“Van Gogh’s loneliness,” by Laura Sheahen

“Van Gogh’s loneliness,” by Laura Sheahen

“You once said to me that I would always be isolated,” wrote Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo in 1884. It was the second time that year that he returned to this assessment by the person who knew him best. Vincent argued that Theo was wrong: “you’ve decidedly mistaken my character.” But a new book by Miles J. Unger shows us how Van Gogh, even when he went to live with Theo in crowded Paris and spent his days with fellow artists, was always al…