Other editions of book Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionists for Kids: Their Lives and Ideas, 21 Activities

Swirling, curling brushstrokes. Vivid colors. Thick layers of paint. These are the hallmarks of a painting by Vincent van Gogh, whose work his fellow artist Paul Cézanne once called “that of a madman.” But Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionists for Kids moves beyond the image of the mad pauper to reveal a complex young man who loved nature and reading, spoke four languages, and enjoyed a successful career as a gallery salesman before embarking on studies as a minister and, finally, finding his calling as an artist. Kids journey from the Netherlands to Paris to southern France as they learn about van Gogh’s friendships with four other like-minded painters who admired but were determined to depart from Impressionism: Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac, Émile Bernard, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Aspiring artists and history buffs learn not only how these Post-Impressionists’ daring shapes, colors, and techniques distinguished their work from what was painted before but also how the men helped one another and whether or not they always got along. Twenty-one creative projects bring history and art to life. Readers will create a Starry Night peep box, make a Pointillist sailboat (that can really sail!), craft a Japanese fold-out album, and much more. The text includes a time line, glossary, and reading list for further study.

Vincent van Gogh’s admiration for and departure from Impressionism and his relationships with the other enthusiastic, like-minded artists who ultimately formed the Post-Impressionist movement are explained and explored in this collection of art activities for kids. Debunking the persistent stereotype of the mad pauper who cut off his ear, van Gogh is revealed as the serious boy who loved nature and reading and spoke four languages; the young man who took great satisfaction in the study of art, his successful career as a gallery salesman, and the “brotherhood of artists” he helped to create; and the increasingly troubled and ill man who cared deeply for family and friends and tried in vain to recover. Through a series of fun and creative projects, such as a Starry Night Peep Box, a Pointillist Sailboat, and a Japanese Fold-out Album, kids will be exposed to such art as van Gogh’s vibrant landscapes, Paul Signac’s Mediterranean Sea images in dazzling dots, and Paul Gauguin’s tropical landscapes in unnatural colors. Aspiring young artists and history buffs will learn whether or not these famous painters always got along, how they helped each other in the process, and what made Post-Impressionist art unlike anything ever painted.

Swirling, curling brushstrokes. Vivid colors. Thick layers of paint. These are the hallmarks of a painting by Vincent van Gogh, whose work his fellow artist Paul Cézanne once called “that of a madman.” But Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionists for Kids moves beyond the image of the mad pauper to reveal a complex young man who loved nature and reading, spoke four languages, and enjoyed a successful career as a gallery salesman before embarking on studies as a minister and, finally, finding his calling as an artist. Kids journey from the Netherlands to Paris to southern France as they learn about van Gogh’s friendships with four other like-minded painters who admired but were determined to depart from Impressionism: Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac, Émile Bernard, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Aspiring artists and history buffs learn not only how these Post-Impressionists’ daring shapes, colors, and techniques distinguished their work from what was painted before but also how the men helped one another and whether or not they always got along. Twenty-one creative projects bring history and art to life. Readers will create a Starry Night peep box, make a Pointillist sailboat (that can really sail!), craft a Japanese fold-out album, and much more. The text includes a time line, glossary, and reading list for further study.