Van Gogh is one of my favorite painters and who doesn’t love Starry Night? I mean, you see it everywhere now…cell phone cases, tapestries, mouse pads, etc. He is one of the most well-known painters worldwide but how much do you really know about his life? I admit, I knew next to nothing and was thrilled to be able to read a copy of Martin Bailey’s new book chronicling the last year or so of his life as a patient of the Saint Paul asylum.

 I found this book absolutely fascinating. It reads very text book but the narration isn’t dry as I had expected it to be. The artwork (of course) is absolutely beautiful and really gives a little insight to where Vincent’s mind may have been during his battle with mental illness. We also get a peek at his relationship with his brother, Theo, and how  Theo really supported Vincent through his life, his asylum years and as a rising artist. 

 Starry Night Van Gogh at the Asylum is very well researched and brilliantly put together for any art lover, or anyone interested in a little bit of history about this amazing artist, to enjoy. My only criticism for this book is that I wish it was a little more chronologically written. There are quite a few places through the book where we flip from one point in time to another and I found it a little confusing trying to keep my facts straight.

 This beautiful book would make an excellent addition to anyone’s collection, a perfect coffee table conversation starter or a gift for the art lover in your life.

 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy to read and review

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group/White Lion Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I must be honest, I know nothing about Van Gogh except he cut off his ear. This is not to say that I don't appreciate a d enjoy his work, because I do. So this book was an eye opener in many ways. It is about his time in the assylum, and the time reading up to it. It does discuss the cutting off of the ear-which I found fascinating. Why would anyone do this and then send the ear to someone? We are extremely lucky that Van Gogh was allowed to wander the countryside and still paint! This book was almost overwhelming with the information provided. Still, I found.It well done and thought provoking. I am no expert but enjoyed this a d would recommend. I rate it 4.5 stars.

Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Starry Night is a fully illustrated account of Van Gogh's time at the asylum in Saint-Remy. Despite the challenges of ill health and asylum life, Van Gogh continued to produce a series of masterpieces – cypresses, wheatfields, olive groves and sunsets. He wrote very little about the asylum in letters to his brother Theo, so this book sets out to give an impression of daily life behind the walls of the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole and looks at Van Gogh through fresh eyes, with newly discovered material.

I absolutely love the work of Van Gogh, it’s absolutely breathtaking and this book was eye opening to the experiences that Van Gogh and other patients would have gone through in the asylum. I didn’t even know that he was in an asylum.

4..25 stars!

Starry Night is written by Martin Bailey, a Van Gogh specialist. He was permitted to go into the St. Paul asylum, near St. Rémy, where Vincent Van Gogh spent a year after cutting his ear off. A very interesting and educational view and wonderful read.

Van Gogh was born in Holland but spent the majority of his life in France. When he entered the asylum there were only 18 other male patients and he called them “my companions of misfortune. “He suffered from auditory hallucinations his entire life, although it manifested greatly after his beloved brother Theo was getting married. He was closest to his younger brother Theo and was terrified of being abandoned by Theo’s wife. Luckily that did not happen.

He voluntarily went into the asylum at the age of 36. His brother paid for a third class room and he was allowed another room to use as a studio. Video made two conditions for his admittance to the asylum. One being that he got to have a half liter of wine daily and the other that he be allowed to walk the gardens and countryside and paint.

There is a lot of documentation in this book. Martin Bailey followed Van Gogh's artistist journey to explore the places where he painted. While in the asylum he produced over 150 paintings. Before going into the asylum, most of his paintings had exacerbated colors and after he was in the asylum he painted with more muted tones that reflected his mood.

Martin Baileys book Starry Night is wonderfully written, documented well, and has photographs that work well with his prose. I highly recommend this book. It’s a treasure full of delight!

Thanks to NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this book!

“Starry Night: Van Gogh at the Asylum” by Martin Bailey is a poignant and beautifully illustrated account of Van Gogh's time at the asylum in Saint-Remy. Despite the challenges of ill health and asylum life, he continued to produce prodigiously and created a series of masterpieces — cypresses, wheatfields, olive groves and sunsets. He wrote very little about this time in letters to his beloved brother Theo, so this book gives a helpful and sensitive impression of daily life behind the walls of the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole and looks at Van Gogh through fresh eyes, with newly discovered material. Highly recommended for all of us who deeply love this masterful artist. 5/5

Pub Date 27 Aug 2018

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are truly mine.

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