November 21: Caravaggio by Andrew Graham-Dixon & Van Gogh by Naifeh/Smith

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New biographies of two artists born 300 years apart—Van Gogh, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning team of Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, and Caravaggio, by Andrew Graham-Dixon—are extensive studies of each of the artists’ lives and works. Their lives were as interesting out of the studio as the art produced within.

Caravaggio was six when most of his family died from the Plague in 1577. He apprenticed at age 13, and received two big commissions from an influential Roman aristocrat 20 years later. Living on the run after murdering a man, Caravaggio painted his personal darkness into his works, even while portraying religious themes where frightening images of John the Baptist or Goliath were veiled self-portraits.

It is commonly understood that Van Gogh committed suicide at age 37. However, Smith and Naifeh post strong evidence that Van Gogh could have been murdered. In this story of Van Gogh’s life and work, they show how his mental health influenced his paintings and through the letters, journals and writings of Van Gogh and his brother, Theo, they recreate the maelstrom and poverty of one of the finest painters in history.

With the onset of a long, cold winter, now is the time to dive into the lives of two artists whose creative genius was influenced deeply by personal anguish and unsettled times.