Vincent van Gogh: The Outcast (Part 1)
Why are the paintings of Vincent van Gogh so universally popular? And how close did he come to being a preacher instead of an artist? Join Alastair and James in the first of four episodes charting the life and work of the man who has come to define our idea of a struggling, misunderstood artist - Vincent van Gogh.
If you want to see the artworks discussed in this episode you can switch on video in your podcast app at any time.
Artworks in this episode: Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, The Courtauld Gallery, London Vincent van Gogh, Pollard Birches, 1884, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam Vincent van Gogh, The Potato Eaters, 1885, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Thanks to Thames & Hudson for Vincent van Gogh: A Life in Letters, 2022
Dr James Fox is a Cambridge art historian, bestselling author and multi award-winning broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation. His critically-acclaimed books on art and culture have been translated into fourteen languages. His most recent title and best-seller Craftland: a journey through Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades (2025) has been named Waterstones Book of the Year, BBC’s book of the week and shortlisted for the Nero Book Prize. James is perhaps best known for his many arts documentaries for the BBC, including A History of Art in Three Colours, The Art of Japanese Life The Age of the Image and Nature and Us: a history through Art
Alastair Sooke is an author and broadcaster, and chief art critic at The Telegraph, for which he has been covering art since 2003. He has presented more than 60 hours of television and radio for the BBC (Modern Masters, Treasures of Ancient Egypt, An Art Lovers’ Guide) and written several books, including studies of Henri Matisse and Georges Seurat, and a history of Pop art. He is a trustee of The Ampersand Foundation and was educated at the University of Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
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