And dear tormented Van Gogh painted that stunning Starry Night in a dark place of mental suffering. Because there was little to no effective treatments back then their cases were more serious and many died of suicide or had lengthy stays in asylums which were houses of horrors where they treated patients inhumanely. Some of the great writers, composers, and artists from the past were stricken hard with mental illness. Kay Redfield Jamison wrote a book on this topic called Touched With Fire (1993). I always appreciate the fact that so many artistic people, whether it’s art, music, literature, or drama/comedy on stage or screen, have mental health struggles and yet in great crisis, their best work is done.

Irving Stone also wrote The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961), a life of the Renaissance artist Michelangelo (who also struggled with mental health). I don’t know if Stone ever struggled with his mental health, but he brilliantly captured it in his work. Just amazing.Įven in the first 29 pages, I think Stone well captured the thinking and behavior of a person and with mental health struggles and some of them spoke to me as I struggle with two mental health diagnoses. His inspiration was the scenic view of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence outside of his room window (which had bars on it so that makes it even more remarkable).

Many don’t know this but he was in the asylum Saint-Paul de Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the south of France when he painted Starry Night, his magnum opus and most famous work. Van Gogh struggled with mental illness which ultimately led to his suicide. I am only on page 29 and already find it teeming with nuggets of profound or relatable thoughts and descriptions that ring true in my own life. The book is actually a fictional portrayal of Van Gogh’s life, based on Stone’s exhaustive research. The book I am now reading is called Lust for Life (1934) by Irving Stone. I love the uniqueness of his artwork but more than that I find his life quite fascinating. I have been reading a lot lately about Vincent Van Gogh.

Lust for life book van gogh