Van Gogh Museum

He was an artist who helped transformed impressionism into a major art movement. His work is instantly recognizable. His paintings are moving, haunting, painful, and joyful, sometimes all at once. And Don McClean wrote a pretty darned good song about him.

His name is Vincent Van Gogh, and today's FamilyFirst site is that of Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum.

Among the gems presented here is a detailed biography of the artist. Of course, we're all familiar with his pain, his time at the mental institution, and his eventual suicide, but this well-constructed life account is filled with obscurities that you will enjoy.

But the star of the online exhibit, naturally, is the art itself.

There are 28 paintings and drawings represented here that not only provide you with good resolution images for your viewing delight, but also give you detailed accounts on how and why Vincent chose to make them.

Other artists' work are equally presented here, including Rodin, Boulanger, Couture, Gauguin, Monet, and Toulouse-Latrec, among others.

What is absolutely amazing about these works, though, is the fact that they are ALL on display at the actual museum in Amsterdam! In fact, the site is designed for actual visitors of the museum to make arrangements to be there.

Alas, living on this side of the Atlantic, all I can do is dream. But the wonderful insights on Van Gogh's work that are provided here make the longing to see them in real life a bit more bearable. Enjoy.

http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

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