Posthumous Popularity; Fathoming Vincent van Gogh through Select Biofictions

Abstract

This paper studies a few fictional representations of Vincent van Gogh in contemporary biofiction. The objective of this research is to analyse the life of a genius artist and his posthumous popularity by using the transmedia storytelling technique. Vincent Willem van Gogh, a Dutch painter who lived between 1853 and 1890, is widely regarded as one of the best exponents of post-impressionism. His eccentric life has been a perpetual obsession for creators to fictionally recreate him periodically after his disastrous end in the past hundred years. The paper captures three fictionalised biographical texts in the form of a novel, an animated movie and a documentary that transgress genre boundaries and renegotiate the relationship between historical facts and fiction. Throughout the 21st century, biographical materials, whether they are based on fact or fiction, have made significant contributions to this legend. The sources of the study pivot on three of van Gogh`s biofictions within film and literature; the novel Leaving van Gogh (2011) by Carol Wallace, the documentary Van Gogh: Painted with Words (2010) directed by Andrew Hutton and Loving Vincent (2017), a movie directed by Dorota Kobiela. The creators have taken artistic liberties by altering the stories with more engaging narratives as a way of rewriting the portrayal of the artist through fiction. Biofiction is a category of life writing that includes fictitious biographies and is typically a metafictional narrative in which a biographical subject is the protagonist or plays a significant role in the plot. Transmedia storytelling is an approach to integrating contemporary digital technology to communicate a cohesive narrative across several platforms and mediums. By utilising intermediary allusions and formal imitative techniques, van Gogh`s art, as well as the fundamental principles of artistic creation and his ubiquitous presence in contemporary times are explored.