Vincent VanGogh

Stars-Les Miserables-By Schonberg

Vincent VanGogh lived his life a lonely man. Through the majority of his lifetime he felt unloved and friendless. VanGogh attempted theological school in 1878 but his application was rejected. In late 1878, VanGogh represented the society as a minister in a poor coal-mining district in Belgium. Hoewever, he was relieved of his position in the summer of 1879 due to his 'unorthodoxed behavior'. That 'unorthodoxed behavior' was simply going without so that he could give more to the poor. That is something that would be highly praised today. VanGogh then turned topainting. Through his art he expressed his deep need for love and respect (Encyclopedia, 223-224). VanGogh arrived in Arles on February 20th, 1888. In Arles he saw natural, earthy, joyous qualities. It also had a quality of crudeness, which he experimented with in such paintings as,Fruit Trees in Blossom with Cypress Trees. However, his simplification of tonal relations and color application were, by Parisian Academic Standards, lacking 'finish', and were not even acceptable as rough sketches! In May of 1889, VanGogh entered the asylum of Saint-Paul-de Mausole in Saint-Remy. While he was there he painted The Starry Night. The image was the view from his asylum window. The great swirling effects in VanGogh's work at this time was his way of 'expressing the interlocking of the masses'. The church spire shows northern connotations, and the cypress trees carried connotations of death since they are considered graveyard trees. In 1890, Vincent VanGogh took his own life.

It's difficult to speculate on what VanGogh himself thought of his work. Vincent often discussed in great detail on many of his works through Theo; however, during the time that Vincent actually lived with Theo the letters naturally, stopped. Still, one can comment on the interesting technique employed in his work. During his time in Paris Vincent became familiar with many of the new impressionist artists of the day--men who were struggling with new ways of expressing themselves through art. Georges Serault was one of yhe many painters Vincent came to know. Seraults unusual pointillist style had a distinct and positive influence on Vangogh's work at the time, but soon Vincent would discover a style uniquely his own.

It's interesting to note the provenance history. Vincent's sister-in-law,Jo VanGogh-Bonger, was extrememly diligent in her efforts to perserve Vincents leter's and works. This hard work and determination would eventually lead to the establishment of the Vincent Vangogh Foundation in Amsterdam. Even when times were difficult Jo rarely parted with any of the painings and sketches she inherited through her husband--Vincent's brother--Theo. The works were too important to her. It is interesting to note that Jo parted with a particular painting "Self-portrait" in 1912. Jo's releasing of one of Vincents paintings at this late stage was a rare exception. Why did she let it go?

Auvers-sur-Oise
July 10, 1890

written at the top of this letter in his mother's handwritting was {"Very last letter from Auvers."}(last letter from Vincent, before he commited suicide)

Dear Mother and Sister,

Many thanks for your good letters, which gave me much pleasure. For the present I am feeling much calmer than last year, and really the restlessness in my head has greatly quieted down. In fact, I have always believed that seeing the surroundings of the old days would have this effect.

I often think of you both, and should very much like to see you once again. It is good that Wil went to work in the hospital, and that she says that the operations were not as bad as she expected, because she appreciated the means of lessening the pain and also the efforts of the many physicians to do what has to be done, simply and intelligently and kindly--well,that is what I call looking at things sensibly--and trustingly.

But for one's health, as you say, it is neccessary to work in the garden and to see the flowers growing.

I myself am quite absorbed in the immense plain with wheatfeilds again the hills, boundless as a sea, delicate yellow, delicate soft green, the delicate violet of a dug-up and weeded peice of soil, checkered at regular intervals with the green flowering potatoe plants, everything under the sky of delicate blue, white, pink,violet tones.

I am in a mood of almost too much calmness, in the mood to paint this.

I sincerely hope that you will spend very happy days with Theo and Jo, and you will see, as I did, how well they take care of the little child, who is looking well.

Good-by for today, I have to go to work.

In thought embraced by
Your Loving Vincent.

*Written in dutch

{Letter Theo wrote to their mother, after vincents death}

Paris
August 1 1890

One cannot write how sad one is, nor finding solace in pouring out ones's heart. May I come to you soon? I still have to make all arrangements here, but if it is possible, I would like to leave here on Sunday morning to be with you in the evening. It is a grief that will weigh on me for a long time and will certainly not leave my thoughts as long as I live, but if one should want to say anything about it, it is that himself has found the rest he so much longed for. If he could have seen how people behaved toward me when he had left us and the sympathy of so many for himelf, he would at this moment not have wanted to die.

Today I received your letter and the one from Wil, I thank you both. I can better tell you everything than write. Dr. Gachet and the other doctor were explemplary and have looked after him well, but they realized from the very first moment that there was nothing one could do. Vincent said "I would like to go like this," and half an hour later he had his wish. Life weighed so heavily upon him, but as happens so often everyone is now full of praise, also for his talent.Maybe it was fortunate that Jo was not here, it would have been such a shock for her. May she also come once I am there? Later we will go to Amsterdam for a couple days. Oh, Mother, I so much long to be with you. I suppose you will have written to Lies. I can't do it at this time. Tomorrow I will only know for certain whether I can leave, and if I cannot come, I will let you know. Oh, Mother, he was so very much my own brother.

{Theos letter to their sister}
Paris
August 5 1890

To say we must be grateful that he rests--I still hesitate to do so. Maybe I should call it one of the great cruelties of life on this earth and maybe we should count him among the martyrs who died with a smile on their face.

He did not wish to stay alive and his mind was so calm because he had always fought for his convictions, convictions that he had measured against the best and noblest of his predecessors. His love for his father, for the gospel, for the poor and the unhappy, for the great men of literature and painting, is enough proof for that. In the last letter which he wrote me and which dates 4 days before his death, it says, "I try to do as well as certain painters whom I have greatly loved and admired." People should realize that he was a great artist, something which often coincides with being a great human being. In the course of time this will surely be acknowledged, and many will regret his early death. He himself wanted to die;when I sat at his bedside and said that we would try to get him better and that we hoped that he would then be spared this kind of dispair, he said "The sadness will last forever". I understand what he wanted to say with those words.

A few minutes later he felt suffocated and within one minute he closed his eyes. A great rest came over him from which he did not come to life again.

Some of Hollys thoughts...
I know bipolar wasn't reconized 100 years ago, and so many people suffered. Not only those with creativity, such as poets and authors, but those in the general population. After reading the letters,a few thoughts creeped into my head. Without medication, people suffered greatly and it usually ended in suicide if the person was ill enough.

How is it that Vincent felt calmer the year before his death? I feel, being bipolar myself that he had just started to give up on life.Only calm is not a word I would use to desribe it. Was he putting on a facade like most of us do, just to survive? Withholding inner turmoil so no one would really know the great depression inside? Only he knew, and he escaped into his world of colors and art...

Theo and his brother Vincent were very close, exchanging letters often. Even with that closeness, he truly didn't understand the turmoil inside his brother. He wrote to his sister that "maybe we should count him among the maryters who died with a smile on his face." The dictionary describes a maryter as a "great or constant sufferer." How can you suffer that much and die with a smile on your face??? The depression makes you care so little that a smile is inconceivable to me. To him it may be just such a relief to be out of the misery. No matter how close they were, Theo in no way could truly understand his brother on the inside. No matter how much he thought he did...

Send me your thoughts if you are a lover of his artwork or his life history and I will post it with your permission.

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