Learn how Vincent van Gogh's still life paintings, alive with ecstatic color and emotional exuberance, hold the key to understanding this complex artist's life and work.

From his first compositions to the colorful flower images of his late years, Vincent van Gogh repeatedly painted still lifes. In this genre, he could try out various pictorial techniques--from depicting space through light and shadow to experimentation with color. Although many of his still life compositions employed traditional approaches to the genre, he ultimately formulated an unmistakably unique artistic style. This lavishly illustrated book revisits the development of Van Gogh's career and focuses on his still life paintings, offering new insights into the working process and creative evolution of one of the most radical innovators in the history of modern art.