Van Gogh revisited (15)

This is the 15th in a series on Vincent van Gogh’s works that are featured in the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.

Vincent van Gogh loved books and people reading books. "Piles of French Novels" (1887) from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is one of four paintings of books he did in Paris and a study for a slightly larger work which he named "Romans Parisiens” (Parisian novels).

In 1887 autumn, Van Gogh experimented by moving beyond Realism or Post-Impressionism. This piece shows how he developed his style. The background is colored thinly with a light tone, while the tablecloth and the cover of the books are painted with thick strokes, giving depth to the picture.

According to the Van Gogh Museum, the artist was an admirer of such French Naturalist writers as Emile Zola and Guy de Maupassant. In his opinion, these authors "paint" life "as we ourselves feel it."