内容简介

　　“我对书籍有种无法抵挡的激情。”

　　“书籍、现实和艺术，对我来说就是同一种东西。”

　　“一个人必须学着阅读，正如他必须学会观察，学会生活。”

　　“对书籍的爱就像对伦勃朗的爱那样神圣，我甚至觉得，这两种爱相互补充、彼此增强。”

　　——文森特·凡·高

　　为画痴狂的凡·高，同样嗜书如命。在存世的903封往来书信中，凡·高提到了数百部作品，包含200多位作家，涉及英语、法语、荷兰语、拉丁文4种语言！

　　对阅读的热爱贯穿凡·高一生，狄更斯是他最爱的英国作家：“我几乎集齐了狄更斯作品的法文版”；左拉是他书信中出镜率最高的作者：“我毫不犹豫地阅读了左拉的全部作品”；在圣雷米精神病院修养期间，他在重读莎士比亚中获得慰藉：“我在这里特想时常阅读的，是莎士比亚”；在生命的最后时光，他宣告了最后一项文学阅读计划：“我很希望有朝一日能阅读荷马”……

　　凡·高的私人阅读史，映照一生的思想轨迹。青年时期，艺术品图录、博物馆导览手册和画家传记奠定了凡·高的美学基础；而米什莱、雨果那些充满革命力量的书籍，则唤醒了他内心的真正渴望——绘画和阅读；在精神崩溃与理智交替上演的阶段，他选择重读斯陀夫人、狄更斯、莎士比亚，在文字中获得慰藉……

　　书不仅在精神上滋养着凡·高，也成为他艺术的缪斯。在短暂的艺术生涯中，他至少创作了25幅表现阅读和书籍的画作。本书尽可能将原书封面、内文与画作并列展示，在视觉和观念层面建立起一种对话：一方是凡·高作为画家所创作的作品，另一方则是赋予凡·高灵感的重要作家和插图作者。

　　为探寻凡·高的阅读史，作者爬梳现存903封凡·高与亲友的往来书信、家庭档案，亲赴阿姆斯特丹的凡·高博物馆、国立博物馆，以及伦敦皇家艺术学院图书馆、米兰公共图书馆等机构，搜集并查阅凡·高信中引用过的上百部著作。本书收录了凡·高读过的40余种书籍实物照片，很多材料首度公开。

　　作者简介

　　马里耶拉·古佐尼（Mariella Guzzoni），1952年出生于意大利贝加莫，独立学者、艺术策展人、翻译。数年来，致力于凡·高艺术研究，并收藏凡·高阅读和珍爱的各类书籍，探究阅读对凡·高绘画、书信和生活的影响与启发，2015年在米兰策划展览“凡·高的书籍之爱”（Van Gogh’s Passion for Books）。出版专著《凡·高：无尽的镜像》（Van Gogh：l'’nfinito specchio），对凡·高的自画像与签名做了深入论述。

　　陈玮，浙江大学哲学学院副教授，主要研究方向为伦理学、古希腊哲学、美学。著有《知识、欲望与幸福：亚里士多德论“不自制”的可能性》，译著有《论灵魂》、《艺术的力量》（合译）等。

Content introduction

"I have an irresistible passion for books."

"Books, reality and art, to me, are the same thing."

"A man must learn to read, just as he must learn to see, and to live."

"The love of books is as sacred as the love of Rembrandt, and I even feel that the two love complement and enhance each other."

-- Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh, who was crazy about painting, also loved books. In his 903 surviving letters, Van Gaudi has written hundreds of works by more than 200 writers in four languages: English, French, Dutch and Latin!

The love of reading throughout Van Gogh's life, Dickens is his favorite English writer: "I have almost a collection of Dickens's works in French"; Zola is the most visible author in his correspondence: "I read all of Zola's works without hesitation"; During his stay in St. Remy's psychiatric Hospital, he took solace in rereading Shakespeare: "It is Shakespeare that I have always wanted to read here"; At the end of his life, he announced one last literary reading project: "I would love to read Homer some day."

Van Gogh's private reading history reflects the thought track of his life. In his youth, art catalogs, museum guidebooks and painter biographies laid the foundation of Van Gogh's aesthetics; The books of Michelet and Hugo, full of revolutionary power, awakened the true desire of his heart - painting and reading; In the stage of mental breakdown and rational alternations, he chose to reread Lady Stowe, Dickens, Shakespeare, and find solace in the text...

Books not only nourished Van Gogh spiritually, but also became his artistic Muse. During his short career, he created at least 25 paintings of reading and books. As much as possible, the book covers, texts, and paintings are displayed side by side, establishing a visual and conceptual dialogue between Van Gogh's work as a painter on the one hand, and the important writers and illustrators who inspired him on the other.

In order to explore Van Gogh's reading history, the author combed through the existing 903 letters between Van Gogh and friends and family archives, went to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, as well as the library of the Royal Academy of Art in London, the Milan Public Library and other institutions to collect and consult the hundreds of works cited in Van Gogh's letters. The book includes physical photographs of more than 40 books Van Gogh read, many of which have been made public for the first time.

About the author

Mariella Guzzoni (born 1952 in Bergamo, Italy) is an independent scholar, art curator and translator. Over the past few years, he has devoted himself to the research of Van Gogh's art, collected various Books read and cherished by Van Gogh, and explored the influence and inspiration of reading on Van Gogh's paintings, letters and life. In 2015, he curated the exhibition "Van Gogh's Passion for Books" in Milan. He published a monograph Van Gogh: l 'Nfinito specchio (Van Gogh: l 'Nfinito specchio), an in-depth discussion of Van Gogh's self-portraits and signatures.

Chen Wei is an associate professor at the School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University. His research interests include ethics, Ancient Greek philosophy and aesthetics. He is the author of Knowledge, Desire, and Happiness: Aristotle on the Possibility of "not Self-control", as well as On the Soul and the Power of Art (co-translated).