Starry Night by Martin Bailey

Starry Night

by Martin Bailey

Starry Night is a fascinating, fully illustrated account of Van Gogh's time at the asylum in Saint-Remy, during which he created some of his most iconic pieces of art.

Despite the challenges of ill health and asylum life, Van Gogh continued to produce a series of masterpieces – cypresses, wheatfields, olive groves and sunsets during his time there. This fascinating and insightful work from Van Gogh specialist Martin Bailey examines his time there, from the struggles that sent him to the asylum, to the brilliant creative inspiration that he found during his time here.

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.

An essential insight into the mind of a flawed genius, Starry Night is indispensable for those who wish to understand the life of one of the most talented and brilliant artists to have put paintbrush to canvas.

 

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

5 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Starry Night through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Starry Night is the perfect book for those out there that have always been fascinating with both the painting it’s named after, as well as the artist himself; Van Gogh. It’s an illustrated novel covering the period of Van Gogh’s life that was spent at Saint-Remy, the asylum.
This novel included timelines, maps, and even went so far as to explain the events surrounding the paintings shown. This gave an amazing amount of context – not just to the paintings, but to the mindset of Van Gogh during those times.
I’ve been fascinated with Van Gogh for as long as I can remember, and yet Starry Night succeeded in putting the pieces together for me in ways other books never did. I don’t think I ever fully realized just how many of my favorite Van Gogh paintings were done while he was at Saint-Remy, nor was I ever aware of how close we came to losing some of them.
This was a wonderfully insightful book, and I strongly urge any fans of Van Gogh to take the time to read it. It is one thing to know (and list) the facts, but to have them laid out with context really enhanced the presentation of the book.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 October, 2018: Finished reading
  • 20 October, 2018: Reviewed