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To Theo Van Gogh and Jo Van Gogh-Bonger. Auvers-Sur-Oise, on Or About Wednesday, 21 May 1890

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To Theo Van Gogh and Jo Van Gogh-Bonger. Auvers-Sur-Oise, on Or About Wednesday, 21 May 1890 To Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. Auvers-sur-Oise, on or about Wednesday, 21 May 1890. on or about Wednesday, 21 May 1890 Metadata Source status: Original manuscript Location: Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b685 V/1962 Date: The letter must have been written shortly after Vincents arrival in Auvers, since he gives Theo and Jo his new address and says that he has meanwhile painted his first study. Because he also asks Theo to send money towards the end of the week (ll. 30-31), we have dated the present letter to about Wednesday, 21 May 1890. Additional: Original [1r:1] Mon cher Theo et Jo, dans lautre lettre jai dabord oubli de te donner ladresse dici qui est provisoirement: Place d.l. mairie , chez Ravoux. puis lorsque je tai crit je navais encore rien fait. A prsent jai une tude de vieux toits de chaume avec sur lavant plan un champ de pois en fleur et du bl, fond de colline. 1 Une tude que je crois que tu aimeras. Et je maperois dj que cela ma fait du bien daller dans le midi pour mieux voir le nord. Cest comme je le supposais, je vois des violets davantage o ils sont. 1 Thatched cottages and houses (F 750 / JH 1984). Another possibility is Wheatfield with a view of Auvers (F 797 / JH 2003), but the thatched roofs are not the main motif in that work. 1 2 To Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. Auvers-sur-Oise, on or about Wednesday, 21 May 1890. Auvers est dcidemment fort beau. Tellement que je crois que ce sera plus avantageux de travailler que de ne pas travailler malgr toutes les mauvaises chances qui sont prvoir dans les tableaux. Cest trs color ici mais comme il y a de jolis maisons de campagne bourgeoises; bien plus joli que Ville davray2 &c. mon got.[1v:2] Parait que Desmoulins, celui qui fait le Japon, a t ici mais est reparti.3 Si vers la fin de la semaine tu pouvais menvoyer de largent, ce que jai me tiendra jusqualors mais je nen ai pas pour plus longtemps. Je te demanderais galement 10 mtres toile si cela ne te drangeait pas mais si puisque cest vers la fin du mois cela te drangerait, tu enverrais 20 feuilles papier Ingres . Ceux l il me les faudrait quand mme pour ne pas perdre du temps. Il y a beaucoup dessiner ici. Mon cher, rflexion faite je ne dis pas que mon travail soit bien mais cest ce que je peux faire de moins mauvais. Tout le reste,[1v:3] relations avec les gens, est trs secondaire parceque je nai pas de talent pour . 5 A cela je ny peux rien. Ne pas travailler ou travailler moins coterait le double, voil tout ce que je prvois SI on cherchait un autre chemin de parvenir que le chemin naturel, travailler ce que nous ne ferons gure. Tenez si je travaille, les gens qui sont ici viendront tout aussi bien chez moi sans que jaille les voir exprs que si je faisais des dmarches pour faire des connaissances. Cest en travaillant que lon se rencontre et ca cest la meilleure manire. Suis 2 Van Gogh had visited Ville-dAvray in August 1875 (see letter 40). 3 Louis Dumoulin4 was represented at the exhibition of the Socit Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris by eleven works, of which seven had Japanese themes and three displayed scenes from other Oriental countries. See exhib. cat. 1890-4, pp. xii-xiii, cat. nos. 313-323, esp. 313, 316-321, with one ill. (The festival of boys and wisteria at Tokyo, p. 71). Van Gogh had seen this exhibition (RM19, n. 6). Nothing has been found about Dumoulins supposed stay in Auvers (cf. also letter 877). 5 Van Gogh later added parceque ... (because I ... for that). To Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. Auvers-sur-Oise, on or about Wednesday, 21 May 1890. 3 dailleurs bien convaincu que telle est ton opinion et aussi celle de Jo. A ma maladie je ny peux rien je souffre un peu de ces jours ci cest quaprs cette longue reclusion les journes me paraissent des semaines. [1r:4] Javais a Paris et ici aussi. Mais le travail marchant un peu, la srnit viendra. Quoi quil en soit je ne regrette pas dtre revenu et cela ira mieux ici. Serai bien content si dici quelque temps tu viennes un Dimanche ici avec ta famille. Tu verras bien que pour comprendre la campagne et la culture a ne fait que du bien de voir dautres pays. Mais je trouve presquaussi joli les villas modernes et les maisons de campagne bourgeoises que les vieux chaumes qui tombent en ruines. Mmes Daubigny et Daumier ce quon dit restent6 encore ici, au moins je suis sr que la premire y reste. 7 Lorsque tu pourras le faire tu menverrais pour un temps les exercices au fusain de Bargue, 11 jen ai absolument besoin, je les copierai pour garder pour de bon les copies. Poignees de main bien cordiales. Vincent Translation [1r:1] My dear Theo and Jo13, In the other letter I first of all forgot to give you the address here, which for the time being is: place de la Mairie, c/o Ravoux14 . Then when I wrote to you I hadnt yet done anything. Now I have a study of old thatched roofs with a field of peas in flower and some wheat in the foreground, hilly background.15 A study which I think youll like. And I perceive already that it did me good to go into the south the better to see the north. 6 Read: habitent. 7 Marie Sophie Daubigny8, ne Garnier, the painters widow, lived at 24 rue de la Gare (now 25 rue Daubigny) in Auvers-sur-Oise. See exhib. cat. Paris 1988, p. 356. Marie Alexandrine Daumier9, ne Dassy (or dAssy), the widow of Honor Daumier10, was living in 1890 in Valmondois, near Auvers. See exhib. cat. Ottawa 1999, pp. 545, 552, 562-563. 11 For Bargue12s Exercices au fusain , see letter 156, n. 12. For the copies Van Gogh drew after these sheets in Auvers, see cat. Amsterdam 2007, pp. 479-487, cat. nos. 483-485. 13 Johanna (Jo or Net) Gezina van Gogh-Bonger (1862-1925) wife of Theo van Gogh 14 Arthur Gustave Ravoux (1848-1914) manager of Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Ois 15 Thatched cottages and houses (F 750 / JH 1984). Another possibility is Wheatfield with a view of Auvers (F 797 / JH 2003), but the thatched roofs are not the main motif in that work. 4 To Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. Auvers-sur-Oise, on or about Wednesday, 21 May 1890. Its as I supposed, I see violets more where they are. Auvers is decidedly very beautiful. So much so that I think itll be more advantageous to work than not to work, despite all the bad luck thats to be foreseen with paintings. Its very colourful here but what pretty middle-class country houses there are; much prettier than Ville-dAvray16 &c., to my taste.[1v:2] Appears that Dumoulin17, the one who does Japan, was here but has left again.18 If, towards the end of the week, you could send me some money, what I have will keep me going until then but I dont have enough for any longer. Id also ask you for 10 metres of canvas if that wouldnt inconvenience you, but if it would inconvenience you, since its near the end of the month, you could send 20 sheets of Ingres paper. I would need these anyway so as not to waste any time. Theres a lot to draw here. My dear fellow, upon reflection I dont say that my work is good, but its the least bad that I [1v:3] can do. All the rest, relations with people, is very secondary, because I have no talent for that.20 I cant do anything about that. Not working or working less would cost double, thats all I can foresee IF we sought another way of arriving than the natural way, working which we shant do. Look, if I work, the people who are here will come just as well to my place without my deliber- ately going to see them as if I took steps to make acquaintances. Its by working that people meet each other, and thats the best way. Am moreover quite convinced that thats your opinion and also Jo21s. I can do nothing about my illness Im suffering a little these days its just that after this long seclusion the days seem like weeks to me.[1r:4] I had that in Paris, and here too. But as work is proceeding a little, serenity will come. Whatever the case, I dont regret coming back here, and things will go better here. Will be very pleased if in a little while from now you could come here one Sunday with your family. Youll clearly see that to understand the countryside and the culture it only does one good to see other lands. But I find the modern villas and the middle-class country houses almost as pretty as the old thatched cottages that are falling into ruin. From what people say, Mrs Daubigny22 and Mrs Daumier23 are still living here, at least Im sure that the former still lives here.24 When you can do so, you might send me Bargue28s Exercices au fusain for a while,29 I absolutely need it, Ill copy them to keep the copies for good.
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