Vincent van Gogh Van Gogh's fame reached its first peak in Austria and Germany before World War I, helped by the publication of his letters in three volumes in 1914. His letters are expressive and literate, and have been described as among the foremost 19th-century writings of their kind. These began a compelling mythology of Van Gogh as an intense and dedicated painter who suffered for his art and died young. In 1934, the novelist Irving Stone wrote a biographical novel of Van Gogh's life titled "Lust for Life", based on Van Gogh's letters to Theo. This novel and the 1956 film further
Paintings of Amsterdam by Vincent van Gogh Paintings of Amsterdam by Vincent van Gogh Paintings of Amsterdam by Vincent van Gogh were made by Vincent van Gogh during a visit in October 1885. Van Gogh traveled to Amsterdam in early October 1885 where he spent much of his three days there at the museum exploring the work of Frans Hals, Rembrandt and other great artists. While there he completed two paintings of which he wrote, "The small panels I painted in Amsterdam were done in a great hurry. One even in the waiting room of the station, when I was too early for the train, the other