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| Wheat fields with crows, 1890 |
Yesterday was Vincent Van Gogh’s 125th death
aniversary and that’s why I share with you an extract of his last letter to his
brother Théo.
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| Letter's facsimil (vangoghletters.org) |
It was
written on 23rd July 1890 in Auver-sur-Oise, to where he went back after his
stay in St. Rémy’s asylum. It is 4 sheets long, written on both sides and in
French; the two last pages show 4 drawings of Daubigny’s garden, who he admired
during his whole life, who moved to Auvers in 1860. In that house lived at that
moment his widow, since the painter had died in 1878. He painted 3 paintings in
that garden.
After 3 months hospitalized, he was recommended
by Dr. Gachet to focus on painting.
Théo writes
to his wife Johanna 2 days after, telling him that this letter from his brother
seemed to him incomprehensible. Vincent had been in Paris with them to meet his
new born nephew. They had argued because Théo had been having issues with his
job and was thinking of moving on alone as merchant. To soothe
their moods a little, Jo sent Vincent a lovely and consoling letter. This
reveals the scarcity of their situation, since they depended on Théo’s job and
Vincent felt like a burden to him.
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| Daubigny's Garden, 1890 (Hiroshima) (Wikipedia) |
Yet, and despite the fear of attacks returning,
he really wanted to paint once again: he painted up to 70 artworks in 3 months.
On 27th
July he shoots himself on his chest in middle of the wheat fields. He returns
hostel anyhow. Théo and Dr. Gachet arrive promptly
and they find him in bed, smoking his pipe calmly. The doctor doesn’t take the
bullet out of his body. Vincent enters in comma and dies on 29th’s morning held
in his brother’s arms. His coffin was covered with yellow flowers and he was
buried with his paintbrushes and campaign easel.
Théo was desolate,
he organizes an exhibition with the paintings of his brother in his appartment
in Paris, and leaves his job to found an artist society, a broken dream of
Vincent. His health declines and in 6 months Théo dies, and is buried
next to his brother. Jo would be in charge of Van Gogh’s legacy.
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| Auvers' Street, 1890 |
As footnote:
There is a theory by White Smith and Naifeh
claiming that actually Van Gogh did not commit suicide but was shot
accidentally by a stray bullet. They base their theory on
the forensic documents and on the fact that Van Gogh hated suicide and that he
had in his last days recovered his passion of painting. The supposed shooter
would be a youngster called René Secrétan, and, supposedly, Van Gogh did not
want to accuse him.
If you want to know more about this alternative
version of the story:
White
Smith-Naifeh. Van Gogh. The Life. Random, 2011
Thanks
for your letter of today and for the 50-franc note it contained.
I’d perhaps like to write to you about many things, but
first the desire has passed to such a degree, then I sense the pointlessness of
it.
I hope that
you’ll have found those gentlemen3 favourably
disposed towards you.
As regards the
state of peace in your household, I’m just as convinced of the possibility of
preserving it as of the storms that threaten it.
I prefer not to
forget the little French I know, and certainly wouldn’t see the point of
delving deeper into the rights or wrongs in any discussions on one side or the
other. It’s just that this wouldn’t
interest me. (...)
As for myself, I’m applying myself to my canvases with
all my attention, I’m trying to do as well as certain painters whom I’ve liked
and admired a great deal. (...)
Very well. But has the moment to make them understand the
utility of a union not rather passed already? On the other hand a union, if it
were formed, would go under if the rest went under. Then you’d perhaps tell me
that dealers would unite for the Impressionists; that would be very fleeting.
Anyway it seems to me that personal initiative remains ineffective, and having
done the experiment, would one begin it again? (...)
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| (vangoghletters.org) |
Perhaps you’ll
see this croquis of Daubigny’s garden – it’s one of my
most deliberate canvases –
to it I’m adding a croquis of old thatched roofs and the croquis of 2 no. 30 canvases
depicting immense stretches of wheat after the rain.Hirschig asked me to ask you please to order the attached list of colours
for him from the same colourman you send me. Tasset can send them directly to him, cash on delivery, but then he would
have to be given the 20%. (...)
Or you’d put
them into the consignment of colours for me, adding the invoice or telling me
how much they cost, and then he’d send you the money. Here one
can’t find anything good in the way of colours.
I’ve simplified
my own order to a very bare minimum. (...)
More soon. Look after yourself, and good luck in business
&c. Warm regards to Jo, and handshakes in thought.
Yours
truly,
Vincent.
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| Daubigny's Garden, 1890 (Basel) (Wikipedia) |
Daubigny's garden
Foreground
of green and pink grass, on the left a green and lilac bush and a stem of
plants with whitish foliage. In the middle a bed of roses. To the right a
hurdle, a wall, and above the wall a hazel tree with violet foliage.
Then a hedge of
lilac, a row of rounded yellow lime trees. The
house itself in the background, pink with a roof of bluish tiles. A bench and 3
chairs, a dark figure with a yellow hat, and in the foreground a black cat. Sky pale green."
Auvers-sur-Oise, Wednesday 23-7-1890
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| Daubigny's Garden, 1890 (Amsterdam) (Wikipedia) |
Nº 902, in French
Sources: The letters of Vincent Van Gogh. London, Penguin Books, 1997;
Cutts-Smith. Van Gogh. Köln, Parragon, 2004
Last week's solution: Van Gogh, "The yellow house".
Quiz:
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