Letters from Provence

The Illustrated Letters

by Vincent van Gogh, Martin Bailey (Editor)

Moving story of Van Gogjs last years through his own words and pictures

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Classics, Biography, Art History, Holland

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 1990

About the author

Vincent Willem van Gogh, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had had two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium), where he was dismissed for overzealousness. He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" (1885). In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints.

In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists. His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. In a fit of epilepsy, van Gogh pursued his friend with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his ear lobe off. Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment.

In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later he was dead, having shot himself "for the good of all." During his brief career he had sold one painting. Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brushstroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always felt a bit of a kindred spirit thing with Van Gogh. When I saw his paintings at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris I got a little bit teary. You could get so close to his paintings and it was a really big deal.

This was an eye opener. I didn't know as much about his as I should and his letters shout loneliness at you. It's quite heart breaking. His whole world seemed to be the painting. That's all he had and I still wonder, what was the final straw? What would modern day mental health care say his problem was?

I loved this and want to read more about him. I'm gutted he will never know how much of a painting 'rock star' he became.

[Rosemarie Björnsdottir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this man

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

- "The imagination is certainly a faculty which we must develop, one which alone can lead us to the creation of a more exalting and consoling nature than the single brief glance at reality"
- "I don't see the whole future black, but I do see it bristling with difficulties and sometimes I ask myself if they won't be too much for me."
- "In the fullness of artistic life there is, and remains, and will always come back at times, that homesick longing for the truly ideal life that can never come true."
- "I cannot help it that my pictures do not sell. Nevertheless the time will come when people will see that they are worth more than the price of the paint"
- "Only when I stand a painting before my easel do I feel somewhat alive."

[Elza Pilsneniece · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ Gleznotāji - runāsim tikai par viņiem, būdami miruši un apglabāti, ar saviem darbiem runa ar nākamo paaudzi vai vairākām nākamajām paaudzēm.
Vai tas ir viss, varbūt ir vēl kaut kas? Gleznotāja dzīvē nāve varbūt nav pats grūtākais.
Es paziņoju, ka neko par to nezinu, bet vienmēr skats uz zvaigznēm liek man sapņot, tikpat vienkārši, kā liek man sapņot melnie punkti ģeogrāfijas kartē, kas attēlo pilsētas un ciemus.Es domāju, kāpēc debesjuma spožie punkti mums būtu mazāk pieejami nekā melnie punkti Francijas kartē?
Ja mēs ar vilcienu braucam uz Taraskonu vai Ruānu, mēs pieņemam nāvi, lai nokļūtu zvaigznē. Šajā domu gaitā noteikti pareizs ir tas, ka, esot pie dzīvības, mēs nevaram doties zvaigznē ne vairak kā, esot miruši, varam braukt ar vilcienu.
Galu galā man nešķiet neiespējami, ka holēra, nierakmeņi, plaušu tuberkuloze, vēzis ir debesu pārvietošanās līdzekļi tāpat kā kuģi, uz zemes tādi ir tvaikoņi, omnibusi un dzelzceļš.
Mierīgi nomirt no vecuma būtu doties uz to
kājām.~

[Laila Cimdina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noteikti raisïja interesi uzzinát pàr Van Goga dzíves gájumu, bet šur tur apnika runas par naudu, bet tas atkal liek saprast, cik ļoti grüti ar iztikšanu gája

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mans personīgais vērtējums, jo kopš aprīļa bija grūti tekstuāli un uztverami lasīt šīs vēstules latviskajā tulkojumā.

Nekautrējos teikt, ka izlasīju tikai 70%,pārejām lpp izslīdot cauri diagonāli, ko ļoti gribēju pabeigt kaut kādā līmenī, lai varu noslēgt un nevilkt līdzi nākamajā gadā. Tāpat nebūtu intereses lasīt, manuprāt, dēļ neveiklā tulkojuma un veida, ka vēstules bez atdalījuma (tikai datumi) saliktas viena pēc otras garā nebeidzamā virknējumā.

Tomēr tas nemainīja manu mīlestību un interesi par Vinsentu un Provansas periodu. Labprāt atrastu iespēju lasīt vismaz angliski šis vēstules.

Šajās vēstulēs paguvu Vinsentu vēl personiskāk iepazīt, viņa domas un jūtas, ciešās attiecības ar brāli Teo un Vinsentu uzņēmīgo, viesmīlīgo un plašo sirdi un mākslinieka dvēselei, apzinoties, ka viņa darbi tikai pēc ilgāka laika iegūs pelnīto atzinību un novērtējumu.

[Eva Draviņa · Rating 4 out of 5]

… brīdī, kad cilvēka vairs nav, atceras tikai viņa labos brīžus un labās īpašības. Tomēr runa ir par to, ka jācenšas tikties ar cilvēkiem, kad viņi ir vēl šeit.

Dzīve tomēr ir īsa un sevišķi to gadu skaits, kad cilvēks jūtas pietiekami spēcīgs, lai izaicinātu visu.

Es tur neko nevaru darīt, ka manas gleznas nevar pārdot. Tomēr pienāks diena, kad tās maksās vairāk nekā krāsas cena un mana visumā ļoti trūcīgā dzīve, ko tur pievienojam.

Lūk, pirmā reize kopš vairākiem mēnešiem, kad es paņemu rokās grāmatu. Tas man nozīmē daudz, un mani ievērojami dziedē.

[Malvīne S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Biju iedomājusies, ka būs interesantāk un emocionālāk, parasti, nezinu kāpēc, vēstules ir personiskākas un dziļākas, bet šeit uz riņķi vien par to, ka vajag naudu, par to, ka Gogēns nebrauc; jautājums kad Gogēns brauks, vai aizsūtīt kādu gleznu utml. Nejutu to vientulību īsti tajās vēstulēs. Uz grāmatas beigām palika interesantāk, jo nebija vairs tikai “Gogēns to, Gogēns šito”, bet tāpat līdz galam neuzrunāja.

[Kavie · Rating 5 out of 5]

谁的爱人走了 请你告诉我如何遗忘 人从来就是孤独/孤独/孤独/孤独/孤独…

[Ženija · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Es tur neko nevaru darīt, ka manas gleznas nevar pārdot. Tomēr pienāks diena, kad tās maksās vairāk nekā krāsas cena un mana visumā ļoti trūcīgā dzīve, ko tur pievienojam."

Draugs, un kā vēl...

[Kiera Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab read

[Liliāna Legzdiņa · Rating 5 out of 5]

[..]Tu tā pat kā es ciet, redzot savu jaunību izplēnam,bet, ja tā izplaukst un parādās tajā, ko dara,nekas nav zaudēts[..].

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will occasionally brings a bunch of art books home from the library, and this one was in the most recent stack. I picked it up and really, really enjoyed reading it. The letters are accompanied by fascinating (and incredible) sketches that Van Gogh included in his letters - mostly to his brother, Theo - explaining the pieces he's working on. The book also shows the finished pieces... There's something really interesting about the general perception of Van Gogh's life (he was a crazy guy who cut his ear off -- which is pretty much all I knew about his life) and the reality of his struggles. He was so committed to his work, and longed for a sense of community in which artists could support each other financially, emotionally and by sharing technical skills and techniques. The letters in this book prompted me to read a recent New Yorker article about Van Gogh, which questions what REALLY happened the night of the fateful ear cutting (some argue Gauguin cut it off with his fencing sword), and so many other assumptions that have been made about Van Gogh. And this took me off onto another path, reading online about the theory that some hold that Van Gogh did not kill himself, but was actually murdered (there are some really compelling arguments here...), including a very detailed account written by the last surviving person to witness Van Gogh's death (at the time, the woman was the eight-year-old daughter of the inn keeper where Van Gogh was staying, and where he eventually died after supposedly shooting himself in the stomach -- though some accounts also say it was his chest). Just one of those rabbit holes that keeps going, and makes me realize that if I had all the time in the world to explore things like this, how much more there is out there to discover! All of this to say... good book.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good I have to admit but very sad at the same time. It’s a series of letters from Van Gogh to primarily his brother but also his sister, mother, Paul Gauguin and a few others. The letters are short or have been abridged. They hint towards his demise that Van Gogh suffered in the last couple of years of his life. He had a few big setbacks in his short life and a few rejections in love and with work which ultimately led him towards a troubled state of mind and with him cutting off part of his ear. He staved in Provence in south France and then right at the end when things got really bad went back to his brother in Paris but lived just outside in a village slightly to the north. He would sketch the pictures in these letters to his family and friends before drawing them. Having read this now I can’t look at one of his picture without seeing traces of the madness that were plaguing him. Painting kept him sane in between the relapses he unfortunately suffered. His brother died not long after he died also.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding and eye opening. I appreciated how the author complied the letters with connections to the sketches and pieces created at that time in van Gough's life. The beginning is organized well identifying the family members, friends, and important figures mentioned in the letters. That was a helpful reference. At the end there are suggestions for travel to the Provence region. The next time I see a van Gough painting live, I will have a deeper understanding. Heck, the calendar in my classroom features some paintings I learned more about in this book. A great reference book and one to explore again.

[Raluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got round to finishing this book. It was lovely to remember some of the Provencial landscapes in the colors described by Van Gogh and to be transported back in that wonderland for a little while. Also got to brush off my french.

[Sandra Hausmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it important to know more about an artist other than the sum of their work? I think so, and these letters written by Van Gogh give insight into the life and thoughts and friendships of this inspiring artist.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read Van Gogh’s own words were amazing and at many times, heartbreaking.
His descent is clear as he scribbled like a man possessed (literally) and knowing what is going to happen makes his letters even more tragic. 🌻

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking.

[Evelīna Ķiršakmene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesanta biogrāfija, bet likās, ka tulkojums latviski ietekmēja teksta uztveri.