Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Wilhelmina van Gogh (c. 16 November 1888) ... novels, a vaguely representative figure.
I don't know whether you can understand that one may make a
poem only by arranging colours, in the same way that you can
say comforting things in music.
In a similar manner the bizarre lines, purposely selected
and multiplied, meandering all through the picture, may fail to
give the garden a vulgar resemblance, but may present it to our
minds as seen in a dream, depicting its character, and at the
same time stranger than it is in reality.
I have also painted “Une Liseuse de Romans,” the
luxuriant hair very black, a green bodice, the sleeves the
colour of wine lees, the skirt black, the background all
yellow, bookshelves with books. She is holding a yellow book in
her hands .
So much for today. But remember I have not told you that my
friend Paul Gauguin, an impressionist painter, is now living
with me, and that we are very happy together. He strongly
encourages me to work often from pure imagination.
...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (3 May 1889) ... in that one becomes less exclusive.
I am not sorry that I wanted to go into this question of the
theories of colour rather technically.
As an artist you are only a link in a chain, and whatever
you find or whatever you do not find, you can find comfort in
it.
I have heard of an interior all in green with a woman in
green at the Salon, which was well spoken of, also of a
portrait by Mathey and another by Besnard, “The
Siren.” They also say that there is something
extraordinary by someone called Zorn, but they did not say
what, and that there was a Carolus Duran, “Triumph of
Bacchus,” bad. Nevertheless I still think his “Lady
with a Glove” in the Luxembourg very good; after all,
there are some not-too-serious things which I like very much,
such as a book like Bel Ami. And the work of Carolus is
a little like that. However, our period has been like that, and
all Badinguet's 1 period as well. And if a painter
paints as he sees,...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (10 or 11 February 1890) ... “Woodcutter”
by Millet .
Aurier's article would encourage me if I dared to let myself
go, and venture even further, dropping reality and making a
kind of music of tones with colour, like some Monticellis. But
it is so dear to me, this truth, trying to make it true,
after all I think, I think, that I would still rather be a
shoemaker than a musician in colours.
Lettre de Vincent van Gogh à Theo van Gogh (28 June 1890) ... avec un petit orgue. J'en ferai un pour toi. J'ai remarqué que
cette toile fait très bien avec une autre en largeur, de
blés , ainsi l'une toile étant en hauteur et rose, l'autre
d'un vert pâle et jaune vert complémentaire du rose; mais
nous en sommes encore loin avant que les gens comprennent les
curieux rapports qui existent entre un morceau de la nature et un autre,
qui pourtant s'expliquent et se font valoir l'un l'autre.
Mais quelques-uns pourtant le sentent bien et c'est déjà quelque chose.
Et puis il a ceci de gagné, que dans les toilettes on voit
des arrangements de couleurs claires bien jolies, si on pouvait
avoir les personnes qu'on voit passer, pour faire leurs portraits, ce
serait aussi joli que n'importe quelle époque du passé et même je
trouve que souvent dans la nature il y a actuellement toute la grâce
du tableau du Puvis, entre l'art et la nature. Ainsi
hier je vis deux figures: la mère en robe carmin
...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (28 June 1890) ... at the small organ. I will do one for you - I have noticed that
this canvas goes very well with another horizontal one of
wheat , as one canvas is vertical and in pink tones, the other
pale green and greenish yellow, the complementary of pink; but
we are still far from the time when people will understand the
curious relation between one fragment of nature and another,
which all the same explain each other and enhance each other.
But some certainly feel it, and that's something.
And then there is this improvement, that in clothes you see
combinations of very pretty light colours; if you could make
the people you are walking past pose and do their portraits, it
would be as pretty as any period whatever in the past, and I
even think that often in nature there is actually all the grace
of a picture by Puvis, between art and nature. For instance,
yesterday I saw two figures: the mother in a gown of deep
carmine, the daughter in pale pink with a yellow hat without
any ornament, very...
