To Theo Van Gogh. Antwerp, on Or About Tuesday, 2 February 1886

To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886.

on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886

Metadata Source status: Original manuscript

Location: Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. nos. b488 a-b V/1962

Date: Van Gogh writes that the painting course ended last week; this happened at the end of January 1886. He also thanks Theo for sending the regular allowance, which almost always arrived at the beginning of the week. We have therefore dated the letter on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886.

Additional: Original [1r:1] Waarde Theo, Dank voor Uw brief en het ingeslotene. Het is iets dat mij fameus veel pleizier doet, dat gij het plan van bij Cormon te gaan nu ook zelf voorstelt. 1 Laat mij U zeggen hoe t mij hier nog verder is gegaan. De schildercursus is verl. week geeindigd, 5 daar er voor het eind van den cursus nog

1 This earlier plan is mentioned in the previous letter, letter 556. Van Gogh knew that Breitner2 had studied with Cormon3 (see letter 465) and may also have heard about him at the academy in Antwerp. Cormon opened his studio at number 104 boulevard de Clichy in 1882. While he did receive his students there, corrections were also done in the studio in rue La Bruyre. The syllabus did not diﬀer much from that of his predecessor Lon Bonnat4. Cormons was less rigidly structured, though, and it was above all this more liberal attitude that won him a favourable reputation among a younger generation of artists. Students drew (classical) plaster casts and from life, and Cormon demanded from his students an extremely accurate, lifelike drawing. He advocated a painting technique based on a dark design, on which the painting was worked up with transparent and light colours. He also encouraged his students to work en plein air; sketching trips were a regular feature of the timetable. The studio was particularly popular with foreign artists. See Gauzi 1992, pp. 16-32; exhib. cat. Paris 1988, pp. 10-27; Welsh-Ovcharov 1976, p. 13; Galbally 1977, pp. 29-30; Destremau 1997. From the subsequent letters it emerges that Theos willingness to let Vincent study with Cormon was linked to Theos move at the end of June, since the lease on his apartment ran out then (see letter 559). Theo must have recognized that this marked the start of a new situation, in terms both of his accommodation and of Vincents studio. The precise solution was the subject of discussion in the next few months, with Vincent pressing increasingly hard to be allowed to go to Paris, on the pretext that he would be able to prepare himself to go to Cormon better there than he could in, say, Antwerp or Nuenen. See also Van Tilborgh 2007. 5 The course did not end oﬃcially until 31 March.

1 2 To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. concours is voor degenen die den cursus hebben door- gemaakt, waar ik niet toe hoor dus.6 Nu ben ik ook over dag aan het teekenen dus en de leeraar van daar die tegenwoordig portretten maakt en ze duur betaald krijgt heeft mij herhaaldelijk gevraagd of ik dan vroeger nooit antiek geteekend had en of ik mij zelven teekenen geleerd had. En concludeerde je vois que vous avez beaucoup travaill en, vous ne serez pas long faire du progrs, vous y gagneriez beaucoup il faut un an mais quest ce que a fait. Nu, er zit er een van mijn leeftijd naast me tot wien hij dat niet zegt en die heeft ook lang geschilderd die zit 3 jaar antiek te teekenen. Zij teekenen nu in den regel zonder fonds7 daar, en speciaal die heer in kwestie is t absoluut verboden. Dit geeft gruwelijk drooge teekeningen. Nu zei Sibert, dat is de naam van den leeraar die ook de naaktklas dirigeert quant vous, vous dessinerez comme il vous plaira, puisque je vois que vous prenez le dessin au serieux, quant aux autres, en gnral je ne leur permets pas de faire un fond parcequalors ils escamottent le dessin des formes, tandis que sur fond blanc ils sont bien obligs de les faire cest donc un camisole de force. Dan zeide hij ook dat Verlat hem gezegd had dat er goeds in mijn werk was, wat Verlat tegen mij niet zeide.[1v:2] Het was juist na het ontvangen van uw brief dat Sibert de teekeningen kwam nazien (de mijne was een kop van de Niob en een hand die van Michel Ange kon wezen de hand had ik in een paar uur gedaan en die juist vond hij goed). 8 Nu sprak ik hem er over dat ik er over dacht naar Cormon te gaan toen zei hij vous ferez comme vous voudrez mais je vous dis que Verlat en a form plusieurs de forts et nous y tenons de former des lves qui nous fassent honneur et je vous engage bien fortement de rester. Dit is nu bijna een mooie belofte van dat zij de russite guarandeeren, en wat moet ik doen. Van den anderen kant heb ik verder met b.v. die Engelsche lui die in Parijs zijn geweest kennis gemaakt en van hun ondervindingen gehoord. Een is bij Gerome geweest, een bij Cabanel9 &c.

6 All the courses were concluded with a competition. According to the Annual Report for 1887, the painting class stopped at the end of January so that the students could prepare for this. See cat. Amsterdam 2001, p. 13. 7 Lees: fond (background). 8 Neither of these drawings is known. Niobe was a mother who was turned to stone by grief (Ovid, Metamor- phoses vi, 146 ﬀ according to Pliny, Praxiteles made a sculpture group of her and her children). Because of the expressiveness of the heads, depictions of Niobe were often used at art academies. Cf. cat. Amsterdam 2001, p. 69, and for the hand the drawings Sketch of a left hand (F 1693f / JH 989 and F 1693g / JH 990), which are part of a sketchbook. 9 During his forty years in teaching, Jean Lon Grme10 had had more than 2000 students. Cabanel11s studio, likewise in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, was also very popular with students from France and other countries. This To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. 3

Zij zeggen dat men te Parijs betrekkelijk vrijer is en dat men zelf b.v. kan kiezen wat men wil maken, meer dan hier, maar dat de correctie onverschillig is. Weet gij wat ik denk. dit te Parijs zou ik zeker meer werken dan hier b.v. een teekening op een dag of in iedere twee dagen. En wij kennen, of liever gij kent goede lui genoeg die ons niet weigeren zullen ze na te kijken en wenken nog te geven. Dus we zijn eigentlijk in alle geval op een spoor, het zij ik hier bleef nog een tijd t zij ik naar U toe kwam. [1v:3] Cormon zou zeer waarschijnlijk t zelfde zeggen als Verlat overigens. Want juist omdat ik nu in de gelegenheid ben om met verscheiden lui over mijn teekeningen te spreken voel ik zelf mijn fouten , dat is veel gewonnen om ze te boven te komen. Goeden moed in alle geval. Maar gij moet nu eens een keer meer schrijven en wij moeten zien het hem intelligent te lappen. Cormon laat, hoorde ik, 4 uur smorgens werken dan kan men savonds naar de Louvre of naar de Ecole des beaux arts of naar een ander atelier waar geteekend wordt gaan werken. Wat de portretten betreft, veel tijd schiet er zeker niet voor over als ik alles geregeld bijhouden wil. En zoo is t hier ook. Er is mij echter verschrikkelijk in t oog gevallen dat er nog andere dingen zijn die ik absoluut noodzakelijk moet veranderen. Als ik me zelf vergelijk bij de andere lui, heb ik veel te veel iets stijfs, als of ik 10 jaar cellulair had gezeten. En dat is een kwestie waar de oorzaak van zit juist in de daadzaak dat een jaar of 10 ik het en moeielijk en onrustig gehad heb, en zorg en verdriet en geen vrienden. Dat zal echter veranderen juist naarmate mijn werk beter wordt en men iets kan en iets weet. Wat, zeg ik, we op t spoor zijn om goed solide te krijgen. [1r:4] Twijfel er echter niet aan de weg om te slagen is moed houden en geduld en stevig doorwerken. En in het uiterlijke is het zaak dat ik me wat opknap. Gij zult zeggen dat het met de kunst niets te maken heeft misschien en misschien zult ge me ook gelijk geven. Ik ben doende om b.v. mijn gebit weer in orde te brengen. Ik heb niet minder dan 10 tanden makes it impossible to identify these Englishmen. See on the training: Ackerman 1986, pp. 168-177, and Dumas 1882-1888, p. 260. 4 To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. die of weg zijn of weg gaan. En dat is te veel en te hinderlijk en tevens geeft het mij een air van over de 40 jaar, wat me teveel nadeel doet. Dat heb ik dus besloten te laten oplappen. Het is een kwestie die mij frs 100 kosten zal maar het kan nu terwijl ik teeken beter dan op een ander moment en ik heb mij de kwade tanden laten afknippen en de helft zooeven vooruit betaald. Tevens is mij toen gezegd dat ik mijn maag moet soigneeren want dat die niet in orde is. Dat is er juist terwijl ik hier ben lang niet beter op geworden. Maar als men weet waar de fout zit is iets, en met wat energie is er veel aan te doen. Het is niet amusant maar wat moet dat moet, en men moet zien te blijven leven en wat kracht zien te houden wil men schilderijen maken. Ik heb gedacht dat mijn tanden slecht waren om een andere oorzaak en ik wist niet dat ik dermate mijn maag had gedeterioreerd. Dit is stom als ge wilt, maar men moet soms tusschen twee kwaden kiezen en zit vast of aan den eenen of aan den anderen kant.[2r:5] Het was de laatste maand dat ik veel last er van gehad heb ik begon ook gedurig te hoesten, grijs op te geven &c. zoo dat ik ongerust werd. Maar wij zullen zien het te redresseeren. Ge begrijpt dat ik niet beter ben dan een ander in zoover dat als ik te veel en te ver de dingen liet verloopen, ik net als zoo veel andere schilders (zoo veel als men t nagaat) creveeren zou of, nog erger, dol of suf worden. Dit is een maal zoo en de kwestie is er tusschen door te zeilen, tusschen de diverse klippen en ook al loopt men averij op, toch t schip boven water zien te houden. Ik weet dat Delacroix zeide dat hij t schilderen vond: lorsquil navait plus ni dents ni souﬄe.12 Maar ik weet ook dat van dat moment af hij zich gesoigneerd heeft. En dat hij zonder zijn maitresse 10 jaar of nog meer vroeger gecreveerd ware.15 Neem mij dus de uitgaaf niet al te kwalijk, ik zal wel zien te bezuinigen, maar het liep te erg en ik moest er wat aan doen. Wat betreft wat gij over thuis schrijft, ik zal

12 The phrase neither teeth nor breath (ni dents ni souffl) is derived from what Silvestre13 said about Delacroix14 in Histoire des artistes vivants franais et trangers : The very writer who, with all the fervour of youth and emotion, is confused and muddled, that is to say mediocre and even bad, can turn out to be excellent later in life, like wine, and be at the height of his powers just when he has neither teeth nor breath left (Lcrivain mme qui, dans toute lardeur de la jeunesse et du sentiment, est confus, dsordonn, cest--dire mdiocre et mme mauvais, peut devenir, comme le vin, excellent en vieillissant, et se trouver dans toute sa puissance, prcisment lheure o il na plus ni dents ni souffl) (see Silvestre, Histoire, p. 43). Van Gogh quotes this expression again in letters 655, 800 and 801. 15 Although Van Gogh wrote maitres he must have meant matresse in this context of Delacroix16 looking after himself. There is not the slightest evidence that he was supported by teachers or benefactors, but what we do know is that Jenny le Guillou17, whom Silvestre18 calls his governess, looked after him for a long time with blind devotion (see Silvestre 1864, p. 57). Le Guillou, who entered Delacroixs service in 1835, became his lover and confidante, and cared for him until his death in 1863. To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. 5 dienaangaande doen wat gij t beste vindt. 19 Ik kan desnoods hier weg wanneer ik wil. Laat ons zeggen eerste dagen Maart. Maar laat ons nagaan of de hulp die zij eventueel aan me zouden hebben al dan niet de heen- en terugreis waard is. Want ik vind ook goed om hier te blijven zonder terug te gaan en [2v:6] dan van hier naar Cormon wanneer ge wilt. De reis is niet zoo heel min als ik reken dat de baggage mij duurder kost dan mijn eigen kosten. Laat ons dus hierover nog eens schrijven. Ik blijf altijd content hier naar toe gegaan te zijn, ik ware anders vast geraakt en nu, ofschoon ik zie er veel bezwaren nog zijn, ik heb toch licht gekregen om vooruit te komen. En met er een verblijf te Parijs nog aan vast te knoopen of het hier te verlengen zullen we vaster in onze schoenen staan. Wat het plan betreft dat eventueel wij zamen zouden wonen en een betrekkelijk goed atelier nemen waar men desnoods lui kan ontvangen, blijf er over denken en laat mij er ook nog eens over denken. Ik zie eerst en vooral dat jaar teekenen, waar vrees ik niet aan te tornen valt. Is het niet duur, vind ge een goede gelegenheid, dan kan t geen kwaad, maar is het duur zou het voor t eerste jaar misschien niet de goedkoopste weg zijn als wij erg in t naauw zitten wat het geld betreft. Het jaar teekenen is het critieke punt, daarna zijn we vrijer voor veel dingen, en voor portretten en voor schilderijen. [2v:7] Wij zouden geloof ik dat op den voorgrond dienen te stellen. Want daaraan is niets te doen hebben niet en Delacroix en Corot en Millet juist later ook veel aan het antiek blijven denken en het blijven bestudeeren. De lui die het bestudeeren om het af te roffelen 22 zijn natuurlijk glad de plank mis. Het antiek eischt juist veel sereniteit, eischt dat men de natuur reeds kent, eischt zachtheid en geduld. Anders heeft men er niets aan.23 En het is wel juist curieus dat van Gericault en Delacroix, dat zij intiemer t kenden dan b.v. een David en het beter opvatten,

19 Mrs van Gogh20 was getting ready for her move from Nuenen to Breda; she was registered at Nieuwe Ginnekenstraat, district B, no. 649bis, on 30 March. Willemien21 went to live with her (FR b1838). Vincent would probably have had to help with the move (see letter 558). 22 It is possible that Van Gogh wrote raffelen (gabble) rather than roffelen (scramble). 23 Like a previous remark, this passage may have been prompted by reading Sur une Vnus by Guy de Maupassant24 in Gil Blas of 12 January 1886. See letter 553, n. 6. 6 To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. zij die het meest radicaal zich tegen al de akademische routine verzet hebben. De boeken van Tourgenew ken ik nog niet, ik las echter een tijd terug het leven van T., dat ik heel interessant vond, en hoe hij met Daudet gemeen had de hartstogt om alles naar model te doen, 5 of 6 modellen te resumeeren in een type.25 Zoo ken ik Ohnet ook nog niet, wat ik hoor ook interessant moet wezen.28 Ik verbeeld mij meer en meer echter dat lart pour lart werken om te werken lenergie pour lnergie er aprs tout bij al de goede lui wel erg bijkomt want men ziet het aan de de Goncourts[2r:8] dat er obstinatie noodig is, want dat de maatschappij er geen dankje voor zal zeggen. Maar in het schilderen heeft men een zekere rust, in de geschiedenis van die schilders, juist die naar iets hoogs streefden quand mme Israels zelf b.v., hij was nog onbekend en nog arm tot droog brood toe toen hij toch nog naar Parijs wilde, al waren de omstandigheden decourageant genoeg.30 Niet bij de pakken neer gaan zitten, ook al voelt men zich half creveeren en al voelt men dat in t materieele men het pleizier in t leven wel adieu zeggen mag. Enfin. Ik wou wel ge nu eens een keer meer schreeft, nu wij in besprek zijn over die verandering. Het stichten van een atelier zamen is misschien heel goed 32 maar wij moeten het uit kunnen houden en wij moeten goed weten wat we doen en wat we willen, en beginnen we t eenmaal, is er een zekere confiance en soi noodig, aprs tout overgebleven na heele reeksen van verloren illusies. En zulk een atelier, men moet het beginnen wetende dat het een gevecht is en dat de meeste lui glad onverschillig zijn men zou

25 A literal source for this expression has not been identiﬁed; Van Gogh may be referring to the article by Eugne- Melchior de Vog, Ivan Serguivitch Tourgunef, Revue des Deux Mondes 53 (15 October 1883), 3rd series, vol. 49, pp. 786-820. In this description of Turgenev26s life and work we read: Ivan Sergeyevich encapsulated Russian society there; he summarized his view of it in a few general types (Ivan Serguivitch y a log la socit russe; il a rsum la conception quil sen faisait dans quelques types gnraux) (p. 816). Daudet27 is not mentioned in the article, but the comparison between the two writers was one that was often drawn at the time, in part because they were friends. Van Gogh was also familiar with Daudets article on Turgenev; see letter 560, n. 5.

28 Georges Ohnet29 achieved fame with his dramas Rgina Sarpi (1875) and Marthe (1877). His novels Les batailles de la vie. Serge Panine (1881) en Le matre de forges (1882), were also popular; they were read predominantly by the petit bourgeois; aesthetically-minded critics denounced them for their careless style, conventional psychology and banal subjects (love and money). Others defended Ohnet as a representative of the idealistic genre during the dominance of naturalism. 30 From 1845 to April 1847 Jozef Israls31 was in Paris, where among other things he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. See exhib. cat. Groningen 1999, p. 357. 32 Theo had apparently suggested using a room in his new apartment as a studio (see also the beginning of letter 559). To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. 7 het dus moeten beginnen zich een zekere kracht voelende en om iets te zijn in zijn tijd , 33 om actief te zijn om als men creveert te kunnen denken, ik ga naar toe waar de lui die gedurfd hebben naar toe gegaan zijn. Enﬁn we zullen zien. met een handdruk. b. t. Vincent Die impressie die ik van mezelf onwillekeurig krijg als ik me vergelijk bij anderen dat ik naast hun er uitzie net alsof ik 10 jaar cellulair heb gezeten is niet overdreven alleen, om het te veranderen, en het zal veranderen, moet ik niet weer uit de kunstwereld te ver uitgaan vooreerst maar voorloopig nog doorzetten met op een atelier of akademie te blijven. En dan zal t verdwijnen.

Translation [1r:1] My dear Theo, Thanks for your letter and the enclosure. The fact that you yourself now actually propose the plan of going to Cormon35 is something that gives me immense pleasure.36 Let me tell you how things have been going for me here. The painting course ended last week,40 because before the end of the course theres a competition for people whove been through the course; so Im not one of them.41 So now Im drawing during the day, too, and the teacher there who presently makes portraits and gets well paid for them has repeatedly asked me whether Id never drawn plaster casts before and whether Id taught myself to draw. And concluded I see that youve done a great deal of work and, you wont be long in making progress, youll beneﬁt greatly it will take a year, but what does that matter? Well, theres someone my age sitting next to me to whom he doesnt say that and hes also been painting for a long time hes been drawing plaster casts for 3 years. Well as a rule they draw without a background there, and for the gentleman in question, in particular, its absolutely forbidden. This produces horribly dry drawings. Then Siberdt42, thats the name of the teacher who also takes the life class said, as for you, you will draw as you please, since I see that you take drawing seriously; as for the others, in general I

33 Taken from the preface to Edmond de Goncourt34s Chrie : Well! when you have done that... it will be really difficult not to be someone in the future (Eh bien! quand on a fait cela... cest vraiment difficile de ntre pas quelquun dans lavenir). Goncourt 1884, p. xvi. Van Gogh had previously written well show that we are someone (letter 551). 35 Fernand Piestre Cormon (1845-1924) French artist 36 This earlier plan is mentioned in the previous letter, letter 556. Van Gogh knew that Breitner37 had studied with Cormon38 (see letter 465) and may also have heard about him at the academy in Antwerp. Cormon opened his studio at number 104 boulevard de Clichy in 1882. While he did receive his students there, corrections were also done in the studio in rue La Bruyre. The syllabus did not differ much from that of his predecessor Lon Bonnat39. Cormons was less rigidly structured, though, and it was above all this more liberal attitude that won him a favourable reputation among a younger generation of artists. Students drew (classical) plaster casts and from life, and Cormon demanded from his students an extremely accurate, lifelike drawing. He advocated a painting technique based on a dark design, on which the painting was worked up with transparent and light colours. He also encouraged his students to work en plein air; sketching trips were a regular feature of the timetable. The studio was particularly popular with foreign artists. See Gauzi 1992, pp. 16-32; exhib. cat. Paris 1988, pp. 10-27; Welsh-Ovcharov 1976, p. 13; Galbally 1977, pp. 29-30; Destremau 1997. From the subsequent letters it emerges that Theos willingness to let Vincent study with Cormon was linked to Theos move at the end of June, since the lease on his apartment ran out then (see letter 559). Theo must have recognized that this marked the start of a new situation, in terms both of his accommodation and of Vincents studio. The precise solution was the subject of discussion in the next few months, with Vincent pressing increasingly hard to be allowed to go to Paris, on the pretext that he would be able to prepare himself to go to Cormon better there than he could in, say, Antwerp or Nuenen. See also Van Tilborgh 2007. 40 The course did not end officially until 31 March. 41 All the courses were concluded with a competition. According to the Annual Report for 1887, the painting class stopped at the end of January so that the students could prepare for this. See cat. Amsterdam 2001, p. 13. 42 Eugne Franois Joseph Siberdt (1851-1931) Belgian artist, teacher at the Antwerp academy 8 To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886.

dont allow them to make a background because then they skimp on drawing the forms, while on a white background theyre really forced to do them so its a straitjacket. Then he also said that [1v:2] Verlat43 had told him that there were good things in my work, which Verlat didnt tell me. It was just after I got your letter that Siberdt44 came to look over the drawings (mine was a head of Niobe and a hand that could be by Michelangelo45 Id done the hand in a couple of hours and he particularly liked that one).46 Well I told him that I was thinking of going to Cormon47 then he said you will do as you would wish but I tell you that Verlat has trained many able pupils, and we make a point of training those who will do us credit and I urge you very strongly to stay. Well this is almost a handsome promise that they guarantee success, so what should I do? On the other hand, Ive also become better acquainted with the English fellows whove been in Paris and heard about their experiences. One has been with Grme48, one with Cabanel49 50 &c. They say that one is relatively freer in Paris and, for instance, that one can decide for oneself what one wants to do, more than here, but that the correction is indifferent. Do you know what I think? This Id certainly work more in Paris than here for instance a drawing in a day or every two days. And we know, or rather you know, enough good fellows who wont refuse to look at them and will even give us tips. So in any event were actually on track, [1v:3] whether I stayed here for a while longer or came to you. Anyway, Cormon53 would very probably say the same as Verlat54. For precisely because Im now in a position to talk to different people about my drawings, I see my own mistakes. Thats a great help in overcoming them. Good spirits, in any event. But now you must write more for once, and we have to see that we manage it intelligently. I heard that Cormon55 gets people to work for 4 hours in the morning then in the evening they can go and work at the Louvre or at LEcole des Beaux-Arts or at another studio where drawing is done. As to the portraits, there certainly wont be much time for them if I want to keep up with everything regularly. And its the same here, too. However, its become dreadfully apparent to me that there are other things that I absolutely definitely have to change. When I compare myself with the other fellows, theres something much too stiff about me, as if Id been in prison for 10 years. And thats a matter whose cause lies in the fact that for 10 years or so Ive had a both difficult and turbulent time, and worry and sorrow and no friends. That will change, though, as my work gets better and one can do something and [1r:4] knows something. Which, I say, were on track to establishing really solidly.

43 Charles (Karel) Michel Marie Verlat (1824-1890) Belgian artist, director of the Antwerp academy 44 Eugne Franois Joseph Siberdt (1851-1931) Belgian artist, teacher at the Antwerp academy 45 Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) Italian artist 46 Neither of these drawings is known. Niobe was a mother who was turned to stone by grief (Ovid, Metamor- phoses vi, 146 ﬀ according to Pliny, Praxiteles made a sculpture group of her and her children). Because of the expressiveness of the heads, depictions of Niobe were often used at art academies. Cf. cat. Amsterdam 2001, p. 69, and for the hand the drawings Sketch of a left hand (F 1693f / JH 989 and F 1693g / JH 990), which are part of a sketchbook. 47 Fernand Piestre Cormon (1845-1924) French artist 48 Jean Lon Grme (1824-1904) French artist 49 Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) French artist 50 During his forty years in teaching, Jean Lon Grme51 had had more than 2000 students. Cabanel52s studio, likewise in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, was also very popular with students from France and other countries. This makes it impossible to identify these Englishmen. See on the training: Ackerman 1986, pp. 168-177, and Dumas 1882-1888, p. 260. 53 Fernand Piestre Cormon (1845-1924) French artist 54 Charles (Karel) Michel Marie Verlat (1824-1890) Belgian artist, director of the Antwerp academy 55 Fernand Piestre Cormon (1845-1924) French artist To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. 9

Be in no doubt, though the way to succeed is to keep courage and patience, and to carry on working hard. And its important for me to smarten up my appearance a bit. Perhaps youll say that it has nothing to do with art and perhaps youll agree with me. Im seeing about getting my teeth put right again. I have no fewer than 10 teeth that Ive either lost or am losing. And thats too many and too disagreeable, and besides it makes me look as though Im over 40, which puts me at too much of a disadvantage. So Ive decided to have them seen to. Its a business that will cost me 100 francs, but it can be done now while Im drawing more easily than at any other time and Ive had the bad teeth cut down, and just paid about half in advance. I was told at the same time that I ought to look after my stomach, because its not right. Its certainly not got any better since Ive been here. But its something if one knows where the problem lies, and a great deal can be done about it with a little energy. Its not pleasant, but what must be must be, and one must see that one stays alive and see one saves some strength if one wants to make paintings. I thought that my teeth were bad for another reason, and I didnt know that my stomach had deteriorated to such an extent. You may say this is stupid, but one sometimes has to choose between two evils and is stuck on one side or on the other. It was the last month that Ive had a lot of trouble with it I also started to cough all [2r:5] the time, bring up phlegm &c., so that I became worried. But well put it right. You understand that Im no better than the next man in so far as if I let things go too much and too far, just like so many other painters (so many if one looks into it) I would drop dead or, worse still, become mad or slow-witted. This is simply the way it is, and the point is to steer clear of them, clear of the various rocks and still manage to keep the ship aﬂoat, even if one does sustain damage. I know that Delacroix56 said that he had discovered painting when he had neither teeth nor breath left.57 But I also know that he took care of himself from that moment on. And that without his mistress he would have died 10 years earlier, if not more.60 So please dont take this expenditure too much amiss of me; Ill see that I economize, but it got too bad and I had to do something about it. As to what you write about whats happening at home, Ill do whatever you think best in that regard.64 If need be, I can leave here whenever I like. Lets say at the beginning of March. But lets consider whether or not any help they might get from me would be worth the journey there and back. Because Im also happy to stay here without going back, and then go from here to Cormon67 [2v:6] whenever you like. The journey isnt all that cheap when I work out that the luggage would cost me more than my own fare. So lets write about this again. Im still pleased that I came here, otherwise Id have become stuck, and now, although I see there are still many obstacles, Ive nonetheless got light by which to make progress. And by adding on a stay in Paris or extending it here, well be on surer ground.

56 Ferdinand Victor Eugne Delacroix (1798-1863) French artist 57 The phrase neither teeth nor breath (ni dents ni souffl) is derived from what Silvestre58 said about Delacroix59 in Histoire des artistes vivants franais et trangers : The very writer who, with all the fervour of youth and emotion, is confused and muddled, that is to say mediocre and even bad, can turn out to be excellent later in life, like wine, and be at the height of his powers just when he has neither teeth nor breath left (Lcrivain mme qui, dans toute lardeur de la jeunesse et du sentiment, est confus, dsordonn, cest--dire mdiocre et mme mauvais, peut devenir, comme le vin, excellent en vieillissant, et se trouver dans toute sa puissance, prcisment lheure o il na plus ni dents ni souffl) (see Silvestre, Histoire, p. 43). Van Gogh quotes this expression again in letters 655, 800 and 801. 60 Although Van Gogh wrote maitres he must have meant matresse in this context of Delacroix61 looking after himself. There is not the slightest evidence that he was supported by teachers or benefactors, but what we do know is that Jenny le Guillou62, whom Silvestre63 calls his governess, looked after him for a long time with blind devotion (see Silvestre 1864, p. 57). Le Guillou, who entered Delacroixs service in 1835, became his lover and confidante, and cared for him until his death in 1863. 64 Mrs van Gogh65 was getting ready for her move from Nuenen to Breda; she was registered at Nieuwe Ginnekenstraat, district B, no. 649bis, on 30 March. Willemien66 went to live with her (FR b1838). Vincent would probably have had to help with the move (see letter 558). 67 Fernand Piestre Cormon (1845-1924) French artist 10 To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886.

As to the plan that we should perhaps live together and take a relatively good studio where we could receive people if need be, keep thinking about it, and let me think about it again too. I see drawing first and foremost that year, which Im afraid theres no going back on. If you find a good place and its not expensive then it can do no harm, but if its expensive it might perhaps not be the cheapest way for the first year if we were to be very hard up for money. The year drawing is the critical point, after that well be freer for many things, both for portraits [2v:7] and for paintings. I think we ought to put this first. For it cant be helped didnt Delacroix68 and Corot69 and Millet70 particularly later all keep thinking about the classics and go on studying them? The fellows who study them to scramble through them are,71 of course, completely wide of the mark. The classics certainly require a great deal of serenity, require that one already knows nature, require tenderness and patience. Otherwise theyre of no use to one.72 And its very strange indeed that Gricault74 and Delacroix75 both knew them more intimately than David, say, they who were the most radical opponents of all academic routine. Im not familiar with Turgenev76s books yet, but some time ago I read T.s biography, which I found very interesting, and how he and Daudet77 had in common a passion for doing everything from models, summarizing 5 or 6 models in a type.78 Im not familiar with Ohnet81 either, which ought to be interesting from what I hear.82 More and more, though, I imagine that in the end art for arts sake working for the sake of working energy for energys sake really becomes very important to all the good fellows, for one [2r:8] sees in the De Goncourt84s that obstinacy is necessary, for society wont give you any thanks. But in painting one finds a degree of rest in the stories of those painters, especially those who strove for something high all the same Israls85 himself, for instance, he was still unknown and still poor to the point of eating dry bread when he still wanted to go to Paris nonetheless, even though the circumstances were discouraging enough.86

68 Ferdinand Victor Eugne Delacroix (1798-1863) French artist 69 Jean Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875) French artist 70 Jean-Franois Millet (1814-1875) French artist 71 It is possible that Van Gogh wrote raﬀelen (gabble) rather than roﬀelen (scramble). 72 Like a previous remark, this passage may have been prompted by reading Sur une Vnus by Guy de Maupassant73 in Gil Blas of 12 January 1886. See letter 553, n. 6.

74 (Jean Louis Andr) Thodore Gricault (1791-1824) French artist 75 Ferdinand Victor Eugne Delacroix (1798-1863) French artist 76 Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) Russian writer 77 Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) French writer 78 A literal source for this expression has not been identiﬁed; Van Gogh may be referring to the article by Eugne- Melchior de Vog, Ivan Serguivitch Tourgunef, Revue des Deux Mondes 53 (15 October 1883), 3rd series, vol. 49, pp. 786-820. In this description of Turgenev79s life and work we read: Ivan Sergeyevich encapsulated Russian society there; he summarized his view of it in a few general types (Ivan Serguivitch y a log la socit russe; il a rsum la conception quil sen faisait dans quelques types gnraux) (p. 816). Daudet80 is not mentioned in the article, but the comparison between the two writers was one that was often drawn at the time, in part because they were friends. Van Gogh was also familiar with Daudets article on Turgenev; see letter 560, n. 5.

81 Georges Ohnet (1848-1918) French writer 82 Georges Ohnet83 achieved fame with his dramas Rgina Sarpi (1875) and Marthe (1877). His novels Les batailles de la vie. Serge Panine (1881) en Le matre de forges (1882), were also popular; they were read predominantly by the petit bourgeois; aesthetically-minded critics denounced them for their careless style, conventional psychology and banal subjects (love and money). Others defended Ohnet as a representative of the idealistic genre during the dominance of naturalism. 84 Edmond de Goncourt (1822-1896) French writer 85 Jozef Israls (1824-1911) Dutch artist 86 From 1845 to April 1847 Jozef Israls87 was in Paris, where among other things he studied at the Ecole des To Theo van Gogh. Antwerp, on or about Tuesday, 2 February 1886. 11

Not to give up, even if one feels one is half dying and even if one feels that in material things one can say goodbye to pleasure in life. Anyway. I wish youd write more, now were discussing this change. Setting up a studio together may perhaps be very good 88 but we have to be able to stick it out and we really have to know what were doing and what we want, and once we set it up a degree of self-conﬁdence is needed, left, after all, after whole series of lost illusions. And one must set up a studio like this knowing that its a battle and that most people are utterly indiﬀerent so one has to set it up feeling one has a degree of power, and so as to be something in ones time,89 to be active to be able to think when one is dying, I am going where the people who dared went. Anyway, well see. With a handshake. Yours truly, Vincent This impression of myself that I cant help getting when I compare me with other people that beside them I look as though Ive spent 10 years in prison is not exaggerated only, to change it, and it will change, I mustnt stray too far out of the art world again for the present, but will have to carry on for the time being by remaining at a studio or academy. And then it will disappear.

Beaux-Arts. See exhib. cat. Groningen 1999, p. 357. 88 Theo had apparently suggested using a room in his new apartment as a studio (see also the beginning of letter 559). 89 Taken from the preface to Edmond de Goncourt90s Chrie : Well! when you have done that... it will be really diﬃcult not to be someone in the future (Eh bien! quand on a fait cela... cest vraiment diﬃcile de ntre pas quelquun dans lavenir). Goncourt 1884, p. xvi. Van Gogh had previously written well show that we are someone (letter 551).