Visconti van Gogh The Novel Reader


van Gogh a Master Ahead of His Time

Visconti's latest launch draw's inspiration from van Gogh's thought-provoking painting, “The Novel Reader.” 

First, some very interesting background. It’s worth noting that the book in the woman’s hands is very important and telling. At the time van Gogh painted this masterpiece, it would have been known by viewers that the reader in the painting was holding a “modern” novel which were typically published as yellow-covered paperbacks. Van Gogh differed from most men of his time in thinking that women should be allowed to read modern novels to influence their thinking and worldview. Along with confirmation from the title of the piece, “The Novel Reader” proffers an ideology that was important to the famous artist. 

“The Novel Reader” is thought to have been created around mid-November 1888 in Arles, France. The subject of this painting is rendered in an expressionistic style leading historians to believe that it was an experimental painting of van Gogh’s. Typically, the artist would work from a model for his paintings, however, this figure was seemingly concocted from his imagination. An idea that another prominent painter, Paul Gaugin, encouraged. 

We have stock on hand and more on order of the fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint. This edition, The Novel Reader, will be in high demand. The fountain pen is filled via a cartridge or the included converter, Nibs offered are fine, medium and broad, The vermeil steel plated nib is engraved with van Gogh’s signature. The rollerball’s refill is our most common. The ballpoint is a twist-to-deploy and uses a standard Parker-Style refill. All trims are vermeil which adds a flourish to the dramatic acrylic resin of the pen’s body.

Bonus: A reproduction of the painting is printed on top of the box and a special edition bookmark is included with each pen. A commemorative bottle of special ink is included with the fountain pen.

Each van Gogh Special Edition is handcrafted from a unique piece of resin. No two are the same. We cannot guarantee yours will be exactly as we have shown.