he himself died not long after Vincent's death], which was to show the world the brilliance and beauty of Vncent's work. The story is sad, not for the faint of heart, and frustrating, but also beautiful because of the love they all shared [along with Jo and Theo's son Vincent, named after his beloved Uncle, who was instrumental in getting the Van Gogh Museum opened] and the love they had of Vincent's work.

Very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Elliot, and Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion/Frances Lincoln for providing this [unreadable] ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5? The art in some places was a little bit simple and not matching the style of Van Gogh but in other places there were gorgeous renditions of his works. It was interesting though to see his story in the POV of his sister in law Jo who was a big part of his eventual success

I'm an avid fan of art and try to visit local museums when I travel to a new city. I didn't know much about Van Gogh before reading this graphic biography, other than he had a bleak life. This book was very grim, unfortunately mirroring the difficult life that Vincent lived. It was a peculiar choice to have the story told from the perspective of his sister in law rather than the author himself. The author had a big order to fulfill and I believe he achieved half of it. The author tried to recreate Van Gogh's paintings in his own style, which was a daunting task. You can't duplicate masterpieces and the rendition came off rather shoddy. The biography element was more of an info dump than a fluid revelation of the artist's life. This comic was very depressing, but at least I learned a few things. It was a fantastic idea to showcase Vincent Van Gogh's life in a visual format, even if it was more blurry than Starry Night.