'The Hague, 1882, a howling winter's night. Sien and her daughter are on the brink of surrendering to the bitter cold, their exhaustion, their hunger, when a good Samaritan appears. Vincent van Gogh, a struggling artist, provides them with warmth and shelter for the night. Fascinated by Sien - her face, her struggles, her life lived - Vincent offers Sien work sitting for him. From model to muse, the two soon become lovers.
'As the connection and intimacy between Vincent and Sien deepen, their relationship draws scathing scrutiny and hostility from the town and those closest to them, threatening to tear them apart.
'Can their love endure, even if it ruins them?
'This is the breathtaking and visceral intertwining of one woman's need for survival and one man's road to artistic genius. This is the story of Vincent and Sien.' (Publication summary)
'Forget your textbook knowledge of Vincent van Gogh.'
'The relationship between artists and their sitters has long been a topic of fascination and enquiry – not least for artists themselves. The study of portraiture is often informed by investigations of this relationship as well as that with a third party: the viewer.' (Introduction)
'The relationship between artists and their sitters has long been a topic of fascination and enquiry – not least for artists themselves. The study of portraiture is often informed by investigations of this relationship as well as that with a third party: the viewer.' (Introduction)
'Forget your textbook knowledge of Vincent van Gogh.'
