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Vincent van Gogh and The Good Samaritan
The Wounded Painter’s Journey
Henry Martin
Paperback |176 pp |216 x 135 mm
‘Beautifully structured and filled with insights from an author who is both a priest and a painter, Henry’s compelling enthusiasm both for Jesus’ parable and van Gogh’s painting, has produced a book bursting with insights into art, God and life.’
‘Oh, this is good. Being cynical about the ‘art history’ approach to spirituality I did not really expect Van Gogh’s painting of the Good Samaritan to shed much light on the parable, but I was wrong. This is fresh, instructive, wise and inspiring – and the command to ‘go and do likewise’ is expounded with bracing honesty and a challenging sting in the tail. Highly recommended for personal or group reading.’
‘With tremendous tenderness, meticulous detail and hard-won insight into the human condition, Henry Martin lovingly paints Vincent van Gogh painting the Good Samaritan. By the end of this life-changing book, it as if Christ were the artist, we his subject, our world his irresistible canvas, our darkest shadows bathed in radiant cheering yellow.’
In this remarkable book, Henry Martin invites us to study in close detail van Gogh’s painting ‘The Good Samaritan’, and the famous parable told by Jesus of Nazareth. He asks what lessons we can learn from meditation upon the imagery and each of the characters portrayed.
Questions for discussion and reflection on each chapter help us to relate the themes and challenges of the parable to our lives and the world we live in today. The book is also an engaging, personal study of van Gogh, the tragic genius of his life, and the struggles he faced which may have informed both his process and his spirituality. Martin has translated many of van Gogh’s letters, and, as an artist himself, brings a unique perspective to our understanding of both the painter and the parable.
