A work of art is an open question, a question that invites you in. A life lived is also an open question.

Deborah Heiligman

I love Vincent Van Gogh. His paintings have been a part of my life since a young age, and as I grew older I read more into his life and his art. When I read a biography on Vincent or his letters to his brother, Theo, I find myself in a different world. A calm, melancholy, introspective world. Vincent’s world. You know the story, you know the ending, but no matter how many words wrap around Vincent’s life, everything falls in front of his paintings. They’re mesmerizing. You can forget everything in his world, your world, your life, and just watch. His paintings are alive, enrapture movement, and colour. To see a Van Gogh painting is to see emotions expressed by colour. And every time I fall into Van Gogh’s world, I am reminded of dedication, perseverance, and determination. I am reminded of Vincent, Theo, and Johanna.

May the sick man get well soon, even if only to the extent that his love would allow it, to guard the work of Vincent van Gogh.

Deborah Heiligman

Vincent’s art would never have entered the public sphere and artist circles if it were not for the perseverance of his brother Theo and sister-in-law Johanna. But it’s rare for books to spend much time on Theo or Johanna. Yet without Theo, there can be no Vincent. And so, when I stumbled across Deborah Heiligman’s Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, I knew I had to read it. What started out as a rather simple memoir with a writing style intended for younger readers, quickly ensconced my heart. I loved this memoir. Heiligman focal point is the bond the two brothers had and how it surpassed their bonds to any other sibling or relation. Theo even told Johanna that she could not have him without Vincent because they were each other’s half. Connected by blood their bond built up by their love for art, a love which helped them endure numerous challenges in life. Theo was the only relative, only person really, who accepted Vincent for who he was at every moment. Whether it was when Vincent struggled or rejoiced, Theo was beside him. It was Theo who saw potential in Vincent and encouraged him. Even when Vincent endured the asylums for his mental health, it was Theo who kept correspondence, art supplies, and acceptance. He never treated Vincent any different when others shunned or created a distance between themselves and the “mad man”. It was Theo who stayed with Vincent till the last breath and a short time later, it was Theo who died alone without Vincent in a psychiatric hospital.

“Theo who was devoted to his brother, who had always supported him in his struggle to support himself from his art,” Bernard writes, “was sobbing pitifully the whole time”.

Deborah Heiligman quoting Bernard

When Theo died, it was Johanna who picked up the reigns. It is really thanks to Johanna’s determination that people today even know of Vincent, let alone appreciate and admire him. Yet again, very few books spend time on her efforts, until more recently. It was Johanna who hosted numerous art shows to bring attention to Vincent’s works. It was Johanna who made connections with many art critics and influential people in the art world who could speak where she could not. It was Johanna who first wrote about Vincent and, eventually, published his letters. And it was Johanna who brought Vincent and Theo’s graves together so the brothers could be united in death once more. Without Theo there would be no Vincent, but without Johanna there would be no Van Gogh. Although Johanna remarried and lived a long life, she never forgot Theo or Vincent and carried their vision, efforts, and dedication in her heart.

Vincent’s mind, [Theo] tells Jo, “Had for so long been preoccupied with things our society today has made impossible to solve & which he, with his kind heart & tremendous energy, nevertheless fought against. His efforts have not been in vain, but he may never be able to witness their fruits, for it will be too late by the time people understand what he was expressing in his paintings”.

Deborah Heiligman quoting Theo van Gogh

Loving Vincent’s art is one thing, but what really draws me into Vincent’s world is the love and loyalty Vincent, Theo, and Johanna had for each other. All three came from simple backgrounds. Vincent was bright but not brilliant enough to stand out anywhere. He failed in so many careers. He struggled with mental illness. He was never professionally trained or educated in art. He was poor, naive, and ready to help others despite barely being able to take care of himself. He fell in love easily and didn’t fit into the expected mold of human societies. Theo was successful in his career, but that’s where his accomplishments end. Theo suffered his whole life with health issues. He struggled to develop friends and be social. And most of all, he hated his job. Theo struggled his whole life against his superiors because they wanted to keep the old conventions of art and Theo wanted to bring in the modern-day painters. Johanna was considered to be half-way to spinsterhood and in love with a man who did not love her back. She initially rejected Theo, and later, when she agreed to get married, she only had him for a short time before both he and Vincent were taken from her. Yet none of these struggles tainted the bond the trio had. Of course they argued, misunderstood, disagreed, and even went without talking to one another, but at the end of the day, they were there for one another. When the world thought Vincent to be a failure, it was Theo who kept financially supporting and emotionally motivating Vincent. When the world kept taking from Theo, it was Vincent who noticed his brother’s ill health and tried to get him to rest and come stay with Vincent. And when the world scoffed at Vincent and Theo, it was Johanna who valued the vision both brothers had for art. The trio selflessly cared for one another. Despite their struggles, it’s as if they only laughed and created their own world. And we see that world in each one of Vincent’s works, for Vincent’s paintings are not just his own but the culmination of Vincent, Theo, and Johanna.

Everyone has an opinion about Vincent van Gogh, an agenda of some kind.

Deborah Heiligman

I suppose that’s really why we remain fascinated by Vincent’s paintings. They are masterpieces as art, but they are also the result of human tenderness. Whenever I read about Vincent, I feel like I’m reading about a friend, an everyday human being, someone you pass by or have a random conversation with. Despite his accomplishments and legacy, Vincent’s paintings feel more welcoming than a Vermeer, Picasso, Da Vinci, or Monet. I can get lost in Vincent’s paintings like how one loses track of time within a good conversation, but with other painters, I am always aware I am looking at a painting, a bit of history that has somehow lasted time. I suppose that’s why we never really refer to Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings as a Van Gogh, but rather as Vincent’s. Everyone knows who is being referred when the name Vincent pop’s up in art, but you’ll think twice if you just hear Johannes, Claude, or Pablo. It’s that familiarity with Vincent and his art that Heiligman retains in her writing and approach to his memoir. I finished it as expected, crying and wishing that Vincent and Theo got to see the results of their dedication and perseverance.

You will continue to see him in his works.

Deborah Heiligman