Susan Vreeland

Her novels typically combine meticulous research, immersive atmosphere, and emotional perspective — letting readers step into the time, place, and mind of artists and characters.

Vreeland’s interest lay in how art is made, perceived, and preserved, and how it intertwines with human dreams, suffering, and identity.

Legacy & Influence

Susan Vreeland handsomely expanded the genre of art-inspired historical fiction, contributing works that appeal to both lovers of literature and art history. Her novels often inspire readers to visit museums, learn about painters, and reconsider how art and life echo each other.

She encouraged a cross-fertilization between readers and museum-goers, hoping her fiction might draw people into galleries and art spaces.

Though she passed away on August 23, 2017, in San Diego, California, her books continue to be read, studied, and appreciated for their unique voice and passion.

Personality, Style & Approach

Vreeland’s style is lyrical, richly descriptive, and emotionally attuned to the inner lives of her characters — especially artists. She often writes about color, materials, light, craft, and the tension between art and mortality.

She held strong views on the importance of imagination in fiction: how writers enter the lives of others as a way to elevate human empathy.

Moreover, she believed in the transformative power of art, not just as a window to history but as a living conversation with the present.

Famous Quotes of Susan Vreeland

Here are selected quotes that capture her sensibility and philosophy:

“You know, bicycling isn’t just a matter of balance … it’s a matter of faith. You can keep upright only by moving forward. You have to have your eyes on the goal, not the ground. I’m going to call that the Bicyclist’s Philosophy of Life.”

“That a thing made by hand, the work and thought of a single craftsman … can endure much longer than its maker … has always filled me with wonder.”

“Each time we enter imaginatively into the life of another, it’s a small step upwards in the elevation of the human race.”

“To me, art begets art. Painting feeds the eye just as poetry feeds the ear, which is to say that both feed the soul.”

“I’m hoping that I make readers into museum goers and museum goers into readers.”

“It was only after I began to write fiction that I found a way to connect with painting.”

“When I see Tiffany windows in churches across the United States, I get a sense of spiritual upliftment from that.”

These quotes reflect her deep respect for art, craft, and human connection across time.

Lessons from Susan Vreeland

1. Find the human story in art — Her works remind us that behind every masterpiece lies human struggle, sacrifice, and hope.

2. Research with imagination — She showed that rigorous historical detail and imaginative empathy can coexist beautifully.

3. Art fosters connection — She believed that stories and paintings both allow us to inhabit other lives and widen empathy.

4. Elevate the ordinary — Her writing often highlights small moments — a brushstroke, a turn of light — as portals to meaning.

5. Bridge worlds — Vreeland strived to cross the boundary between art lovers and readers, between gallery and library.

Conclusion

Susan Vreeland’s legacy is a luminous body of work that invites readers to slow down and consider art as living history and human testimony. She taught that paintings have souls, that artists live in us, and that stories can heal the distance between past and present.