References and Bibliography
Here’s a great site on Vincent in Auvers Sur Oise: Vincent in Auvers
For looking at paintings, indexed by Artist, Movement, and Style: Try WikiPaintings
All of their images are public domain, as far as I know, so you can share them.
Here’s some terrific books that you might like to follow up on:
(There will be more to come. This post got wiped in processing somewhere, so I
have to rebuild it while I’m on tour. Any suggestions you have for sites or further reading,
send to me at TheAuthorGuy@gmail.com)
ON COLOR
Color: A Natural History of the Pallette by Victoria Findlay
Bright Earth and the Invention of Color, by Philip Ball
ON PARIS:
Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris, by Graham Robb
On the Artists:
Some of these books I picked because they are the “prettiest” books, not the most academically definitive. Looking at pictures seems relevant.
- Toulouse-Lautrec
- Vincent Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait in Art and Letters
- Renoir: My Father, by Jean Renoir
- The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe
More to come. Vincent’s complete letters are on line, and there are “official” Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec sites, as well as official museum sites. I’m literally running out the door to start book tour, so I’ll get back here to fix stuff up. Onward!
Chris
This is delightful, Chris. Really adds to the book. I’m glad you didn’t see the Doctor Who episode with Vincent. Although you may have… I thought Fool was your best, but this outdoes it.
Everybody keeps bringing up the Dr. Who episode. I DID see it, but you guys realize that this book was finished long before that episode aired, right? I wrote the Vincent chapter of Sacre Bleu in 2009. It’s just that the Doctor has a bit bigger reach than I do, so people see it as a touchstone.
Thanks. I’m hoping to get some time and update the site. We’ll see how this goes.
This was great fun, Chris! Read the Kindle version of Bleu on my Android, so the paintings were small. I was disappointed because I felt so connected to the characters and the models. Being able to access larger versions of the paintings with blurbs from the book and your additional commentary enriched the experience even further. I want to use the site as a kind of impressionist Paris travelogue. Merci.
Chris, Thanks ever so much for the Guide. The references to places and art throughout your novel had me wondering how to map everything together.
When I read a Jules Magret novel, I need a Paris map beside me.
Glad it’s working for you. I’ll try to get some updates soon.
Chris,
Thank you so much for this book and reading guide. My father was an artist and raised me in art museums. This book, along with the guide, brought me back to those times and made me love those paintings all over again. This is one of your best. Taking all this pictures and creating a story from them is genius. I hope to see more of Bleu and Lucien in further works!
Thank you again!
I really wish I’d read this while I was reading the book, but I was completely unwilling to put the book down long enough to look at anything else. I’m pretty sure I managed to feed my kids a couple of times, but that’s about it. Now I’m excited to read it all over again. Thank for putting so much into this guide – it’s exceptional. Thanks too for the color first edition!
Just finished reading the novel this morning. Chris, in my humble opionion, this book is your masterpiece (though I will still always love Coyote Blue… wait, a connection?). Terrific well-woven story, characters that spring to life, it was a pleasure to read. Loved how you tied in Dorian Gray, as I’m aso a fan of Wilde. I also appreciate this guide and all the time you put into it. A sincere thank you for writing this book.
Thanks! Hope to have more drawings for the chapter guide soon.