Steven Naifeh

Draws on newly available primary sources to present an in-depth, accessible profile that offers revisionist assessments of the influential artist's turbulent life and genius works.

"To us, Van Gogh's paintings look utterly unique. His vivid palates and wildly interpretive portraits are unmistakably his--yet however revolutionary his style may have been, it was actually built on a strong foundation of paintings by other artists, both his contemporaries and those who came before him. Now, drawing on Van Gogh's own thoughtful and often poetic comments about the artists he venerated, Steven Naifeh gives a gripping account of his...

"Fellow artists and lovers Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner are at the center of New York's 1940's art scene, but as Krasner neglects her work to push Pollock's career forward, Pollock begins to unravel emotionally. Pollock and Krasner escape to the country to marry, and soon, Pollock creates the work that makes him the first internationally-famous modern painter in America. But with fame and fortune comes a volatile temper and severe self-doubt; before...

The author recounts his battle against an inoperable brain tumor and offers guidance intended "to be helpful" to others in need of such help.--p. [ix].