Letter from Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh (18 September 1889) ... It is also necessary for you to eat meat.
You will probably have received the paints from Tasset's; as
for the second consignment of white, it will reach you within a
very short time, for he didn't have any of it in stock. There
are three pictures by Meunier at the exhibition which you would
have seen with pleasure. One of them is a study of red roofs
above which rise the chimney stacks of factories, all of which
have heavy streaks of smoke standing out against a milky
morning sky. Number 2 is a group of workmen on their way to the
factory, marching two abreast through heaps of slag and coal,
wooden props, black chunks threatening the sky. Number 3,
“La Hercheuse.” She stands talking to a young boy
before going down into the mine. They are dressed in the same
way, but she is all woman; above their heads a big beam cuts
off part of the sky against which they are delineated. And this
too, though, it may be neither impressionistic nor modern
painting, is very good for all...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (28 September 1889) ... said that you looked well, which pleased me. I
have received ten tubes of white, but I need another dozen of
zinc white as soon as possible.
2
large tubes
cobalt
1
”
emerald
1
”
chrome I
1
small tube
carmine
For there are lovely autumn effects to do.
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (5 October 1889) ... also Jo and the
friends you speak of.
I have to ask you to send the white that I had ordered as
soon as possible, and to add five or ten meters of canvas, at
your discretion.
Now I must begin with some rather irritating news, as I see
it. It is that there have been some expenses during my stay
here which I thought M. Peyron had notified you of as they
occurred, which he told me the other day he had not done, so
that it has mounted up to about 125 francs, deducting from it
the 10 that you sent by money order. It is for paints, canvas,
frames and stretchers, my journey to Arles the other day, a
linen suit and various repairs.
I use two colours here, white lead and ordinary blue, but in
rather large quantities, and the canvas is for when I want to
work on unprepared and stronger canvas.
Unfortunately, this comes just at the time when I would
gladly have repeated my journey to Arles, etc.
That said, I tell you that we are having some superb autumn
days and that...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (c. 8 October 1889) ... the mine, and paint the light effects.
If you have not yet sent off the canvas and the paints, I
must tell you that at present I have absolutely no canvas. And
I was going to ask you, in case you find it difficult to send
the total of what I owe M. Peyron at once, if it were possible
to send me a money order for 15 francs or so, so I could go to
Arles one of these days.
I often think that Gauguin would have lost nothing by
staying here, for I can see clearly in the letter he has
written me that he is not altogether at the top of his form
either. And I know quite well what that is due to - they are
too hard up to get models, and can't have been living as
cheaply as they first expected. However, if he has patience,
next year may perhaps be splendid, but then he will not have
Bernard with him, if he is in the army.
Don't you feel now that the figures by Jules Breton and
Billet and others will remain? Those men overcame the
difficulty of models, and that is a great...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (c. 25 October 1889) ... or not - so that it does not
accumulate - I also have to thank you for a package of paints,
and finally, last night the canvas arrived and the Millet
reproductions, of which I am very glad. M. Peyron said to me
again that there is a considerable improvement and that he has
good hopes for me - and that he has no objection to my going to
Arles just now.
