#universalletterwritingweek

Vincent van Gogh wrote numerous letters to his younger brother Theo, who was Vincent’s best friend and loyal supporter. Over the course of his life, Vincent wrote the most letters to his brother, who kept them with great care. Below are selected excerpts from letter 400 written to Theo.

My dear brother,

It’s Sunday today and you’re never out of my thoughts. As to these things, I’d find ‘the longer you stay there, the more bored you’ll be’ very applicable to business; ‘the more you’ll enjoy yourself’ to painting — enjoy here in a serious sense of a zest for life, good spirits, energy…..

What shall I do now? — the customary term is ‘What is your aim, what is your aspiration?’ — oh, I shall do what I shall do — how? I don’t know beforehand — do you, who ask me this priggish question: what is your aim, what is your aspiration? Now people say ‘you lack character if you have no aim, no aspiration’. My answer: I didn’t tell you that I had no aim, no aspiration; I said that I found it unspeakably priggish to want to force someone to define what is indefinable.

So these are my thoughts on certain questions about life. The whole discussion about them is one of the things that I describe as ‘boring’. Live — do something — and that’s more enjoyable, that’s more positive….

One must take it up with assurance, with a conviction that one is doing something reasonable, like the peasant guiding his plough or like our friend in the scratch, who is doing his own harrowing. If one has no horse, one is one’s own horse — a lot of people do that here. You must regard it not as a change — as a deeper penetration.

You’ve learned to see art over the years — now you go on, already knowing what you want to make. Don’t think that this is a little thing.

You can be decisive, you know what you want…

Translation source: http://www.vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let400/letter.html

Image description: Picture containing handwritten text and sketch of a farmer working in the field

By now, you already know that Vincent van Gogh called his sketches “scratches.” In this letter to his brother Theo, Vincent described his “perspective frame” in great detail with a couple of “scratches” to show the frame and its component parts. Vincent wrote excitedly about how the frame provided him a window view of landscapes while painting en plein air.

Below is the translation from letter 254.

My dear Theo,

In my last letter you’ll have found a little scratch of that perspective frame. I’ve just come back from the blacksmith, who has put iron spikes on the legs and iron corners on the frame.

It consists of two long legs: [sketch A]

The frame is fixed to them by means of strong wooden pegs: [sketch B]

, either horizontally or vertically. [sketch C]

The result is that on the beach or in a meadow or a field you have a view as if through a window. The perpendicular and horizontal lines of the frame, together with the diagonals and the cross — or otherwise a grid of squares — provide a clear guide to some of the principal features, so that one can make a drawing with a firm hand, setting out the broad outlines and proportions. Assuming, that is, that one has a feeling for perspective and an understanding of why and how perspective appears to change the direction of lines and the size of masses and planes. Without that, the frame is little or no help, and makes your head spin when you look through it.

I expect you can imagine how delightful it is to train this view-finder on the sea, on the green fields — or in the winter on snow-covered land or in the autumn on the fantastic network of thin and thick trunks and branches, or on a stormy sky.

With CONSIDERABLE practice and with lengthy practice, it enables one to draw at lightning speed and, once the lines are fixed, to paint at lightning speed.

It’s in fact especially good for painting, because a brush must be used for sky, ground, sea. Or, rather, to render them through drawing alone, it’s necessary to know and feel how to work with the brush. I also firmly believe my drawing would be strongly influenced if I were to paint for a while. I tried it back in January but that came to a halt — the reason for stopping, apart from a few other things, was that I was still too hesitant when drawing. Now six months have passed, devoted entirely to drawing. So now I’m beginning anew with fresh heart. The frame really has become an excellent piece of equipment — it’s a pity you still haven’t seen it. It has cost me a pretty penny, too, but I had it made so solidly that I shan’t wear it out in a hurry.

Another thing I’ve bought for myself is a tough, warm pair of trousers, and, since I bought a pair of sturdy shoes just before you came, I’m now fully prepared to face the elements. At the same time my aim is to learn a couple of things about technique through this landscape painting which I feel I’m in need of for my FIGURES, namely rendering different fabrics, and the tone and colour. In a word, the expression of the body — the mass — of things. It’s as a result of your visit that I’m moving on to this, but before you came not a day passed without my thinking about it along these lines. But I would have gone on for longer with just black and white and the outline. But there’s no turning back now. Adieu, old chap, again a warm handshake, and believe me

Ever yours,

Vincent

Translation source: http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let254/letter.html

Image description: Picture containing handwritten text and sketches of a wooden frame and a peck.

In honor of Universal Letter Writing Week, we’ll post some letters written by Vincent van Gogh. A prolific letter-writer, he wrote more than 2,000 letters in his life, of which 819 survived and are preserved in the collections at Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Below is a translation of letter 421, which Van Gogh wrote to Antoine Philippe Furnée, who was a surveyor due to leave for Batavia on March 14, 1884. The image shown here is a page where van Gogh included his sketches.

My dear friend Furnée,

This morning I received your letter telling me of your rapidly approaching departure for the Indies.

Little had I thought that this would be happening so soon. I sincerely hope that you will be able to feel at home in the Indies. Perhaps you will find this easier now than if you had stayed in Holland for a long time first, and had painted a lot in Holland. Then, once one is wholly and entirely immersed in the grey sadness here, one might perhaps find it difficult to get to grips with the nature of the East Indies.

But in the circumstances, if you now try to get to grips completely with nature over there, I think that you will succeed in doing so. And who knows what curious, picturesque things you will find there.

Many French and other painters profited by going to Algiers or Egypt, and I imagine that the Indies must produce somewhat similar effects.

In the last few years, for instance, several painters went to China and Japan, and I saw very fine things from those countries.

It pleases me so much that you are still keen to paint, and I believe that provided you persevere you can go a very long way.

Especially because you will always have to be outdoors a great deal in your job.

Things are going quite well for me here in Brabant, anyway I find the countryside here very stimulating.

Now, in these last few weeks I have made 4 watercolours of Weavers. And a few others of a timber sale, an interior with a seamstress, and a gardener, all watercolours. Herewith a few scratches of them.

Herewith another order for your father. Be so good as to pick out the watercolour brushes for me, not too thin and not too thick either. The sort one usually uses. Something like this [Van Gogh drew an arrow pointing to the sketch]

Well, my dear friend, I will always think back with great pleasure on many a walk that we took together last summer.

And be assured that I won’t forget you, and that I would be much obliged to hear from you soon, once you’re over there. For my part I will send you some scratches of what I have in hand sometime.

And so now, wishing you a safe journey and success in your undertakings, in particular success with the painting too. With a hearty handshake in thought.

Ever yours,

Vincent

Would you please tell your father that I will be able to send His Hon. money by 20 January for what is still outstanding and for this order.

Translation source: http://www.vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let421/letter.html

Image description: Picture containing handwritten text and a couple of sketches