What if the spirit of Van Gogh was still present? In this novel by Eric Mercier, a curious murder strangely recalls the terrible event experienced by the 19th century artist.
When the world of crime fiction mixes with art history, we know we're going to have a good time. And there is a well-known myth enthusiasts of the artistic spherewhich we find this year at the heart of a suspenseful detective novel. The Secret of Van Goghd’Eric Mercierimmerses its reader in the middle of a police case associated with the famous name of Van Gogh. While the body of a lifeless man, with his ear cut off, is discovered, it seems that a work by the 19th century artist is also at the center of the investigation. So, fabrications or reality?
When art becomes suspect
The plot of Eric Mercier's novel immerses its reader in a criminal investigation. A man is found dead in his home with cut off ear. A crime that begets another when we discover the disappearance of a Van Gogh paintingbelonging to today's victim. However, several centuries earlier, Van Gogh, precursor of Fauvism and Expressionism, tore off (according to the fable) his own ear during a violent argument with his friend, Paul Gauguin. Could these two curiously similar events be linked? What follows is a gripping investigation where Commander Vicaux, in charge of the investigation and helped by an art historian who is none other than his partner Anne, will face numerous twists and turns and a surprising outcome. According to the Fnac website, The Secret of Van GoghEast one of Eric Mercier's greatest successes and promises, according to a reader's opinion: “a suspense to devour”.
An artist with a dramatic destiny
Although this novel by Eric Mercier offers a breathtaking investigation, the writer places at the center of it, the terrible event lived by Vincent Van Gogh. While the painter and Paul Gauguin, a French impressionist artist, decide to live together, everything does not go as planned. The two friends decide to settle together in Arles in the “Yellow House” praised by Van Gogh. Joined in October 1888 by Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh welcomed his friend for a little over two months. If at the beginning, cohabitation went wonderfully, it deteriorated little by little. Van Gogh would have taken 'habit to profit from Gauguin's fortune and would not provide any assistance with daily tasks. According to Paul Gauguin, legend has it that a violent argument broke out between the two men. Van Gogh is said to have threatened Gauguin with a knife, which pushed him to leave the scene. Furious and suddenly mad, Vincent Van Gogh allegedly used a razor to cut…his ear. He would only be found the next day, his head injured, bleeding and his mind confused. However, according to a thesis carried out by two German academics, Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans, Van Gogh did not cut off his ear alone. It would have been a gesture by Paul Gauguin who, during the argument, would have settled the latter using… a saber! Only History knows the truth.
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