METAPHORICAL REPRESENTATION OF VINCENT VAN GOGH’S ARTISTIC IDENTITY IN IRVING STONE’S LUST FOR LIFE

Annotatsiya

This thesis examines the metaphorical construction of Vincent van Gogh’s artistic identity in Irving Stone’s biographical novel Lust for Life. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory, the study focuses on recurring metaphorical models through which artistic creation is represented as mechanical activity, vital force, physical expenditure, transformation, and purposeful striving. The analysis demonstrates that Stone does not portray Van Gogh merely as a painter engaged in professional activity. Instead, artistic creation is constructed as the central force of his existence and as the principal means through which his identity is articulated. The selected textual examples reveal that the artist and his art are metaphorically interconnected. For example, paintings become extensions of bodily vitality, while creative time becomes a measure of life itself.