Vincent Van Gogh's letters

Telegraph ^ | 10-06-09

[Dysart]

902 surviving letters by Vincent van Gogh are to be published for the first time this week. Mostly written to the artist's brother Theo, the letters offer personal insights which give lie to the idea that van Gogh was a "reckless and unreflective genius".

* ABOVE: letter by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo, Arles, c. 21 November 1888

Translated extract from the letter: "What you write about the Dutchmen interests me greatly. I hope one day to get to know both of them personally. How old are they? I dare to believe that in the final reckoning they’ll feel their coming to France was a good thing.

[Lockbar]

Very interesting. I always thought he was a cool cat.

[devane617]

Go to the website and look at the gallery....Bravo, Vincent.

[Dysart]

He has managed, even in his death, to maintain a blog with his letters.

http://www.vangoghsblog.com/

[Dysart]

ping to post 4 for his letters

[Dysart]

* Detail from Vincent van Gogh's 'The Sower', 1888 with van Gogh's letter to his brother Theo, Arles, c. 21 November 1888 "...Here’s a croquis of the latest canvas I’m working on, another sower. Immense lemon yellow disc for the sun. Green-yellow sky with pink clouds. The field is violet, the sower and the tree Prussian Blue." Picture: Van Gogh Museum

[llevrok]

Imagine if you lived in the day. All art was photo like. Then this guy comes along who sees technique, light and color in a different way. No wonder he was thought to be nuts!

[llevrok]

Art joke: Van Gogh was not the only artist of that era who had problems fitting in.

Toulouse LeTrec was also a tough cookie.

But then you would too, had you been born Toulouse.

[djf]

I have long been a huge fan and consider him to be one of the most intelligent and passionate men who ever lived.

All of his known surviving letters and paintings can be seen here.

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

[I still care]

Thanks for the link. It is interesting, how much he was struck by color and form in just his everyday conversation.

As time goes on I have become convinced that people see the world in different manners, and not just because of their background. I’ve often thought certain people just see color and line differently, much like color blind people do.

From Vincent’s letters it seems like color echoed visually to him with a vibrance not that many people notice.

[bethtopaz]

A great book to read to understand Van Gogh is “Lust for Life” by Irving Stone.

Most folks don’t know that Vincent Van Gogh was, at one time, a missionary to the coal miners in Belgium.

He was a deeply sensitive and spiritual man.

[BunnySlippers]

Very nice.

[Dysart]

Self-portraits always fascinate me-- how artists interpret themselves or project themselves as they wish to be seen, as the case may be. This self-portrait pains me, but dazzles as I try to imagine what he must have felt at the time. [You know, good lord what have I done?]

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

[dznutz]

Don Mc Lean had a song about him, great song. vincent

[muir_redwoods]

Not totally extraneous

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/starry_starry.html

[Jabba the Nutt]

Why didn’t the Dutch Vincent write his Dutch brother Theo in Dutch, rather than in French?

[Dysart]

That was very well done.

[muir_redwoods]

Oh yeah