Beyond a mere introduction to great art, Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart is about loving to learn what art has to teach us about the wonder and struggle of being alive. Did you know that: * Vincent van Gogh's attempt to start an artist's colony with Paul Gauguin lasted only nine weeks, ending in his infamous 'ear episode'? * Pablo Picasso was a prime suspect in the disappearance of the Mona Lisa? * Artemisia Gentileschi was tortured with thumbscrews to verify her testimony at her own rapist's trial? * Norman Rockwell's critics said his work would never be accepted as 'high art'--and he agreed?These stories--and many more--shaped the work these artists left behind. In their art are lessons common to the human experience about the wonder and struggle of being alive: dreams lost, perspectives changed, and humility derived through suffering. In Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart, Russ Ramsey digs into these artists' stories for readers who may be new to art, as well as for lifelong students of art