Van Gogh among the Philosophers: Painting, Thinking, Being

by David P. Nichols (Editor), Pauline E. Erickson (Contribution by), Alina N. Feld (Contribution by), Stephen A. Erickson (Contribution by), Rebecca Longtin Hansen (Contribution by)

Overview

This volume brings Continental philosophical interpretations of Van Gogh into dialogue with one another to explore how for Van Gogh, art places human beings in their world, and yet in other ways displaces them, not allowing them to belong to that world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498531375
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	10/28/2019
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.74(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

David P. Nichols is associate professor of philosophy at Saginaw Valley State University.

Table of Contents

After the Cypress: An Introduction
David P. Nichols

Jaspers’ Pathographic Analysis of Van Gogh: A Critique and Appreciation
Gregory J. Walters

Painting from the Outside: Foucault and Van Gogh
Joseph J. Tanke

The Problem of Agency in Heidegger's Interpretation of Van Gogh
Ingvild Torsen

Sensuality, Materiality, Painting: What is Wrong with Jaspers' and Heidegger's Van Gogh Interpretations?
Christian Lotz

Mal Pointure or If the Shoe Doesn't Fit…
K. Malcolm Richards

Van Gogh, Heidegger, and the Attuned Life
Stephen A. Erickson

Immanent Transcendence in the Work of Art: Jaspers and Heidegger on Van Gogh
Rebecca Longtin Hansen

Merleau-Ponty's Thinking of Perception and the Art of Van Gogh: On “Going Further” and “Going Beyond”
Galen A. Johnson

Van Gogh in Tragic Portraiture: Jaspers, Bataille, Heidegger
David P. Nichols

Prometheus Dismembered: Bataille on Van Gogh or The Window in the Bataille Restaurant
James Luchte

Van Gogh’s Dark Illuminations: The End of Art or The Art of the End
Alina N. Feld

Van Gogh and the Absence of the Work: Remnants of a Hermeneutic Itinerary
Stephen H. Watson

About the Contributors

Editorial Reviews

Once the veneer of global commodification has been scraped away, Van Gogh reemerges in his startling innovation and brilliance. His philosophical reception perspicaciously attests to this, from Jasper's groundbreaking philosophical and psychiatric case study to Bataille's short essays to the scattered but striking comments by Foucault and Merleau-Ponty to short studies by Artaud and Altizer. It most famously plays out in the epic battle between Heidegger and Derrida over the ownership of a pair of shoes. This underreported history animates this exceptional and welcome collection of essays.--Jason Wirth, Seattle University

This fine collection on Van Gogh and philosophy, superbly edited by David Nichols, is a welcome and timely contribution to issues in aesthetics and the philosophy of art, which will be of interest to a broad range of scholars. Beyond the diversity and originality of the chapters, the overall quality is exemplary. The result is a collection that is not only philosophically edifying but also a pleasure to engage with.--Dylan James Trigg, University of Vienna

This volume provides us with valuable insights about Van Gogh by way of his most interesting interpreters--Jaspers, Bataille, Heidegger, Foucault, and others. It will be a touchstone for future studies about the possibilities of painting.--Matthias Bormuth, University of Oldenburg

Van Gogh among the Philosophers is an outstanding study of the influence of Van Gogh on some of the most prominent creative thinkers of the 20th century, especially Jaspers and Heidegger. Jaspers and Heidegger rather embodied Isaiah Berlin's comments on the Fox and the Hedgehog, the former, Jaspers, who knew a little about a lot, and the latter, Heidegger, who knew a lot about a little.--Alan M. Olson, Boston University

Very well edited and informative, Van Gogh among the Philosophers is deeply respectful of Van Gogh's work. It is, at the same time, a beautiful contribution to the philosophy of art as well as to philosophical readings of Van Gogh.--Frédéric Seyler, DePaul University

From the Publisher

Very well edited and informative, Van Gogh among the Philosophers is deeply respectful of Van Gogh's work. It is, at the same time, a beautiful contribution to the philosophy of art as well as to philosophical readings of Van Gogh.

Frédéric Seyler

This fine collection on Van Gogh and philosophy, superbly edited by David Nichols, is a welcome and timely contribution to issues in aesthetics and the philosophy of art, which will be of interest to a broad range of scholars. Beyond the diversity and originality of the chapters, the overall quality is exemplary. The result is a collection that is not only philosophically edifying but also a pleasure to engage with.

Dylan James Trigg

Van Gogh among the Philosophers is an outstanding study of the influence of Van Gogh on some of the most prominent creative thinkers of the 20th century, especially Jaspers and Heidegger. Jaspers and Heidegger rather embodied Isaiah Berlin’s comments on the Fox and the Hedgehog, the former, Jaspers, who knew a little about a lot, and the latter, Heidegger, who knew a lot about a little.

Alan M. Olson

This volume provides us with valuable insights about Van Gogh by way of his most interesting interpreters—Jaspers, Bataille, Heidegger, Foucault, and others. It will be a touchstone for future studies about the possibilities of painting.

Matthias Bormuth

Once the veneer of global commodification has been scraped away, Van Gogh reemerges in his startling innovation and brilliance. His philosophical reception perspicaciously attests to this, from Jasper’s groundbreaking philosophical and psychiatric case study to Bataille’s short essays to the scattered but striking comments by Foucault and Merleau-Ponty to short studies by Artaud and Altizer. It most famously plays out in the epic battle between Heidegger and Derrida over the ownership of a pair of shoes. This underreported history animates this exceptional and welcome collection of essays.

Jason Wirth

Very well edited and informative, Van Gogh among the Philosophers is deeply respectful of Van Gogh's work. It is, at the same time, a beautiful contribution to the philosophy of art as well as to philosophical readings of Van Gogh.

Frédéric Seyler