# Van Gogh, Encore by John A. Karr



## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

The exact genre escapes me but maybe feedback from here will help. 



Imagine Vincent van Gogh in our modern world.

Suppose, during the last year and a half of his life, when he severs part of his ear and commits himself to the insane asylum, he stumbles into the very circumstance he has longed for his entire adult life -- a family. Would his life change for the better, or would his self-destructive tendencies again prevail?

Van Gogh, Encore is a speculative novel based upon the last year and a half of Vincent van Gogh's life.

Set in the United States, the tale presents an alternative dimension to the complex and fascinating artist who died impoverished and unappreciated ... while the images he created went on to have global impact, and can be found on everything from vodka bottles to vehicle dashboard covers, television commercials to t-shirts, and whose original works now sell for millions of dollars.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards, John, and congratulations on your book!

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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

I'm intrigued, John. Love this sort of thing. It touches on some of the same issues a recent episode of Doctor Who. 

Off to sample...


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Hi Anne,

Thanks so much for the welcome. I have had a light prescence here for a couple months now, but only now pubbed my own novel in Kindle (I do have a horror novel in Kindle through a small press publisher). I've been here long enough to discern that you are one of the Kindle Board Mods/Goddesses    

I was peeking into how to get on the official Kindle Author list here and it said 'must have a thread on the book(s) in the Book Bazaar.' So I added ... 

thanks again,

John


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Monique said:


> I'm intrigued, John. Love this sort of thing. It touches on some of the same issues a recent episode of Doctor Who.
> 
> Off to sample...


Hi Monique,

Thanks for your reply! Can you elaborate a little on the similarity to Doctor Who? I'm guessing they took an historical figure and placed him/her in the present? If so, who was it?

btw, congrats on your rankings of Out Of Time. It must be a cool thing to have such a high ranking in the Romance realms, as there seems to be a huge Romance audience out there.

John


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Hi John,

Yes! Thank you.  It's an amazing experience. I'm thrilled!

The most recent season of Doctor Who had an episode called  Vincent and the Doctor. The Doctor and his companion traveled back to 1890's Provance and had an adventure with Vincent. It was a lovely episode, imho.

EPISODE SPOILERS



Spoiler



They did briefly bring him to the future to show him that his work really did matter, hoping it would save him from himself. It didn't.



I don't think it's too similar to yours or will impede your book in anyway. I just remarked on it because it moved me and your books sounds like it touches on some of the same issues I've always wondered about in the tortured artist.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Monique --

C'est magnifique! What a gift you have sent my way ... I could not believe my eyes that someone has recently done such a show w/ Vincent as the theme. I went to Amazon.uk.com to order Doctor Who - Series 5, Volume 4 [DVD] [2010]

It is uncanny how much actor Tony Curran resembles Vincent:


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it. Curran was terrific as Vincent.

Looking forward to reading a sample of your book.

Cheers!


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## chris v (Jun 23, 2010)

Now that's an interesting concept... Did you change what he painted then if he was happy and not a "tortured genius"? Would there - gasp - be no "Starry Night" or other works? After all some of his best works were done in his darkest times... 

I'm prejudiced of course since my kid's mystery centers around "Starry Night."

Still, great idea! Chris


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

chris v said:


> Now that's an interesting concept... Did you change what he painted then if he was happy and not a "tortured genius"? Would there - gasp - be no "Starry Night" or other works? After all some of his best works were done in his darkest times...
> 
> I'm prejudiced of course since my kid's mystery centers around "Starry Night."
> 
> Still, great idea! Chris


Thanks so much for the feedback, Chris.

He is very much the tortured artist in my book. All the way up to his showdown with a hurricane in the climax.

I did not go painting-by-painting along with history, more methods, impressions, various mental states. The painting is integral to the story, but the plot had to further itself along and I'm not sure many readers wanted a detailed account of his painting of the masterpieces. But there are passages of him at the easel, certainly.

You did a kid mystery around Starry Night? Very cool. What is the gist of it?

thanks
John


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Monique said:


> Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it. Curran was terrific as Vincent.
> 
> Looking forward to reading a sample of your book.
> 
> Cheers!


Thanks Monique!


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

Just out of interest, I went to the exhibition _The Artist and his Letters_ in the Royal Academy at the beginning of the year. Apart from queueing in the bitter cold, it was a wonderful experience. The letters (mostly between Van Gogh and his brother Theo) were set next to related paintings. In some cases Van Gogh's letters showed preliminary sketches and set out his ideas and thinking behind the painting. Most interesting were seeing some Japanese prints and understanding how they influenced his style. I had not previously realised what an educated, thinking man he was. I wondered if maybe you saw the exhibition?
Anyway, I have purchased your book and am very interested to see your perspective on Van Gogh's life.

Update: I also remember discovering that, at one point, Van Gogh completed 70 paintings in 70 days, which give some idea of his frenetic creative energy.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

I'm quite envious of you, experiencing such an exhibit of Van Gogh's paintings and letters. I find the preliminary sketches on his letters very interesting ... how they either led to the full blown painting or portray it afterward. I also enjoy his written descriptions as they help 'see' the painting from Vincent's perspective. 

Daphne, thanks so much for giving Van Gogh, Encore a try. I have downloaded both your novels, Purple Lake and The Artist's Model and just doing a quick read of the first pages can see I will enjoy your prose style. Not flowery but poignant. Enjoy your descriptions as well.


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

john_a_karr said:


> I'm quite envious of you, experiencing such an exhibit of Van Gogh's paintings and letters. I find the preliminary sketches on his letters very interesting ... how they either led to the full blown painting or portray it afterward. I also enjoy his written descriptions as they help 'see' the painting from Vincent's perspective.
> 
> Daphne, thanks so much for giving Van Gogh, Encore a try. I have downloaded both your novels, Purple Lake and The Artist's Model and just doing a quick read of the first pages can see I will enjoy your prose style. Not flowery but poignant. Enjoy your descriptions as well.


Thankyou so much, John; I worry a little if my books will be too romantic for your taste (not really knowing what your taste is) but hope you enjoy the artistic references. Anyway, I spent yesterday - a lovely late summer day - at Sheffield Park in Sussex, landscaped by Capability Brown and famous for its Autumn colour (just coming out). I took easel and oils and a large canvas. I also took my Kindle and had time to enjoy a chapter of your book sitting by one of the lakes. A perfect day.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

You are living the artist's life (at least for a day), Daphne ... it sounds very cool. I have a day job as an IT Analyst, but our current office is surrounded by forest for the most part, with a small field toward the rising sun, and I often visualize how Vincent would have painted the natural elements there. 

I'm not much of a Romance reader, but can tell I will enjoy your works, for the artistic elements you mention but also the strength of your prose. If you are predisposed to Romantic elements, I lean a bit toward confrontation with one's self and others in this tale. For me, Vincent's anxieties presented a very real adversary, as much as 'real' people do in the form of a random thug or two, disrespecting youths, manipulative doctors, a crotchety landlord, his girlfriend's father, fellow artist Paul Gauguin (the Saliari to my Mozart), and finally ... a hurricane.

I have read where some art folks think Vincent depicted his motifs in a violent manner, with the thick brushstrokes, at times at odds or background patterns that oppose ... perhaps I write in a similar manner. 

Anyhow, I do hope you enjoy it.


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## chris v (Jun 23, 2010)

Hi John,
A hurricane too? I like the idea of looking at him through his art; his mental state had so much to do with his art.

Searching for a Starry Night centers on the search for a missing miniature replica of "Starry Night" - Thirteen-year-old friends Sam and Lita, along with a mischievous Dachshund named Petey, face an angry housekeeper, a dog-hating gardener, and an ancient family curse as they hunt for the painting. I collect miniatures and also own an original miniature oil painting of "Starry Night." (Some of my collection can be seen at my website, http://cverstraete.com - click miniatures.)

Searching for a Starry Night









Thanks for asking!
Chris


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Good deal, Chris. Provided he painted one, I wonder what a miniature original Starry Night would get on auction at Christie's? Sounds like a good YA book. 


Monique -- my dvd of Dr. Who with Vincent and The Doctor arrived. Looking forward to seeing it over the weekend. Thanks again for the tip!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

DVD of Dr. Who came in from UK. Watched Vincent and The Doctor episode. Well done portrayal of Van Gogh.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

john_a_karr said:


> DVD of Dr. Who came in from UK. Watched Vincent and The Doctor episode. Well done portrayal of Van Gogh.


John, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think any artist can relate to it. Tony Curran did a fine job as Vincent.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Monique said:


> John, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think any artist can relate to it. Tony Curran did a fine job as Vincent.


Thanks again for recommending, Monique. So cool to see Vincent depicted in a modern production.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Within 48 hours the price of Van Gogh, Encore in Kindle will be lowered to $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Encore-ebook/dp/B0041VYNP2/

Imagine Vincent van Gogh in our modern world.

Suppose, during the last year and a half of his life, when he severs part of his ear and commits himself to the insane asylum, he stumbles into the very circumstance he has longed for his entire adult life -- a family. Would his life change for the better, or would his self-destructive tendencies again prevail?


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Many thanks to bandcandy for the first reader review of Van Gogh, Encore:

Interesting idea expertly handled, October 11, 2010
By bandcandy "bandcandy" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Van Gogh, Encore (Kindle Edition)
I tend to approach with caution any book which starts with a rather original and interesting premise - in this case re-examining the last year and a half of Van Gogh's life in the context of modern America and with the benefit of a genuinely loving female companion - because I often find that the promise of that idea is not always explored with enough thought and sensitivity. In this case, however, Karr as both writer and thinker is well up to the job. Van Gogh, Encore makes for a sometimes gritty, challenging read, - inevitably because we are being invited inside the mind of a troubled, possibly mentally ill and certainly disillusioned genius. We are also witnessing the difficulties encountered by anyone considered an outsider and a failure with all the issues of identity and self-worth that this raises. The balance of the book is good, however, and we are given some lights to offset the darks in the course of the narrative and there are some enjoyable and charming descriptions of how Van Gogh relates to Lynn and her son David. I was also interested to see how Karr handled the tricky job of transporting Van Gogh to modern times whilst keeping the integrity of his life and character and also allowing himself some room for manoeuvre in making the story his own. In this I think Karr was masterly and I found the characters and happenings at all times credible. We follow Van Gogh through familiar episode in his life (Gauguin's visit, Van Gogh's mutilation of his own ear) but there was scope for significant changes and I must confess that right up until the end I wasn't sure how the book would conclude. Suffice is to say that I had tears in my eyes at the end, but whether they were tears of joy or sorrow, I will not reveal.


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## emalvick (Sep 14, 2010)

I just wanted to let you know, I found your book thanks to your signature in another thread (don't remember which) and was intrigued by the title.  I've gone ahead and purchased your book after checking this thread out and hope to read it soon.  The timing is good as the big art museum in San Francisco is having the 2nd of 2 major exhibits showcasing impressionist art from the Musée d’Orsay.  This 2nd exhibit is featuring Van Gogh among others, and I am attending next month as I've always loved his art.  

I also love historical fiction, and find the description of your book intriguing and enticing.  I'll provide a review once I get a chance to read the book.

-Erik


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

emalvick said:


> I just wanted to let you know, I found your book thanks to your signature in another thread (don't remember which) and was intrigued by the title. I've gone ahead and purchased your book after checking this thread out and hope to read it soon. The timing is good as the big art museum in San Francisco is having the 2nd of 2 major exhibits showcasing impressionist art from the Musée d'Orsay. This 2nd exhibit is featuring Van Gogh among others, and I am attending next month as I've always loved his art.
> 
> I also love historical fiction, and find the description of your book intriguing and enticing. I'll provide a review once I get a chance to read the book.
> 
> -Erik


Erik thanks very much ... and now I am envious of you seeing some of Vincent's originals! We have zero here in North Carolina, at least in Raleighwood.

Hope you enjoy Van Gogh, Encore and I welcome feedback.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Second reader review of Van Gogh, Encore posted at Amazon:

5.0 out of 5 stars alternate reality/alternate dimension/alternate history, October 29, 2010

http://www.amazon.com/review/R7WG5E6SSJVDH/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0041VYNP2&nodeID=133140011&tag=&linkCode=

_edited to conform to forum decorum. . . .link to review on Amazon -- Ann_


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## kayakruthie (Jan 28, 2010)

Sounds exactly like the kind of read I adore.  Fiction that fills in the gaps left by history.  I immediately downloaded a sample.  My favorite artist, my favorite genre, how can I miss!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

kayakruthie said:


> Sounds exactly like the kind of read I adore. Fiction that fills in the gaps left by history. I immediately downloaded a sample. My favorite artist, my favorite genre, how can I miss!


Hope it does well by you, Ruth. Hey you've got a book on Amsterdam ... Vincent Van Gogh's stomping grounds. I'll do some sampling of my own.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Blog entry: Three versions of Vincent van Gogh's Bedroom

What I particularly find interesting is the sketches in his letters to Theo and Gauguin. How he could basically whisk them off and have them appear so solid.

From the Van Gogh Museum blog:

Vincent van Gogh considered The bedroom an important painting. In early 1889, Van Gogh returned home from the hospital in Arles. He had been admitted there after his psychological crisis and the injury to his ear. As he wrote to Theo, 'When I saw my canvases again after my illness, what seemed to me the best was the bedroom.'


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## Debi F (Nov 10, 2010)

Van Gogh is fascinating! I've always loved his paintings (though I've only seen photos and reproductions). 

The interesting part is that I now live in "Van Gogh" territory -- southern Nederland. There's even a small museum in my town center (which I believe was  the church -- or part of the church -- where his father preached). Every spring they hang banners about how "Van Gogh" lives through the centrum and have different types of events showcasing his work. Even our library has a Van Gogh section in the gift shop. 

I'll have to sample your book!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

You are in Vincent's first stomping grounds ... so cool.   Thanks for your interest. Vincent painted many gloomy pictures early on; lots of brown. It made me wonder if the weather there is always overcast. 

Always interested in dark fiction, I am also interested in the subject matter of your Summoning and am giving it a go.


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## Debi F (Nov 10, 2010)

As for the weather . . . it rains here. A lot. In fact, it's raining right now!

Lots of pretty flowers in the summer, though.

And I hope you like _Summoning._


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Van Gogh, Encore might have a 'banner day' today ... as part of the Kindle Banner ad program, it is rotating with another novel. 

We'll see ...


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm pleased to announce that Van Gogh, Encore is our next KB Book of the Day!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks Harvey. Great to have Van Gogh, Encore as the KB Book of the day.

The irony was inescapable. My favorite artist labored daily for ten years without commercial or personal success -- yet now the images he created sell for millions and are found worldwide.

There's even a Kindle cover of his Starry Night:http://www.amazon.com/GelaSkins-Kindle-2-Starry-Night/dp/B002A1RU5K

When I was considering writing a novel about Vincent van Gogh, my first inclination was to make it a purely Historical Fiction piece, where settings and characters would pay strict attention to history. But the overwhelming counter kept cropping up; so many people know at least a few things about Vincent, why not make him more accessible by having him occupy modern time and space?

So I did.

And took another, far more speculative step by putting Vincent's historical fate into question. If he gained that which he desired for so long (in addition to some commercial success with his art) ... namely, a family ... would he be able to overcome mental challenges and the ultimate lure of self-destruction?

Modern Vincent is French-Canadian rides his Harley Davidson motorcycle -- it's economical and appeals to his sense of freedom -- to the North Carolina coast. Theo is an art dealer in Atlanta, Georgia. The rest is unveiled in the book.

Van Gogh, Encore


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## Author Eyes (Nov 26, 2009)

Best of luck to you today!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks very much, Jane!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Van Gogh, Encore featured over at Scott Nicholson's Indie Books Blog http://indiebooksblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/john-karr-van-gogh-encore.html

thanks Scott!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Chocolate Van Gogh masterpieces ? New blog entry http://johnakarr.blogspot.com/2011/01/van-gogh-masterpieces-in-chocolate-or.html


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Van Gogh's Sunflowers browning from chemical assimilation

http://johnakarr.blogspot.com/2011/03/van-goghs-sunflowers-browning-from.html

Unfortunately, Vincent's use of white mixed with chromium yellow, a technique that made his Sunflower paintings so brilliant, is now causing them to brown in sunlight.

Sad on many levels. The yellows were so strong and achieved Vincent's brightness goal ... to have them fade now robs of us his intent and result. Nothing lasts forever, it's true, but with the professional care of the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands, one would have hoped they'd last a lot longer. Not to fault them, however. I'm sure the finding by the chemists was not welcome news. Now the museum must display Sunflowers in darker settings, or commission someone to figure out an antidote.

To see Sunflowers anywhere but in a bright setting robs them of their power.

The Boston Globe is one of many news outlets to carry the story, but I do not agree that the browning of Vincent's most powerful works is "weirdly appropriate" as Josh Rothman states:

It's definitely sad that the paintings are fading, but you can't deny that it's weirdly appropriate, too: The sun is fading the painted sunflowers, just as it faded the real ones.

It is another tragic event in a life already fraught with tragedy.

Vincent had his brown period of painting while in the North. When he came to France, his works exploded with color. Such were his techniques and manner until his final days, if he'd wanted to return to brown, he'd have done so.

I'll also add this, it is Vincent's powerful manipulation of color that made him, posthumously though it was. If he'd stayed with browns and greys, he would not have gained global status as an artist.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm pleased to welcome Van Gogh, Encore as our KB Book of the Day!


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Harvey said:


> I'm pleased to welcome Van Gogh, Encore as our KB Book of the Day!


Thanks Harvey! An excerpt from Van Gogh, Encore:



> Her eyes, those twin wells of deep oceanic blue, widened as she noticed Vincent for the first time.
> 
> Suddenly the weariness in his arms and back was no longer a concern.
> 
> ...


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## Ian Fraser (Mar 8, 2011)

speaking as a film geek - something for the Van Gogh geeks   
Martin Scorsese does a pretty good turn as the painter, in the Kurosawa film 'Dreams.' (A character also walks in and out
of various Van Gogh paintings in one of the 'dream' sequences.) The whole film is a series of dreams - of an unseen person, going from childhood to old man. 
Thought I'd mention it, seeing as folks're reduced to having to watch Dr Who episodes for their van Gogh fix  (I'm kidding! I'm kidding!)


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Interesting.

For once I'd like Hollywood to do a remake ... this time of Lust for Life ... then again, Kirk did such a good job I'm not sure anyone could top it.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

From The Washington Post, Vincent van Gogh paintings thought to be self-portraits now believed to be of his brother, Theo

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/museum-painting-thought-to-be-vincent-van-gogh-self-portrait-is-actually-of-his-brother-theo/2011/06/21/AGo2uQeH_story.html

_Museum: Painting thought to be Vincent van Gogh self-portrait is actually of his brother Theo

The Washington Post
Associated Press

AMSTERDAM - The Van Gogh Museum said Tuesday its experts now believe one of Vincent van Gogh's paintings previously thought to be a self-portrait actually depicts his brother, Theo.

If true, it would be the only known painting of Theo, although Vincent made several sketches of his brother, who supported him financially and was his lifelong confidant and friend.

"People have often thought it was funny that there were no portraits of Theo, given that they were so close," said museum spokeswoman Linda Snoek.

She said the portrait was made in 1887 while the pair lived together in Paris - a lesser-known period of Van Gogh's life, since the bulk of information about Vincent is derived from letters he sent to Theo.

The painting has long been in storage, but went on display at the museum in Amsterdam Tuesday as part of an exhibition on new findings about the painter's time spent in Antwerp and Paris in 1885-1888.

Though the brothers resembled each other physically, scholars determined the painting represents Theo by a number of factors.

Head researcher Louis van Tilborgh compared two paintings from 1887 with similar-looking men in suits set against a blue background.

"They are two small, detailed portraits that when you see them you think: they belong together," Van Tilborgh said in an interview with Dutch state broadcaster NOS.

The portrait of Theo shows he had rounder ears than Vincent did. The other portrait shows Vincent with long, angular ears, consistent with other artists' paintings of Vincent. That's before he famously self-mutilated one of his ears in December 1888.

In addition, Theo's goatee is more yellow-brown than Vincent's dark red beard, and Theo has shaven cheeks, consistent with photographs of him from the same period, while Vincent painted himself sporting mutton-chop sideburns.

In other discoveries, the museum said the bird depicted in the 1887 painting previously known as "Wheatfield with a Lark" is actually a partridge.

Van Gogh, who suffered from depression and mental anguish much of his life, shot himself in a wheatfield in 1890 and died shortly thereafter.

In this photo released by the The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, shows a painting by Vincent van Gogh which the museum previously believed to a self-portrait but actually depicts his brother, Theo. 
_


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