Okay, you made me go searching for info re Van Gogh not committing suicide. (Yay, I'm glad to hear it!) I found an article called NCIS: Provence (Vanity Fair, 2014) on the topic, along with the nearly 1,000 page book. I elected to read the article and have downloaded it. Thank you so much for your deep dive into Van Gogh. I love it.
Yes, Sandra, I had no idea. I mean, I don’t think I ever knew specifically how Van Gogh had supposedly killed himself. The ear sort of overshadows everything else. There’s an appendix in the biography, Van Gogh: The Life, that lays out all the details for their theory that the kid shot Van Gogh, probably accidentally. That might be the article you found?
Their theory makes a lot more sense to me. The dude was so obsessed with painting. I cannot imagine he would die by suicide if he could go on painting. And they never found the canvas and easel he’d gone out with that day. It’s just all very fishy and I think the idea took hold because it fit with the idea of the tortured artist. And his life was not great, but he loved his art so much. I don’t think he’d ever willingly let it go.
That’s my two cents, anyway. Glad you’ve liked the posts.
You’re welcome, Karen. I’m curious as to why you think these are questions that would be rare for trained academics to explore? Because of the narrowness of academic training? My least favorite part of grad school (and I had a lot of least favorite parts) was the narrowness. I love sociology, but I wanted to talk about other things, too, and there wasn’t a lot of room for that, at least at IU.
Yes, the narrowness. I agree with all of this, especially the longer I’m in the field. The training is narrow, then the merit expectations are tied to narrow dissemination (ie academic articles), alternative strategies and communication strategies can be looked down on and even overtly challenged. It’s a cycle. I’ve been enjoying learning we have this in common!
Oh, yes, I didn’t even think of that. The push to specialize and specialize and then specialize some more. The fact that writing a blog does not count toward tenure no matter what discipline you’re in. And that writing in ways that might be enjoyable to read, let alone easy to understand, are looked down on. Right, all of that!
I feel lucky to have had a lot more freedom at my rinky-dinky, little liberal arts college, where, yes, some people still hold those values. But largely, I have the space to do as I please, including, obsessing over Van Gogh!
These days I’m also in a more liberal department and I value that flexibility. It took me a long time to see it in that way. The more creative writing I do the more I feel like it expands my “traditional” thinking. Love the Van Gogh pieces!
Well said (again)--and congrats on the wonderful blurb. I'm really looking forward to reading your stories.
Thanks so much, Barb! Can’t wait for the stories to be out in the world.
Okay, you made me go searching for info re Van Gogh not committing suicide. (Yay, I'm glad to hear it!) I found an article called NCIS: Provence (Vanity Fair, 2014) on the topic, along with the nearly 1,000 page book. I elected to read the article and have downloaded it. Thank you so much for your deep dive into Van Gogh. I love it.
Yes, Sandra, I had no idea. I mean, I don’t think I ever knew specifically how Van Gogh had supposedly killed himself. The ear sort of overshadows everything else. There’s an appendix in the biography, Van Gogh: The Life, that lays out all the details for their theory that the kid shot Van Gogh, probably accidentally. That might be the article you found?
Their theory makes a lot more sense to me. The dude was so obsessed with painting. I cannot imagine he would die by suicide if he could go on painting. And they never found the canvas and easel he’d gone out with that day. It’s just all very fishy and I think the idea took hold because it fit with the idea of the tortured artist. And his life was not great, but he loved his art so much. I don’t think he’d ever willingly let it go.
That’s my two cents, anyway. Glad you’ve liked the posts.
I don't know if the article is the same as the appendix, but it's available online if you want to check. https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2014/12/01/ncis-provence
Thank you for your kind words, and I am waiting for that pre-order link. Can’t wait to read your stories!
Yeah, those are the authors of the biography. Very cool! Thanks for sharing with everyone!
I think it’s rare to hear ppl trained as academics exploring these questions but I’m definitely down for it too. Thanks for sharing all of this.
You’re welcome, Karen. I’m curious as to why you think these are questions that would be rare for trained academics to explore? Because of the narrowness of academic training? My least favorite part of grad school (and I had a lot of least favorite parts) was the narrowness. I love sociology, but I wanted to talk about other things, too, and there wasn’t a lot of room for that, at least at IU.
Yes, the narrowness. I agree with all of this, especially the longer I’m in the field. The training is narrow, then the merit expectations are tied to narrow dissemination (ie academic articles), alternative strategies and communication strategies can be looked down on and even overtly challenged. It’s a cycle. I’ve been enjoying learning we have this in common!
Oh, yes, I didn’t even think of that. The push to specialize and specialize and then specialize some more. The fact that writing a blog does not count toward tenure no matter what discipline you’re in. And that writing in ways that might be enjoyable to read, let alone easy to understand, are looked down on. Right, all of that!
I feel lucky to have had a lot more freedom at my rinky-dinky, little liberal arts college, where, yes, some people still hold those values. But largely, I have the space to do as I please, including, obsessing over Van Gogh!
These days I’m also in a more liberal department and I value that flexibility. It took me a long time to see it in that way. The more creative writing I do the more I feel like it expands my “traditional” thinking. Love the Van Gogh pieces!