Vincent van Gogh may have been a lost soul to the ages if it weren’t for the efforts of his sister-in-law, Jo van Gogh Bonger.
Jo's husband, art dealer Theo van Gogh, died not long after his brother Vincent van Gogh’s apparent suicide. Jo was left with a young son and 400 paintings and several hundred drawings created by her brother-in-law.
At the time of his death, Theo was a well respected Parisian art dealer representing the cutting edge artists of the time - Gauguin, Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec. Unfortunately, in his lifetime, Theo was not able to interest many buyers in Vincent’s work.
An excerpt from a New York Times article about Jo van Gogh Bonger captures Theo’s thoughts when he first viewed the iconic “The Starry Night”:
"One day a canvas arrived that showed a shift in style. Vincent had been fascinated by the night sky in Arles. He tried to put it into words for Theo: “In the blue depth the stars were sparkling, greenish, yellow, white, pink, more brilliant, more emeralds, lapis lazuli, rubies, sapphires.” He became fixated on the idea of painting such a sky. He read Walt Whitman, whose work was especially popular in France, and interpreted the poet as equating “the great starry firmament” with “God and eternity.”
Vincent sent the finished painting to Theo and Jo with a note explaining that it was an “exaggeration.” “The Starry Night” continued his progression away from realism; the brush strokes were like troughs made by someone who was digging for something deeper. Theo found it disturbing — he could sense his brother drifting away, and he knew buyers weren’t likely to understand it. He wrote back: “I consider that you’re strongest when you’re doing real things.” But he enclosed another 150 francs for expenses."
Theo earned his place in history by emotionally and financially supporting Vincent and his artistry but it was Jo who “discovered” van Gogh.
When the vast collection of Vincent’s unsold artwork was left to Jo she had no actual experience as an art dealer. The paintings and drawings may have ended up being stored in her attic or scattered to the winds but Jo also inherited another valuable possession - the correspondence between Theo and Vincent. While reading those letters she unlocked the mystery of Vincent van Gogh and the love between the brothers that continues to resonate throughout the artworld and beyond.
Instead of hiding the fact that Vincent dealt with mental illness, Jo embraced it. His paintings were displayed along with his writings and viewers could understand the motivation behind Vincent's artwork, the depths of his torment and the love story between the brothers.
Vincent who struggled to cope with the day-to-day was somehow able to transform his dark night of the soul into great works of art. And, Theo, though heartbroken by his brother's illness, enabled him to keep painting which may have prolonged his life and create some of the world's most treasured masterpieces.
Jo van Gogh Bonger’s instincts elevated Vincent van Gogh from forgotten to world renown and solidified her own husband's legacy as his champion. In simply telling their story Jo also revolutionized marketing.
May we all find our Jos and Theos who will help us turn our own dark nights into “The Starry Night” of our soul.
To learn more about Jo van Gogh Bonger: The Woman Who Made Vincent van Gogh - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
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