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(More customer reviews)In Mystery of the Night Café, Cliff Edwards takes the reader on an intimate journey into the creative genius of Vincent Van Gogh by focusing on one painting that reveals "the inner life and intent of the artist himself." Rather than portraying Van Gogh as a gifted person tormented by fits of mental illness, Edwards shows us though primary sources (the artist's total work, his correspondences, and books and paintings that influenced him) the sheer force of Van Gogh's aesthetic vision that informs all of his work. It is a vision of compassion and service to others, emerging in part from a thoughtful life exposed to repeated loss and failure, which grew into a search for the true meaning of the self. It is a way of seeing the mystery, the reality behind the form or label, which Van Gogh urges us toward in his painting, and in this sense the artist's quest is essentially a spiritual one. Edward's takes the reader along as he discovers the "mystery within a mystery" found in this intriguing yet often overlooked painting.
I highly recommend this thoughtful and beautifully illustrated work by Cliff Edwards (author of two previous books on the painter, _The Shoes of Van Gogh_ and _Van Gogh and God_). It is much more than simply a meditation on a single painting by one of the great masters, for through the life of Van Gogh we glimpse the archetypal journey toward the true self.
Mark Ferrara
SUNY Oneonta
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