Description

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890) is often considered a tragic figure, yet he could be delightfully amusing. Writing to his sister Willemina from Provence, the artist offered a self-portrait in prose: “My complexion has changed from green-greyish-pink to greyish-orange . . . and I am always very dusty, always more bristlingly loaded like a porcupine, with sticks, painter’s easel, canvases and further merchandise. Only the green eyes have remained the same.” One can just picture the man-porcupine trundling along a country road, on his way to paint a sunny harvest landscape. Though he spent it in poverty and poor health, that first summer in the south of France may have been the happiest period in a life often disrupted by anxiety and disappointment. Two years later, this extraordinary man was laid to rest in Auvers-sur-Oise, a village northwest of Paris.

On the inside front and back covers of this coloring book you’ll find twenty-one reproductions of Van Gogh’s paintings. When you color in the line drawings, you might want to copy colors from the original works, or you might decide to use a color scheme all your own.

We’ve left the last two pages of this book blank in case you, like Van Gogh, might be inspired to draw and color your own vase full of flowers, a starlit sky seen from your window, or a portrait of someone you hold dear.

Images

1. A Wheatfield, with Cypresses, 1889
2. Sunflowers, 1888
3. Thatched Cottages at Cordeville, Auvers-sur-Oise, 1890
4. Self-Portrait, 1889
5. Olive Trees, 1889
6. The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise, View from the Chevet, 1890
7. Irises, 1889
8. Terrace of a Café at Night (Place du Forum), 1888
9. Portrait of Patience Escalier, 1888
10. Landscape at Auvers after Rain, 1890
11. The Starry Night, 1889
12. Portrait of Dr. Gachet, 1890
13. Roses, 1890
14. Flower Beds in Holland, c. 1883
15. Self-Portrait, 1889
16. Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles, 1889
17. Green Wheat Fields, Auvers, 1890
18. Still Life of Oranges and Lemons with Blue Gloves, 1889
19. Farmhouse in Provence, 1888
20. La Mousmé, 1888
21. Le café de nuit (The Night Café), 1888