Postscript: My Journey to Vincent 

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Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava (*- unless otherwise credited)

This is a postscript to my piece Van Gogh’s Cypresses: Art From Hell

“How will I know you when I see you
In the brightness of light”*

WHO are you, Vincent? Staring out at us with that laser beam-like gaze it almost seems like he could speak to us and tell us. If only getting closer to him were only that easy… A Self-Portrait on the back cover of Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings. Click any photo for full size.

As I said, I’ve been looking at Van Gogh’s Art for over 40 years. It’s taken almost as long to get closer to the man. Like many, perhaps, most people interested in Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), I read Irving Stone’s Lust for Life, and Dear Theo (which Stone, who never knew him, gallingly subtitled Vincent’s “Autobiography,”) and later saw the famous Film, Lust for Life, starring Kirk Douglas as Vincent, which was set in some of the actual sites. I bought it all as gospel. I read, but downplayed, the part where Mr. Stone mentioned that he had “made up” episodes to fill the gaps (paraphrased from recollection. I no longer have his books).

My collection of 45 Van Gogh postcards, bought in the early 1970s for 10 cents a piece. They served me well until I got a book on his work years later. Almost every single one depicts a work I hadn’t seen in person because they are in European collections, except for The Met’s Lilacs, in the lower left. Also included is Gauguin’s Portrait of Vincent, lower right. Two would appear in Van Gogh’s Cypresses decades later.

Captivated when I saw Vincent’s Art in The Met and MoMA on my very first Art museum visits as a young teen in the early 1970s, I bought 45 picture postcards from both at 10 cents each because they showed work I hadn’t seen. Most were from the new Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. I was intrigued, and it didn’t go away.

My set of The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh edited by Jo van Gogh Bonger, a later printing I’ve kept in its original open shrink wrap to protect the slip case. She first published her edition in 1914.

In the 1980s, I was gifted the 3-volume set of Vincent’s Letters, a set that happened to be edited by Jo van Gogh Bonger, wife of Vincent’s brother, Theo, for a year and a half before he died 6 months after Vincent. She inherited Vincent’s estate (i.e. his Art & discovered his Letters in Theo’s desk), but having no experience with Art, didn’t know what to do with it. After delving into the material, she realized that Vincent’s Letters, most of the surviving ones to Theo, were the key to getting people interested in his Art. She edited & published them, put together a large show of his work in 1905, and worked passionately to get his Art seen, even making a trip to the U.S. to assess prospects here.

Jo’s Preface to The Complete Letters, 1914, reproduced in my later printing. It’s one of the most remarkable accomplishments in Art history that, with no knowledge or background in Art, she was able to find a way to present Vincent so the world would “get” him, making him one of the world’s most popular Artists in the process. In so doing, she influenced how Artists have been presented to the public ever since.

I didn’t know any of that at the time I got her set. In it, I began to see that Irving Stone was selling fiction. So was the Film! Reading his own words, as Jo well knew, the real man came vividly to life in his exceptional prose. Vincent’s Letters are among the most compelling of any Artist yet published.

How’s this for “closer to Vincent?” Detail from The Starry Night, 1889, in Van Gogh’s Cypresses, shot without a zoom lens, as close as the guards would allow (a safe distance). Yin/Yang, maybe?

“How will lI know you when I see you
In the bareness of spring
I will know you by starlight
where the road’s echoes sing”*
“Many years passed before Vincent was recognized as a great painter,” Jo writes. She omits the fact that it was she that got him that status in the world. Jo van Gogh-Bonger put me, and countless millions before and after me, on the road to knowing Vincent better. If you love Vincent’s Art, you owe her your thanks. Thank you, Jo!

Van Gogh: The Letters, the Van Gogh Museum’s exceptional 5-volume set includes extensive annotations and many illustrations. Now sold out, it’s all available online, where it is updated as new information becomes available. One of my Desert Island Art Books. *- Van Gogh Museum Photo

The problem was that Vincent’s 902 Letters only cover part of his life, the earliest dating from September, 1872, when he was 19. Others have undoubtedly gotten lost over time, and some things were withheld by the family. Also in the 1980s, I saw 2 excellent Van Gogh shows at The Met, as I mentioned, Van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy and Van Gogh in Auvres. and then the Drawings in 2005, each of which brought me even closer to Vincent’s Art. For those that missed them, the catalogs for each show are excellent and full of great information.

Bringing Vincent into closer focus. My copy of Van Gogh: The Life, just after I bought it new. I’ve raved about it repeatedly. Though it contains 958 pages, the footnotes are to be found on the book’s website. It will remain the definitive biography for at least the immediate future.

In 2011, the landmark 958-page exhaustively researched biography, Van Gogh: The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith was published along with the equally exhaustively researched & annotated five-volume set of Van Gogh’s Letters, both with the cooperation of the Van Gogh Museum and Foundation, which exists due to Jo, and then her & Theo’s son, Vincent Wilhelm Van Gogh, who donated Vincent’s Estate to the Dutch state who, in return, built the Museum. 

Vincent was a very astute lover of Art, with a cutting eye that quickly got to the essence of a piece, or Artist, under his consideration.Tthe new Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved, by Van Gogh: The Life’s co-author, Steven Naifeh’s, is an in-depth look at a subject that no one has covered, until now.

I wasn’t able to put Van Gogh: The Life down. It not only brings Vincent to life on an as close to a day-to-day basis as we’ve yet had, it takes the reader inside his thinking & decisions, his unceasing misfortunes & pain, and then, his illness. One of the most extraordinary biographies I’ve ever read, it completely rewrites our understanding of Vincent’s life and, quite controversially, his death. The Life is essential reading for anyone interested in Art1 or Vincent Van Gogh, in my view. This past year, The Life’s co-author, Steven Naifeh, published Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved, an in-depth look at Vincent’s life-long obsession with Art & Artists, which provides fascinating insights into his exceptional taste and the influences of other Artists on his work. 

Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings. In my view, any Van Gogh library begins here. Is it perfect? No. I dream of a book of just all the Paintings, each printed at optimal size on one page with details on the facing page. That’s not meant to denigrate the text, which has held up well. Still, all the Paintings are printed in color and the book lists for $25.00! Possibly the greatest value in Art books today.  This is the small, “Brick” size. Taschen has published a number of larger sizes, but has not released an XXL edition. No one else has published a Complete Van Gogh as far as I know. Its place on my Desert Island Art Books list was automatic.

“Walking by the sea
See the names floating by
Trying to find each other’s
Trails in the sky”*

All of this shows that over 133 years after Vincent’s passing researchers, authors and Art historians have continued to set the record straight and bring the world closer to the man and his life. Given all the “loose ends” that remain in his biography, I look forward to future discoveries & revelations that will bring us still closer.

The case that Vincent committed suicide and wasn’t murdered is not open and shut in my book.

Among those, I fervently hope the mystery around his death that Van Gogh: The Life reveals can be finally settled and the man left to rest in peace.

“How will I love you when I know you
In the greyness of mist
I will love you forever
Where sadness has kissed.”*

*- Soundtrack for this piece is “Folk Song” by Jack Bruce from his classic album Harmony Row, 1971. Which makes me realize I’ve been looking at Vincent for almost 50 years…

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 8 years, during which 300 full-length pieces have been published! If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to allow me to continue below. Thank you, Kenn.

You can also support it by buying Art, Art & Photography books, and Music from my collection! Art & Books may be found here. Music here and here.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited. To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here. Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them. Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.

  1. Providing insights in to how he was able to succeed as an Artist though he began at age 27!

NoteWorthy Art Books- Rod Penner: Paintings, 1987-2022

This site is Free & Ad-Free! If you find this piece worthwhile, please donate via PayPal to support it & independent Art writing. You can also support it by buying Art & books! Details at the end. Thank you.

Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava.

Book review- Rod Penner: Paintings, 1987-2022, published by The Artist Book Foundation.

Rod Penner at his easel at work in the early stages of what would become Buy Pecans Here/San Saba, TX, in 2021, as seen in the book. Click any image for full size.

Rod Penner is best known for his Paintings of small-town America that combine his unique Artistic sensibility with a seemingly other-worldly level of technical mastery. Small-towns being most of what America is made up of, the scenes he renders resonate with the shared experience of life in America in Paintings that are open-ended allowing the viewer to create their own narratives and outcomes. Whenever they’re through basking in the sheer delight just looking at them brings, that is. Born and raised in Canada, the Artist settled in Texas in 1988, where he finds most (but not all) of his scenes. In spite of how detail-rich they are and time-consuming to make, he’s amassed a sizable body of work while still in mid-career. Yet, a Rod Penner monograph has been a long time coming. This month, with the publication of Rod Penner: Paintings, 1987-2022, the 36-year wait is over. It’s finally here.

Rod Penner: Paintings, 1987-2022 is a book that makes a real attempt to cover a lot of bases. It’s an introduction to his work, a monograph on his career to date, and a Catalogue Raisonne. That makes it fairly unique among Art books I’ve seen in my half century of buying Art books. Most books set out to be one of those things. In pondering that, keep this in mind- it’s hard for a Painter to get a book published. The great Alice Neel didn’t see her first monograph published until the year before she died at 84! Therefore, it’s not surprising that the first full-length book on Rod Penner is one that strives to check a lot of boxes and fill a lot of needs.

Whether you’re new to the Paintings of Rod Penner, or not, expect to be immersed in what the Artist has created because EVERYTHING Mr. Penner has Painted through 2022 is in it (along with a few stellar Drawings)! The #1 complaint I hear from Art book buyers is- “Not enough pictures!” Complaint #1A is “Not enough pictures in color.” With 268 color images over 200 pages, that’s not going to be the case here. However, Rod Penner: Paintings is not a pure monograph, per se, where sections of an Artist’s career are broken down and analyzed, which some new to his work might miss. The Paintings flow continuously from the beginning of the Paintings section,  shown above, to the end of it (pages 52 through 183). The benefit of this is that one is able to follow the Painter’s development on a work by work basis, right from the start, without interruption through 2022, which is unheard of in a monograph.

As a result, in my book, Rod Penner: Paintings scores highest as a Catalogue Raisonne, which is where it will probably have the longest-lasting importance, immediately becoming the standard reference on his Paintings through the end of last year. Though it doesn’t include a catalog numbering system usually seen in a Cat Raisonne, the pertinent information is provided for each piece. Works are referred to by their title, which will now remain their official reference point. Interestingly, nowhere in the book, or on The Artist Book Foundation site, is the term “Catalogue Raisonne” mentioned. Perhaps, someone feared it would scare off general Art book buyers. Yet, all his Paintings are included, so that’s indeed what it is. A rose by any other name…

In Mr. Penner’s case, a book containing all his work is particularly welcome, a dream for his staunchest admirers, and those wanting to see more. Shows have been infrequent, making the chances to see his Paintings in person precious. Rod Penner’s work always sells. When it does, it disappears into a private collection where chances for the public to see it are rare at best. So, Rod Penner: Paintings is a chance for the rest of us to see all of what the Artist has created. I, for one, am happy that this is the path that was chosen, though a “greatest hits” book might have been more marketable. Marketable, maybe. But, having watched visitors over multiple visits to three shows of his work, it seems to me viewers either like it right off, of they don’t. If they like it, why not show them more, even all, of it?

Two earlier works that will surprise those familiar with the “small-town” work. The top piece, El Greco’s Head of Christ, 1991, is one of his rarely seen Drawings.

Content determined, the next questions are- what’s the format of the book? How’s the design and how are the images laid out? What are the materials used? And, perhaps most importantly, how are the Photos of the Paintings? For Paintings as detail-rich as Rod Penner’s are, high-quality Photos are, possibly, the most important element in any book on his work. In a book covering over 3 decades of work, the early work might suffer from inferior Photography when compared with the more recent Paintings, particularly because these pieces “disappeared” into private collections after leaving his easel in the late 1980s and 1990s. A drop off in the quality of the Photos of the earlier work is not noticeable here. The Photos are of a consistently good quality of reproduction, with accurate colors and sufficient detail, assuaging what was a large concern going in. However, deciding to include all of his Paintings in one book temps my “law of more.” That is, “More of one thing means less of something else.” Welcome to the realm of the trade-off.

The book clocks in at 11 by 12 inches, an unusual format as Painting books go in my experience. If it had been any smaller in this format, I think the book may have failed. I was surprised it’s not a landscape format book to match the format of most of Mr. Penner’s Paintings. In any event, with 268 color plates and 200 pages, not all of them are going to be full-page. The Artist and the book designer appear to have worked together to carefully decide how big each Painting should be reproduced, instead of just making each image the same size. Since Mr. Penner was so involved with the making of this book, the relative sizes could be taken as an indication of which he feels are his most important works. But, that’s conjecture. I can quibble with some of their size choices, but overall, the results are surprisingly good. So, if all the Paintings are here, what’s missing?

The two Paintings in the upper left are about as small as I’d want to see a Rod Penner Painting reproduced.

The trade-off appears to be details. As anyone who has seen Mr. Penner’s Art knows it’s characterized by extraordinary details- everywhere you look, virtually ad infinitum. Watching visitors to those shows I mentioned, I see a familiar pattern.

The “Penner Neck Crane.” Something first-time and long-time Rod Penner viewers are very familiar with. The charming work under consideration here is Bar-B-Q/Marble Falls, TX, 2022, the most recent work in his current show, Rod Penner: Small Town Meditations in NYC.

First, the jaw slackens, then the mouth opens in disbelief at what the eyes are seeing. These are hallmarks of a first-time Penner experience. Then, the neck cranes, to look closer and closer. Then, the slight shuffle of the feet. This to look closer at another part of the piece. Rinse and repeat. Unfortunately, steps 2 & 3 are not particularly possible with a book. Here, the reader will find there are only a handful of details of Paintings, which is a sizable disappointment, but one that I, for one, will accept in order to see more Paintings. 

The Artist and the editors present a surprisingly wide range of image sizes. Luckily, the book is a good size so that most of the images are larger than you would see in a typical monograph. And they are tastefully placed, chronologically, on the page with not too big of a border. Inevitably, with a book like this representing 30 years of work, there will be some wailing that such and such a work is shown smaller than one would wish and you can’t study the detail. When that happens, ask yourself which Paintings you would have omitted. That’s the trade off. Yes, at 200 pages, perhaps another 50 of details could have been added. I would love to see details (plural), but not at the expense of a single Painting. Welcome to the world of budgetary considerations! The book lists for $65., which is $5 to $10 below most similar Art books I see, and as such is a very good value.

The #2 complaint Art book buyers make is that works go over the gutter. Before you ask, seven Paintings are shown large enough so that they go over the gutter by my count in the book (two them are shown here). I always feel I haven’t really seen a work that goes over the gutter when one appears in a book, in spite of the chance to see details. That is the case here, but, thankfully, it’s kept to a minimum. I really can’t blame them for doing this. Rod Penner’s work wants to be seen as close to life size as possible to give that effect they have in person. Without ANY large reproductions, you’re not showing that, and you’e doing Mr. Penner’s work a real disservice.

Overall, I find the design is tastefully minimal. Meaning it doesn’t get in the way. The book is a red cloth covered hardcover with a sewn binding and a dust jacket featuring Sands Motel & Cafe/Vaughn, MN, 2019, currently on view in Rod Penner: Small Town Meditations in NYC, wrapped around it. The red boards, (with the title appearing in white), are a bit of a surprise, red being a bit of an outlier in terms of frequency of appearance in his palette, but they work. The flaps don’t mention how many images are included, which I know book buyers consider when making a purchasing decision. The book is printed on 150gsm archival Garda Matt made by Lecta, a quality stock that should hold up to the book being used more than the average Art book given its comprehensiveness. When considering how sturdy gsm 150 is, consider that a gsm of 170 or over is considered board.

Among the included text, most importantly, Rod Penner has authored an Artist’s Statement, essential reading from an Artist who prefers to let his work speak for itself. Essays by David Amfan and Terrie Sultan, are also included as are a Foreword by Louis Meisel, a Chronology and a Bibliography where you will find my name with a list of the pieces I’ve written on Mr. Penner (which also appears below).

Rod Penner: Paintings will be an automatic acquisition for Rod’s collectors and admirers. For all other Art lovers- particularly lovers of Painting who’ve never seen a Rod Penner Painting- it’s a book you should make a point of seeing. You’ll know instantly if Rod Penner’s work is for you, or not. If it is, don’t hesitate to buy a copy. Books like this tend to go out of print, or sell out, quickly and then sell for substantial sums on the aftermarket.

With the publication of this book, and everything he’s created for the last 35 years now a matter of record, the real work can begin – assessing Rod Penner‘s place among his peers, and those who have preceded him, in Art history.

As I said in the beginning of this piece, Rod Penner: Paintings is a book that is many things. Given the Artist’s close involvement in each step along the way, it’s the definitive reference book for the collector, buyer or seller of his Art.  Yet, it’s also a treasure trove of the sheer beauty and skill a supremely gifted Artist can create that will endlessly delight lovers of Art and Painting.

Any page of the book shows how masterful a Painter Rod Penner is. As you page through it, moving through the years and decades of his work, the consistency of the very high level of quality of his Painting becomes every bit as impressive.

In the end, therefore, among everything else it is, Rod Penner: Paintings, 1987-2022 is also a personal testament.

*- Soundtrack for this piece is “On The Road Again,” by Willie Nelson from the Honey Suckle Rose Soundtrack album, 1980.

As far as I know, to this point, I have written more extensively about Rod Penner’s Art than anyone else has. My previous pieces on Rod Penner are-

The Vermeer of Marble Falls, Texas,” April 28, 2017

Rod Penner: Brilliance, Under Cloudy Skies,” June 10, 2017

Q & A With Master Painter Rod Penner,” June 14, 2017, and

“Rod Penner’s Neighborhood,” August 3, 2018

My previous BookMark pieces are here.

My thanks to Leslie Pell van Green and and Amanda Romanelli of The Artist Book Foundation.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 7 1/2 years, during which almost 300 full length pieces have been published! If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to allow me to continue below. Thank you, Kenn.

You can also support it by buying Art, Art & Photography books, and Music from my collection! Art & Books may be found here. Music here and here

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited. To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here. Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them. Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.

ANNOUNCING ART & PHOTOBOOKS FOR SALE CURATED BY KENN SAVA

Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava

ANNOUNCING another way to support NighthawkNYC.com! Read on…

Wayyyyy back when in the day, I came across this book-

Rembrandt: His Life, His Work, His Time by Bob Haak, Abrams, 1969

I couldn’t believe it. Here, in one book was one man’s life and his entire Artistic career. You literally couldn’t see this any other way. Not if you traveled the entire world and went to every museum. Some of these pieces might not be on display when you went. Others belong to private owners who are probably not going to let you in to see them. But, HERE! Here in this ArtBook YOU COULD SEE IT ALL! And, see it any time you wanted to.

I was just amazed. The feeling of being able to see an entire life’s work in one book astounded me.

Of course, countless books like it had been printed before, but most of them had inadequate black & white reproductions of works that the Artist had painstakingly created in color. Here in Rembrandt: His Life, His Work, His Time by Bob Haak they were mostly in color, and the color prints was tipped on to the page. Meaning they were individually glued on to the page.

Just WOW.

At the time it came out, Rembrandt: His Life, His Work, His Time by Bob Haak was $32.00. An outrageous sum for a kid at the time (and not cheap now). I thought long and hard about how to buy it and finally I figured out a way. I still have it. It’s made an indelible impact on my life to this day, though I still remember how I felt when I first saw it. I feel that same way every time I see a great Art book or PhotoBook.

Now, the time has come to share that feeling with my readers!

Over the past 50+ years I’ve amassed a terrific library of ArtBooks, and more recently, PhotoBooks. I, frankly, don’t have the space for them. So, after 7+ years of writing about books here, I’ve decided to part with some of them. Also, in my travels through the NYC Art world I’ve come across many interesting, rare and unusual items that I think might appeal to my readers. I’m curating a selection of both to offer to you, about 400 items initially. I’m pleased to announce I’ve partnered with eBay seller GallerieK to facilitate these sales because my site is not set up to collect sales tax, which the law requires.

All of the currently available Art, Prints & Books may be seen here.

In case you’re wondering- I bought every item I’m selling. No one gives me free books- even when I’m going to write about it! All proceeds go to support NighthawkNYC.com, and to help KEEP IT FREE & AD-FREE, with my thanks. 

Questions, or something you’re looking for? click here.
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If you’ve found it worthwhile, buying a book helps me to continue it.

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