I’m not an artist, although my daughter-in-law is, and I’ve had several friends throughout my life who are also artists, but ever since I was very young I was obsessed with art. My mother and her mother were both artists, although not anything close to artists like Vincent van Gogh.

My freshman year in school, those of us who chose to take art classes were blessed with a wonderful art teacher who encouraged us to look beyond the ‘real’ and paint beyond the proverbial lines with our heart as well as our eyes.

This shares the life of Vincent van Gogh, his struggles with sadness and depression, and how that affected him as an artist. And his internal struggles with being misunderstood as an artist, as well as just a man wanting to be seen and accepted, which, unbelievable from our perspective, he was not. This lack of acceptance added to his depression which worsened over time. He struggled to find a balance in his life, and was plagued by his own demons, but through the blessing of his family, he was also given love. And that love carried on when his sister-in-law decided the world needed to see, to know, and to feel the emotions, the beauty that is there in his art.

Vincent: A Graphic Biography is written and illustrated by Simon Elliott, shares the lives of both Vincent van Gogh, his brother, Theo, as well as the woman who made sure that they would be remembered.


Pub Date: 06 Aug 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion / Frances Lincoln

Gorgeous illustrations bring famed artist Vincent Van Gogh to stunning life! I enjoyed the graphic format and found that I learned a great deal about this often misunderstood artistic genius. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this book a lot. I think it would make a great addition to a school library. It is very informative and beautiful, and highlights Vincent and Theo’s relationship and mental illness. It also highlights Jo Van Gogh, Theo’s widow, who played an Eliza Hamilton style role in promoting Vincent’s art posthumously. Told from her perspective, we see the complexity of not just the man, but his relationships and challenges, both external and internal. And it is fascinating to hear that people especially hated The Starry Night, one of his most celebrated works!!

This one surprised me! I love the voice Vincent’s sister in law as the narrator of his life. I have a minor in art history and even I learned new things about Vincent from this book. The simple illustrations are perfect for audiences of all ages, Due to some more adult content I would suggest this for kids 10+, ideally.

I used to read these historical graphic novels throughout elementary school. I loved them and was obsessed with the series. I will say this one is more modern and cuter than the ones I read. It is a little wordy though. I think the pages also appear very plain, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I think this graphic novel has its audience, I am not sure if that is me. I think the artwork is very simple and easy to understand which is a plus. A cute little graphic novel!

A really enjoyable illustrated depiction of Van Gogh's life. I enjoyed the content and illustrations throughout.

This is in no way an in-depth analytic look into Van Gogh's work or life but provides a nice balance of his forming influences as a young man to his life as an underappreciated, struggling artist. It is a nice mid-point that dives into a bit more detail than Wikipedia and internet resources etc.

The best part about this is it would be suitable for all ages really, a nice, quick, illustrated read to learn more about one of the greats!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for an advance copy of this new biography of an artists whose stories are known just as much as the art he created, all told in a graphic novel style.

As a person who is only happy when it rains, I have long wondered about the correlation between mental health and art. Many of the artists that have brought me such joy over the years, be in in the arts, photography, music, literature, essays, movies actually anything creative, all dealt with issues like depression, paranoia, flying to extremes, or even self harm. Is it the fear of eternal sadness, that nothing will change that makes ana artist see something, hear something different, and go, wait, I can hang on a few more minutes if I just get this down. What do they see that makes a starry night, a cafe, a family eating potatoes seem so vibrant, powerful and full of life. And makes them go one more day trying to find more. Vincent van Gogh had many demons that he dealt with, but van Gogh also had a gift for art, and the blessing of a family that loved him, and wanted his art to shine, long after the artist stopped. Vincent: A Graphic Biography written and illustrated by Simon Elliott looks at the life of both Theo and Vincent van Gogh, and the woman who never stopped trying to keep both men legacy alive.

Vincent and his brother Theo van Gogh were brothers of the closest type, we learn from Theo's wife Jo van Gogh-Bonger, who was also Vincent's sister-in-law. Jo in a very short time lost both her brother-in-law and her husband, leaving her with a very stark looking future, and inheritance of paintings and thousands of words between the two brothers. Jo felt as strongly as Theo did about the art of Vincent. It was important, it was necessary and it needed to be seen. So Jo did so taking boarders for money, and using that money to share the life, art and letters of Vincent and Theo. We learn about the two men from her point of view, sharing their family, steps out in the world, and soon for Vincent, the world stepping back on him. Vincent had a courtship that was not reciprocated, starting the first of many actions that people would call over the top. Vincent's path to find himself, along with Theo's entry into the art business, helping other artists, while always helping Vincent. Readers learn about Vincent's interest in art, his skill, and his repeated bouts of madness, which led to his sad end. And Theo's death a short time later, from illness, and melancholy at the loss of his brother.

Graphic novels are an underutilized tool in telling the lives of people. One that many are starting to use to tell their stories. This is a very good look at the life of an artist, who is probably known for his self mutilation as much as for his art. Which is a shame. Vincent had problems, problems that Elliot does his best to explain and share, but will always remain a mystery, as will Vincent's end. Using Jo as narrator was a great idea, as she is removed from the story unlike Theo, but is able to share much information, and did care for Vincent, no matter what he did to Theo. The art really compliments the story. Neither slavish devotion nor a comic book look, but a nice use of colors, solid forms, and a real love and knowledge for the subject.

A book that really covers the life of the artist and would be age appropriate for teens and up. There is a little discussion about sexual activity, but the story, the art and the information is worth a little discomfort.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Told from the perspective of Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger, the person behind the success of Vincent Van Gogh, this tells the story of the artist, the person and everything in between.

I grew up in a time when the world is flooded with Van Gogh’s art. From t-shirt to bedroom curtain, you can find The Stary Night everywhere. Maybe that is another reason I actually knew so little of the true him. Because when any artist is this popular and this fused in our day to day life, we often forget to fact check, miss out on simple details. So from the moment I laid my eyes on this book, I knew I had to read it.

And this book served it purpose so beautifully. It details his life, journey with art, mental health with careful details. Because it was today that I learned this enigma of an artist only painted for the last decade of his life, he didn’t actually cut his ears for his lovers, I knew he suffered with mental illness but I didn’t know the gravity of it. But more than that this books shades light on his family dynamic, his relationship with his brother Theo and as a result Johanna’s work and influence on the success of the Vincent Van Gogh.

The strength of the book reveals itself by the end. I knew he only sold one ‘Name Painting’ in his lifetime but I had no clue how to came to receive the massive amount of success that he got. And when I found out I wanted to know about it more, I wanted to know about the person even more. Even more than Vincent and his life, that person left a lasting impression.

I found the illustrations in the book very true to the story it was trying to portray.

If you are interested about Vincent Van Gogh and don’t know where to start, this is a very nice place to start and get to know him.

I really enjoyed this graphic biography of the life of Vincent Van Gogh from the point of view of his sister in law, Jo Bonger. While all the well known details were there there were many points that were new to me and built a picture of the man who felt everything so deeply and poured this in to his artwork.
The book is vibrant and informative - a great addition to the library of anyone interested in the life of Vincent.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

This book simply is a biography about Vincent Van Gogh. I really enjoyed reading about Van Gogh in a graphic novel format. I enjoyed the artwork (not just Van Gogh's) throught the book. I would say this is a must-have for anyone who is a fan of Van Gogh!
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Vincent: A graphic Biography is a fascinating story of not so much Vincent Van Gogh, but also the story of Jo van Gogh-Bonger. If you have never heard of Jo, well, neither had I. She was the sister-in-law of Vincent, and when he died, she and her husband, his brother Thodore, inherited all his works. She, like her husband, saw the beauty of which he painted, but they weren’t sure what to do to get the world to see what they saw. When Thodore died a year after Vincent, Jo was left with a young baby,and a house full of Vincent’s paintings.

So, while this is the story of Vincent, we also see what Jo did after we are given the story of his life. Because without Jo, none of us would ever have heard of Vincent. She made it her life’s work to get his paintings out to critics, to get them to see what she saw. It took her entire life to do so, but once people saw what she saw, the world took the paintings by storm.

And after she died, her son, also called Vincent, continued his mother’s work, and got the Dutch government to build a Van Gogh Museam.

Great book. It was fascinating to see what Jo did to get Vincent’s work out there, and how hard it was on her. It was also sad to see what a hard life Vincent lived, and how frustratedhe was with his works.

A very complete story, easy to read, and very accessible, and one that gives the complete story of his life, and his works.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published the 6th of August 2024.

An easy to digest read on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. As a fan of his work, I highly enjoyed the unique take on writing his life. From the artwork inside, one is transported into a graphic novel that feels like a loved passion project finally seeing the light of day

What a good introduction to Vincent van Gogh's life and to the woman who helped create his global recognition!

The drawing style wasn't always my favourite and I found it pretty inconsistent. Often, I found it very simple and didn't capture the focal artist's atmosphere. Other times, especially with paintings or photographs, it was much more detailed and drew on the expected aesthetic. It was interesting to see such key works in a new format.

The dialogue was a bit stiff early on and I was actually really confused in the first few pages as there is no real preface - it throws you in and makes you catch up using your own understanding. It's dense in terms of names, dates, and lineage, but once it gets into details about Vincent van Gogh's career path it was much more accessible, though felt rushed.

I loved learning more about my favourite artist - I never realized how much influence his time in London had on his thinking. I also didn't know how early his poor mental health was recognized by others. It's tragic to think how things could have been different if psychological problems were addressed more effectively and efficiently back then.

Overall, this graphic novel gives a concise biography of van Gogh, and I loved the perspective of Jo who I knew so little about previously.

As a Dutch person, lover of art and big fan of Vincent Van Gogh, I was immediately excited when I saw this graphic biography. I know many details already but also learned some new things which is nice. The art work however was a big no for me. It took me away from the narrative so much and that is such a shame to me. Of course this is my personal opinion and the art works at the end with the Van Gogh influences were quite alright but as a whole it was just not for me.

2.5 stars.
This is a great little book for those who are new to Vincent Van Gogh’s life and work.
I found the content informative, although it was not entirely new to me. 3.5 stars for the content.
As for the art style, except for the representations of Van Gogh’s art, the style was not for me at all, a total miss. This is quite subjective of course, and please go ahead, and read about this incredible artist and human being’s life.

This was a wonderful and informative quick read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc. I had just visited a Chicago museum and viewed some of Vincent Van Gogh's works in real life when I saw that this graphic novel was available to read on NetGalley. Of course, I read it immediately! What a great book telling of Vincent Van Gogh's life, his relationship with his brother, and his sister-in-law Jo's efforts to let the world know of the genius painter. I learned a lot in a short amount of time and in an entertaining way.

3,5/5 | Really liked the way it presented the information, it was all very interesting and different from what you'll normally hear/read about Van Gogh.

* I just wasn't the greatest fan of the book's art and font choice.

This is definitely a well researched book! I thought it was interesting to have the book written from Jo’s perspective.

There is a lot of information in here that I did not know about Vincent. At times it may have been a bit too much information or too wordy, but I respect how much time and research must have been put into this book.

A good book to read to get to know Vincent van Gogh. The sentences do get a little too long and confusing to read, and I find myself rereading it a lot of time to understand it.

3.5 out of 5 Stars round up to 4.

It very interesting to learn little bit more about Vincent van Gogh than what is taught in art classes.

Thank you Netgalley for this E-Arc.