Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (19 August 1882) ... a few souvenirs home after
all.
But another souvenir is that I caught cold again, with all
the consequences you know of, which now forces me to stay home
for a few days.
In the meantime, I have painted a few studies of the figure
- I'm sending you two sketches.
Painting the figure appeals to me very much, but it must
ripen - I must get to know the technique better - what is
sometimes called “la cuisine de l'art.” In the
beginning I shall have to do much scraping, and shall often
have to begin anew, but I feel that I learn from it and that it
gives me a new, fresh view of things.
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (20 August 1882) ... your
health makes me think of you often. I am pretty well; my not
sparing myself and acting as if I had never been ill works all
right. But you realize that I have not entirely recovered. I
feel it at times, especially in the evening when I'm tired; but
fortunately it never got bad enough to prevent my working.
This week I have painted some rather large studies in the
wood, which I tried to carry out more thoroughly and vigorously
than the first ones.
The one which I believe succeeded best is of nothing but a
piece of dug-up earth - white, black and brown sand after a
pouring rain. Here and there the lumps of earth caught the
light, and stood out in strong relief. After I had been sitting
drawing that piece of ground for some time, there was another
violent thunderstorm with a terrific cloudburst, which lasted
for at least an hour. I was so eager to continue that I
remained at my post and sheltered myself as well as I could
behind a big tree. When it was over at last, and...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (3 September 1882) ... then not. I shall work as hard as I
can. You ask about my health, but what about yours? I would
imagine my remedy would be yours as well: to be out in the
open, painting. I am well, I still feel like it even when I'm
tired, and that is getting better rather than worse. It's also
a good thing, I think, that I live as frugally as possible, but
my main remedy is painting.
I sincerely hope that your luck is in and that you will have
even more. Please accept a handshake in my thoughts, and
believe me,
Ever yours, Vincent
You will see that there is a soft, golden effect in the
little marine sketch and a more sombre, more serious mood in
the woods. I am glad that both exist in life.
[ Sketch `Beach and Boats' JH 227, enclosed in letter. ]
...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (25 September 1882) ... am making.
Adieu, a handshake in thought. I send you all possible good
wishes, and hope that your headache is not chronic or one which
returns again and again. With me it is also more a feeling of
uncomfortable fatigue than of excessive pain.
I took a walk on the Rijswijk road with Father; it is very
beautiful there. Again farewell, and believe me,
Yours sincerely, Vincent
If this one arrives in good condition, it will be an easy
way to send you things. I don't know if one can send drawings
or pictures by mail as printed matter.
Another thing, you understand that I could do with some
little branches, etc., differently if I painted them anew; but
in my opinion one mustn't change too much in studies which must
be used later. They must be put up in the studio just the way
they come from the wood; to some people they may look less
pleasant, but for the painter himself there is more of his own
impression in them.
...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (2 or 3 December 1882) ... from his
father, who tells me R. is sick. I do not know what ails him -
perhaps, perhaps, it is what you and I know also.
I infer this from some expressions in his last letter when
he told me to continue the experiments in lithography, and said
that he himself felt so low that he couldn't do anything. What
a pity, isn't it? It is so hard when one has to give up work
for such a foolish reason as indisposition.
If I do not get news of his recovery soon, I have a good
mind to go and see him. Recently we have corresponded rather
frequently about our work; he has become quite enthusiastic
about collecting wood engravings, for instance, and I think it
quite possible that we shall become more and more interested in
each other.
At Van der Weele's I saw an excellent sketch of Breitner's,
an unfinished drawing - perhaps it cannot be finished; it
represents officers in front of an open window, bent over and
deliberating about some map or battle plan. Breitner really has
got...
