His younger brother Theo played an important role in preserving those letters: from 1872 onwards he saved all the letters that Vincent sent him, more than 800 over a period of eighteen years. Much of our knowledge about Van Gogh and his work comes from the letters he wrote and received. In an era without telephones or the Internet, writing was the only way to communicate with faraway friends and relatives. Vincent van Gogh was a prolific letter writer. Can the students figure out which art work matches each description?

Read a few of the descriptions anonymously. Hang up all the drawings and paintings described. If you have the students write rough drafts of their letters first, then they can write the final drafts on the 'antique' paper with dip pens and India ink.ģ. You can make the writing paper look old by dyeing it in coffee or strong tea. Keep in mind that at least 50 minutes of class time is required.Ģ. The assignment can also be done during class. The writing assignment can also be done on a computer.Īt the end of the lesson, tell the students where they can find the assignment, or hand out print-outs of the assignment.ġ. For each student: an art work made by the student (or a photo of one)

The students will write letters describing their own drawings or paintings. Selected from the critically acclaimed 6-volume set of letters published by the Van Gogh Museum in 2009, Ever Yours is the essential book on Van Gogh’s letters, which every art. The image of the orangey-red liquid dripping down one of the world’s most iconic images – and the painting that Van Gogh himself was most proud of – provoked visceral reactions.- The students will be introduced to Vincent van Gogh's letters. The letters are accompanied by a general introduction, historic family photographs, and reproductions of 87 actual pages of letters that contain sketches by Van Gogh.

She added: “To that extent, these protestors are working in an important tradition of non-violent protest (protest that does not harm other people) and raising the most important questions facing humanity.” But they are important acts of civil resistance that force the public to consider why we are allowing the wealthiest governments, often controlled by corporate interests, to ignore the science that we need to end our dependence on fossil fuels, we need to protect the most vulnerable, and we need to address the fact that those least responsible for climate change are already feeling its worst effects.” “That is, acts like this may be controversial, as they were at the time. “The question that such attacks pose for us is, what is the value of this object? How can we understand our anger at the temporary defacement of objects we hold beyond price in relation to the mass extinction and suffering of climate change?

The van gogh letters