Vincent: A Graphic Biography

Loved this graphic biography of Vincent Van Gogh and how his sister-in-law worked so hard to honor both his ands brother's memories.

This was an interesting read. The information was presented neatly and flowed well. The illustrations were helpful in creating a visual narrative of Vincent. My son who doesn’t like to read sat down and finished it in one shot. The illustrations also seemed to fit Vincent’s personal styles, the artwork that was included from his own work blended well with the art of the illustrator. Whether that was intentional or not I don’t know but I love the little details like this.

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. The second half of it presents the life of Van Gogh through his own letters as imagined to be interpreted by Jo, his sister-in-law. Readers get to see the depth of emotions experienced by Vincent, his brother Theo and Jo, his sister-in-law. When you feel so much for the world around you, you will see them in such depth that it can be tormenting. And maybe that is why his art is so moving and why the world was just too much for him.

The colour palette used in the book also changes to reflect the change in Vincent's art style in different stages of his life.

If you like his art, get this book.

I will get multiple copies of it as presents for my students.

Thank you for giving me the chance to preview such a moving book.

As someone who has always been interested in Van Gogh, I found this book fascinating. It was beautifully written. I love that this biography is written in the form of a graphic novel. I think the illustrations are well done and help to enhance the story. I learned so much from this book. I had no idea how important Van Gogh’s sister-in-law was to bringing his works to the masses. I also never knew about the bond he shared with his brother. His life really is a tragic story, which was very sad to read. However, it was inspiring that through all the tragedy, he was able to create such artistic masterpieces. The author did an amazing job accurately portraying Van Gogh’s life with such detail from the perspective of his sister-in-law. This was clearly a well-researched book. I would highly recommend this book.

I just read this amazing biography of Vincent Van Gogh by Simon Elliott. As someone with a mental health condition and a fan of Van Gogh, this brought Vincent's entire life to light. I especially enjoyed the way the story was told and learning about what happened after Vincent died. I will be buying this when it comes out.

I’m not an artist, although my daughter-in-law is, and I’ve had several friends throughout my life who are also artists, but ever since I was very young I was obsessed with art. My mother and her mother were both artists, although not anything close to artists like Vincent van Gogh.

My freshman year in school, those of us who chose to take art classes were blessed with a wonderful art teacher who encouraged us to look beyond the ‘real’ and paint beyond the proverbial lines with our heart as well as our eyes.

This shares the life of Vincent van Gogh, his struggles with sadness and depression, and how that affected him as an artist. And his internal struggles with being misunderstood as an artist, as well as just a man wanting to be seen and accepted, which, unbelievable from our perspective, he was not. This lack of acceptance added to his depression which worsened over time. He struggled to find a balance in his life, and was plagued by his own demons, but through the blessing of his family, he was also given love. And that love carried on when his sister-in-law decided the world needed to see, to know, and to feel the emotions, the beauty that is there in his art.

Vincent: A Graphic Biography is written and illustrated by Simon Elliott, shares the lives of both Vincent van Gogh, his brother, Theo, as well as the woman who made sure that they would be remembered.


Pub Date: 06 Aug 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion / Frances Lincoln

Gorgeous illustrations bring famed artist Vincent Van Gogh to stunning life! I enjoyed the graphic format and found that I learned a great deal about this often misunderstood artistic genius. Highly recommended!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for an advance copy of this new biography of an artists whose stories are known just as much as the art he created, all told in a graphic novel style.

As a person who is only happy when it rains, I have long wondered about the correlation between mental health and art. Many of the artists that have brought me such joy over the years, be in in the arts, photography, music, literature, essays, movies actually anything creative, all dealt with issues like depression, paranoia, flying to extremes, or even self harm. Is it the fear of eternal sadness, that nothing will change that makes ana artist see something, hear something different, and go, wait, I can hang on a few more minutes if I just get this down. What do they see that makes a starry night, a cafe, a family eating potatoes seem so vibrant, powerful and full of life. And makes them go one more day trying to find more. Vincent van Gogh had many demons that he dealt with, but van Gogh also had a gift for art, and the blessing of a family that loved him, and wanted his art to shine, long after the artist stopped. Vincent: A Graphic Biography written and illustrated by Simon Elliott looks at the life of both Theo and Vincent van Gogh, and the woman who never stopped trying to keep both men legacy alive.

Vincent and his brother Theo van Gogh were brothers of the closest type, we learn from Theo's wife Jo van Gogh-Bonger, who was also Vincent's sister-in-law. Jo in a very short time lost both her brother-in-law and her husband, leaving her with a very stark looking future, and inheritance of paintings and thousands of words between the two brothers. Jo felt as strongly as Theo did about the art of Vincent. It was important, it was necessary and it needed to be seen. So Jo did so taking boarders for money, and using that money to share the life, art and letters of Vincent and Theo. We learn about the two men from her point of view, sharing their family, steps out in the world, and soon for Vincent, the world stepping back on him. Vincent had a courtship that was not reciprocated, starting the first of many actions that people would call over the top. Vincent's path to find himself, along with Theo's entry into the art business, helping other artists, while always helping Vincent. Readers learn about Vincent's interest in art, his skill, and his repeated bouts of madness, which led to his sad end. And Theo's death a short time later, from illness, and melancholy at the loss of his brother.

Graphic novels are an underutilized tool in telling the lives of people. One that many are starting to use to tell their stories. This is a very good look at the life of an artist, who is probably known for his self mutilation as much as for his art. Which is a shame. Vincent had problems, problems that Elliot does his best to explain and share, but will always remain a mystery, as will Vincent's end. Using Jo as narrator was a great idea, as she is removed from the story unlike Theo, but is able to share much information, and did care for Vincent, no matter what he did to Theo. The art really compliments the story. Neither slavish devotion nor a comic book look, but a nice use of colors, solid forms, and a real love and knowledge for the subject.

A book that really covers the life of the artist and would be age appropriate for teens and up. There is a little discussion about sexual activity, but the story, the art and the information is worth a little discomfort.

This book simply is a biography about Vincent Van Gogh. I really enjoyed reading about Van Gogh in a graphic novel format. I enjoyed the artwork (not just Van Gogh's) throught the book. I would say this is a must-have for anyone who is a fan of Van Gogh!
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4.5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Vincent is a short graphic biographical telling from Vincent’s sister-in-law Anna, who later became ones responsible for introducing his artwork to the world. It tells of his upbringing, his career and hopes, his love pursuits and affairs, his mental health, his artwork and journeys, and ultimately his death.
Some scenes are lightly graphic, depicting the violence of his mental health and death.
I found the illustrations in the beginning to be fairly simple but as the story continued, they became more detailed and more “Vincent-like”.

Vincent is one of my favorite artists and his life story is so heartbreaking. I love the explanation of Vincent painting despite his illness, not because of it.
I enjoyed this short snippet and overview of his life and learning about how the world came to know his name.
Truly inspiring and lovely. Thank you Vincent and Anna.

I felt so sad while reading this brilliantly illustrated biography of Vincent Van Gogh. Mental illness plagued him his whole life, causing mental trauma to not just him but his loving, devoted family. Told from the point of view of his sister-in-law, this story takes the reader through different periods of Van Gogh's life, showing his pursuit of happiness and love. He was rejected by lovers and by art critics, eventually dying much too young of a self-inflcted wound, followed closely by his brother.
Thank goodness his sister-in-law recognized his brilliance. Left alone with a child after both brothers' deaths, she was the one who made sure that the world learned about the brilliance of Vincent Van Gogh. Possibly the most brilliant part of this book is how the illustrations are in Van Gogh's style.
It seems crazy that people found his work childish and even frightening, when millions of people visit his museum every year now. There is even an asteroid named after him! I wish he could have known how much people love his work now.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Received this book as an ARC via NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion.

This is a graphic novel that is also a biography of the artist Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh is a complicated historical figure but I feel that this graphic novel presents his life in a new and interesting way to younger readers and adults. I have to say that the color choices and the simple, yet effective drawings by the author, Simon Elliot, helped to draw the reader's eye and yet did not detract from the text.

The text goes through his early life through his unrequited love and later on his struggles with mental illnesses such as depression and the work he did. It is told from the perspective of his sister-in-law and her narration really allows us to see Van Gogh in ways that he perhaps had not seen himself in life. She was able to turn him into a world renowned artist after a lifetime of rejection by his peers.

I think this book would be best read by children in high school, due to certain images of nude women and the depiction of his suicide attempt. This requires a more mature audience than middle school which is often the audience for graphic novels..

It is very easy to recommend this graphic biography of Van Gogh. I so enjoyed reading the biography and seeing the illustrations. Told by Vincent’s sister in law, readers learn about his and brother Theo’s early life, Vincent’s art works, personal life and struggles. It is a wonderful resource.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book made me emotional. I had been to Van goghs exhibition in London but I did not know about his life so closely. The authentic storyline and Vincent’s characteristics are so well portrayed by his sister in law. I really want to go to the museum now. Excellent graphic novel I have read recently. All the artwork was so vibrant and well represented. I think it’s a very well compiled book.

Vincent: A Graphic Biography is a beautifully illustrated in depth telling of the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh. The book was filled with a ton of great information that gave a lot of insight into the pain and mental anguish that Vincent endured. The illustrations were perfect and really helped to tell the story in a meaningful way!

Thanks to the publisher Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion/ Frances Lincoln and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest book review.

An extremely detailed and beautifully illustrated biography of the artist Vincent Van Gogh told from the perspective of his sister-in-law Jo van Gogh-Bonger. The illustrations in the graphic novel imitate very well Gogh’s real paintings. I didn’t realise before reading this that it was only due to the work of his sister-in-law that he garnered the worldwide recognition that he so deserved. I obviously knew something of his troubled life but did not know the depth of the problems he experienced before reading this.

I really enjoyed reading a biography in this graphic novel format, it was such a quick engrossing read.

I would absolutely recommend this book to people interested in art and history.

ARC TOUR: Vincent: A Graphic Biography by Simon Elliott

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Vincent Van Gogh was one of the most talented misunderstood artist of this time. This graphic biography is a great and easy introduction for readers who aren’t familiar with Vincent. I loved the POV was Theo’s wife who was his sister in law. This was a unique way to tell Vincent’s story from a third party observer. This also allowed this biography to go beyond his life and show a glimpse of the impact of his work.

I also appreciated that Elliott really focused in on Theo and Vincent’s relationship. When we talk about Vincent we tend to forget to talk about this relationship that the brothers had. This relationship was extremely important to both Vincent and Theo.

I am a big fan of Vincent’s art and I had a blast visiting the Van Gogh Museum when I was in Amsterdam. I highly recommend this book for readers who want to get to know Vincent.

Get this book on August 12, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group- White Lion and Frances Lincoln for sending me this ebook for review consideration.

I’ve never been that interested in Vincent van Gogh’s life, but I’ve seen enough of his paintings to know who he was and I’m sure we all know about the ear incident. I chose this book because it was a graphic novel and a short read. I’m not going to lie, I was intrigued by his story; this was a man who was extremely depressed, feeling the weight on his shoulders all his life and dying without ever knowing his work would make him famous. This was a nice way to tell his story, sticking to basic facts about his life and torments, keeping me glued to each page.

Super interesting insight into the life of Van Gogh. I knew a little about his life going into it, but I learned a lot from it. The grahic design in the book is interesting and engaging. It at times lends itself well to the way Van Gogh painted and it was an interesting POV as well - seeing his life from the perspective of his sister-in-law who loved him very much and fought to have people pay attention to his art post-mortum. I'd recommned

This graphic novel was amazing. I love Van Gogh and I learned so much from this book. The illustrations were beautiful as well. This would make a really great gift for someone who appreciates art or likes Van Gogh.

An informative look into the famous painters life and his work.

Vincent a graphic biography is a stellar recommendation for younger readers as well as people just starting their non fiction journey, containing loads of well placed and easily understandable
knowledge about the artist. The art is super pretty as well which is always a plus!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion | Frances Lincoln in exchange for a free and honest review.

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel with some of Van Gogh's famous paintings recreated. The story follows Van Gogh and his brother Theodore's relationship through a series of letters they wrote to each other and, his sister-in-laws Jo's efforts to get his work recognised for its genius. The book also covers Van Gogh's mental health issues/ severe depression which led to his suicide aged 37. A short and concise graphic novel, and I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about this talented artist.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion | Frances Lincoln and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I really am fascinated by Vincent Van Gough so when I saw this book I knew that it was a must request.

This book tells the story of Vincent's sister-in-law and how she worked hard to keep the memory if her husband, Theo and his brother Vincent alive after their passing.
I am not much of a graphic novel reader, but this was pretty easy and quick paced, and I really liked the artwork.

I will definitely be recommending this one to my library patrons.

A superb biography of the artist Vincent Van Gogh written from the perspective of his sister-in-law. Great for fans of Vincent (the movie), budding art students, or kids aged middle school and older. Trigger warning: mention of sex, mental health issues, substance abuse, and suicide. Illustrations are mesmerizing and the format is quite unique. A novel work that would also serve as a great coffee table book were it not for the beautiful, heart-wrenching tragedy that it contains. A beautiful tribute to a tortured soul who left only his textured paint strokes and letters behind to tell his tale.