Vincent and Theo on AOL Summary

To test whether the Internet can once again sharpen people's ability to communicate beautifully and effectively, Jon Stewart adopts the persona of Vincent van Gogh to communicate with his beloved brother Theo. He enters various chat rooms on America Online (AOL) as VincentVG, writing rather long and mawkish missives about his life, in the style of the 19th century.

Much of what VincentVG discusses are his contemporary artist. Paul Gauguin, with whom he briefly and contentiously lives; Claude Monet, who betray the Impressionists; Edgar Degas, who becomes a Graphic Artist because "a guy's gotta eat"; and Thys Maris, who makes a mockery of art. VincentVG talks about the joys and treachery of portraying human beings and in the end decides to give up painting in favor of "honest work." He asks Theo for tuition money...