To Theo . Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888.

Saturday, 23 June 1888

Metadata Source status: Original manuscript

Location: Amsterdam, , inv. no. b543 V/1962

Date: The letter must have been written after 17 June because Van Gogh refers to an article in La Justice of that date (n. 1). He writes: Its still raining a lot here (l. 36). According to the weather records it rained heavily until Saturday, 23 June, and considerably less on 24 and 25 June. Since Saturday, 23 June was the last very rainy day and Van Gogh thanks Theo for sending his allowance, we have dated the letter Saturday, 23 June 1888.

Additional: Original [1r:1] Mon cher Theo, Bien merci de ta lettre et du billet de 50 frs. quelle contenait. jignorais que larticle sur Claude Monet ft de la mme main que celui sur Bismarck. 1 Cela fait du bien den lire de pareils, davantage que la pluspart des articles des dcadents avec leur affection de dire les choses les plus banales en termes bizarrement contourns. 4 je suis bien mcontent de ce que jai fait de ces jours ci car cest trs laid. Et pourtant la figure mintresse bien davantage que le paysage. Tout de mme je tenverrai un dessin du Zouave aujourdhui. 5

1 Gustave Geffroy2, Bismarck appeared in Le Figaro, Supplment Littraire (18 February 1888), pp. 25-26. Geffroy writes about Prince Otto von Bismarck-Schnhausen3 as a political figure and recounts some anecdotes from his biography. See for Geffroys article Dix tableaux de Claude Monet in La Justice 9 (17 June 1888): letter 629, n. 1.

4 An allusion to the often high-flown style in the Symbolist manifestos. 5

1 2 To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888.

faire des tudes de figures pour chercher et pour apprendre ce serait encore aprs tout pour moi le plus court chemin de faire quelque chose qui vaille. Bernard en est la meme question. il menvoie aujourdhui un croquis de bordel6 que je tenvoie ci– inclus pour laccrocher ct des saltimbanques que tu as de lui. 8 Derriere le dessin il y a une posie qui est bien dans le mme ton que le dessin, 10 il est probable quil en a une etude peinte [1v:2] plus faite.12 Je ne serais pas tonn sil voulait me faire un change avec la tte de zouave quoique celle l soit trs laide.14 Mais comme je naimerais pas le priver dtudes vendables je ne proposerais pas un change moins quon puisse lui acheter pour une petite somme en mme temps. Il pleut encore beaucoup ici ce qui fait grand tort au bl qui est encore sur pied. Mais heureusement javais un modle de ces jours ci. Jaurais besoin dun livre, A B C D du dessin par A. Cassagne. 16

Seated Zouave (F 1443 / JH 1485). 6 Emile Bernard7, Brothel scene, with the dedication mon ami ce croquis bte (to my friend Vincent, this silly sketch), 1888 (Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum). Ill. 2322. 8 Emile Bernard9, The acrobats, 1887 (Montevideo, Uruguay, Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Juan Manuel Blanes). Ill. 2323. The painting is dedicated to Vincent, but went back to Bernard later. See Luthi 1982, p. 14, cat. no. 65. 10 On the back of the drawing Bernard11 wrote (accents added by us): I Its in a faraway corner, A dark tavern saddened By the feeble light of a closed shutter. The landladys a specialist And sells, as in a quite open trade, Both drink and flesh... With a look that displays All of a hearts wretchedness, Each woman, as if at market, Meat dressed with a flower, Decked out in silk and gold, Sells her poor resigned soul. II Society, behold your crime. Man, cast a lenient glance Upon the whore, this victim. Woman, who knows full well that everything is a lie, Longing for nothing now, Not even the end of life, Who sees only a great emptiness Round all her being and her soul, Loves sad victim! Society, you are wicked When, for your own Desire, you force Children under Pleasures yoke. 19 June 1888. I Cest dans un coin trs retir Un cabaret sombre quattriste Le jour bas dun volet tir. La marchande est specialiste Et vend comme en un dbit clair De la boisson et de la chair... Avec un regard o stale Toute la misre dun coeur Chaque femme comme la halle La viande quhabille une fleur Dans la soie et lor bien peigne Vend sa pauvre me rsigne II Socit voici ton crime. Homme jette un regard clment Sur la putain, cette victime. Femme qui sait bien que tout ment A qui plus rien ne fait envie Pas mme la fin de la vie, Qui ne voit quun grand vide autour De tout son tre et de son me Triste victime de lamour! Socit tu es infme Quand tu courbes pour ton Dsir Des enfants au joug du Plaisir. 19 Juin 1888. Although Van Gogh talks about sonnets, strictly speaking this is not what they are. Cf. exhib. cat. New Brunswick 1988, p. 23. 12 There is no known painted version of Bernard13s Brothel scene . 14 It emerges from letter 633 that Van Gogh wanted to exchange the painting Zouave (F 423 / JH 1486) with Bernard15. Eventually he sent the watercolour Zouave (F 1482 / JH 1487) with the dedication A mon cher copain Bernard. Vincent. A letter from Bernard to his parents tells us that Van Gogh sent this drawing in mid-July: see letter 641. 16 See for Cassagne17s Guide de lalphabet du dessin : letter 214, n. 2. It was published by Ch. Fouraut et fils, diteurs, at 47 rue Saint-Andr des Arts in Paris. Van Gogh needed the book for the drawing lessons he was giving the Zouave Lieutenant Milliet18 (see letter 628). To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888. 3 je lai demand la librairie ici et aprs avoir attendu 14 jours on me rpond quil leur faut le nom de lditeur que jignore. Si tu pouvais me lenvoyer cela me ferait bien plaisir. La negligence, le laisser aller paresseux des gens ici est sans nom et on est bien gn pour les moindres des chses. Cest l la raison pourquoi il faudra aller Marseille un de ces jours pour pouvoir faire venir de l-bas ce dont jai besoin. Le port de Paris19 nest pas toujours agreable et rencherit les choses mais voila, pour aller expres Marseille cela renchrit encore plus. Cela me chagrine bien souvent que la peinture soit comme une mauvaise maitresse quon aurait qui depense, depense toujours et cest jamais assez, [1v:3] et de me dire20 que si par hasard de temps en temps il y a une etude passable il serait beaucoup meilleur march de les acheter aux autres. Le reste, lespoir de mieux faire, est aussi un peu une fata morgana. Enfin il ny a pas grand remde tout cela moins quun jour ou un autre on puisse sassocier avec un bon travailleur et deux produire davantage. Pour ce qui est de lditeur du livre de Cassagne tu dois avoir son trait de perspective et ladresse doit y tre. dailleurs on tient ces livres chez Latouche et Rue Chausse dAntin chez celui qui a toujours les Allong.21 Cest bien beau que Claude Monet a trouv moyen de faire de fevrier Mai ces dix tableaux. Travailler vite ce nest pas travailler moins serieux, cela dpend de laplomb quon a et de lexperience.

19 Read: Les frais de port de Paris. 20 Read: et cela me chagrine de me dire. 21 See letter 158, n. 3, for Cassagne22s Guide de lalphabet du dessin and letter 168, n. 21 for his Trait daquarelle , Elments de perspective , Trait pratique de perspective and La perspective du paysagiste . Madame Latouche had a magasin de couleurs fines et tableaux modernes. Madame Latouche had a magasin de couleurs fines et tableaux modernes (shop selling fine colours and modern paintings) at 34 rue Lafayette. She had run the business alone since the death of her husband, the painter Louis Latouche23, in 1884. She did framing and lining and exhibited the work of the Impressionists in her shop window. Her business was taken over by Contet in 1886. See Correspondance Gauguin 1984, p. 332 (n. 24) and Distel 1989, pp. 33-34. Gauguin24 had paintings lined there (see letter 776, n. 30). The plaster cast of a Dante mask from Van Goghs collection (Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum) has a Latouche label on it. See cat. Amsterdam 2011. There were several art shops in rue de la Chausse dAntin, but since Van Gogh refers to a colourman in this context in letter 657, that man who always has works by [Auguste] Allong25 is probably Lon Berville26, 25 rue de la Chausse dAntin. In the address books Berville is the only paint merchant in rue de la Chausse dAntin; he is moreover listed in 1886 and 1887 as marchand de tableaux (dealer in pictures) (Almanach du commerce de Paris 1886-1888). We learn from an advertisement on the back of the catalogue Muse national du Luxembourg. Peintures, sculptures et dessins de lcole moderne of 1886 that Berville sold all the supplies for, among other things, Le Dessin Acadmique et dArchitecture (academic and architectural drawing). There are two drawings from Van Goghs Paris period on paper with watermark L. Berville. See cat. Amsterdam 2001, p. 204. 4 To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888.

Ainsi Jules Gurard le chasseur de lions raconte dans son livre que les jeunes lions ont dans le commen- cement beaucoup de mal tuer un cheval ou un boeuf mais que les vieux lions tuent dun seul coup de griffe ou de dent bien calcul et ont une suret etonnante pour cette [1r:4] besogne.27 Je ne retrouve pas ici la gaiet meridionale dont Daudet parle tant, 29 au contraire une mignardise fade, une nonchallance sordide mais nempche que le pays est beau. Pourtant la nature ici doit etre trs differente de Bordiguera, Hyres, Genes, Antibes, o il y a moins de mistral, o les montagnes donnent un tout autre caractre. 31 Ici sauf une couleur plus intense cela rappelle la Hollande, tout est plat et seulement on pense surtout la Hollande de Ruysdael et de Hobbema et dOstade plutot qu la Hollande actuelle. Ce qui metonne cest la raret des fleurs, ainsi pas de bluets dans les bls, rarement des coquelicots. Combien a cout la caisse de tableaux de port dernierement. les empatements de certaines toiles sont sches superficiellement mais pas assez pour rouler, sans cela jenverrais. Mac Knight a maintenant un ami avec lui, 33 de son travail je ne vois jamais rien, jai montr hier lui et son ami quatre ou cinq nouvelles tudes quils ont regard avec un silence glac. Je pense quils preparent une surprise de leur ct de laquelle jespre quelle sera bonne. car cela me ferait grand plaisir de voir quils aient trouv une voie. Poigne de main toi et Mouries si toutefois il nest pas encore install dans latelier

27 Jules Grard28 writes in La chasse au lion (1855): Aged between eight months and a year old, the lion cubs start to attack the flocks of sheep or herds of goats which come to the area surrounding where they live during the day. Sometimes they take on cattle but are still so unskilful that for every one they kill, ten are injured and the father has to intervene. It is only when they reach two that the young lions can kill a horse, a bullock, a camel with a single snap of the jaws to the throat and leap over the two metre high hedges which are supposed to protect the doyars (De huit mois un an, les lionceaux commencent attaquer les troupeaux de moutons ou de chvres qui, pendant le jour, viennent dans le voisinage de leur demeure. Quelquefois ils sen prennent aux boeufs; mais ils sont encore si maladroits, quil y a souvent dix blesss pour un mort, et que le pre est oblig dintervenir. Ce nest qu deux ans que les jeunes lions savent trangler un cheval, un boeuf, un chameau, dun seul coup de gueule la gorge, et franchir les haies de deux mtres de haut qui sont rputes protger les douars) (Paris 1855, p. 31). 29 A reference to Alphonse Daudet30s novels Aventures prodigeuses de Tartarin de Tarascon (1872) and Tartarin sur les Alpes (1885). 31 Bordighera is on the coast of Liguria (northwestern Italy). Hyres is the most southerly town in Provence, 18 km to the east of Toulon; Antibes is on the Cte dAzur, 20 km south-west of Nice. Monet32 had painted in both Bordighera and Antibes. 33 Eugne Boch34. To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888. 5 la Gerome.35 t. t. Vincent

Translation [1r:1] My dear Theo, Many thanks for your letter and the 50-franc note it contained. I didnt know that the article on Claude Monet37 was by the same hand as the one on Bismarck38.39 It does you good to read things like that, more than the majority of articles by the Decadents, with their fondness for saying the most banal things in strangely convoluted ways.42 Im really unhappy with what Ive done these past few days, because its very ugly. And yet the figure interests me much more than landscape. Ill send you a drawing of the Zouave today all the same.43 To do studies of figures, to attempt them and to learn would still after all be the shortest route for me to do something of value. Bernard44s in the same position. Today he sends me a croquis of a brothel45 that Im sending you enclosed herewith to pin up next to the acrobats by him that you have.47 On the back of the drawing theres a poem with very much the same tone as the drawing,49 its likely that he has a more finished painted study of it.51 [1v:2]

35 See for the studio like Grme36s: letter 625, n. 21.

37 Claude Oscar Monet (1840-1926) French artist 38 Otto von Bismarck-Schnhausen (1815-1898) German statesman 39 Gustave Geffroy40, Bismarck appeared in Le Figaro, Supplment Littraire (18 February 1888), pp. 25-26. Geffroy writes about Prince Otto von Bismarck-Schnhausen41 as a political figure and recounts some anecdotes from his biography. See for Geffroys article Dix tableaux de Claude Monet in La Justice 9 (17 June 1888): letter 629, n. 1.

42 An allusion to the often high-flown style in the Symbolist manifestos. 43 Seated Zouave (F 1443 / JH 1485). 44 Emile Bernard (1868-1941) French artist and writer 45 Emile Bernard46, Brothel scene, with the dedication mon ami Vincent ce croquis bte (to my friend Vincent, this silly sketch), 1888 (Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum). Ill. 2322. 47 Emile Bernard48, The acrobats, 1887 (Montevideo, Uruguay, Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Juan Manuel Blanes). Ill. 2323. The painting is dedicated to Vincent, but went back to Bernard later. See Luthi 1982, p. 14, cat. no. 65. 49 On the back of the drawing Bernard50 wrote (accents added by us): I Its in a faraway corner, A dark tavern saddened By the feeble light of a closed shutter. The landladys a specialist And sells, as in a quite open trade, Both drink and flesh... With a look that displays All of a hearts wretchedness, Each woman, as if at market, Meat dressed with a flower, Decked out in silk and gold, Sells her poor resigned soul. II Society, behold your crime. Man, cast a lenient glance Upon the whore, this victim. Woman, who knows full well that everything is a lie, Longing for nothing now, Not even the end of life, Who sees only a great emptiness Round all her being and her soul, Loves sad victim! Society, you are wicked When, for your own Desire, you force Children under Pleasures yoke. 19 June 1888. I Cest dans un coin trs retir Un cabaret sombre quattriste Le jour bas dun volet tir. La marchande est specialiste Et vend comme en un dbit clair De la boisson et de la chair... Avec un regard o stale Toute la misre dun coeur Chaque femme comme la halle La viande quhabille une fleur Dans la soie et lor bien peigne Vend sa pauvre me rsigne II Socit voici ton crime. Homme jette un regard clment Sur la putain, cette victime. Femme qui sait bien que tout ment A qui plus rien ne fait envie Pas mme la fin de la vie, Qui ne voit quun grand vide autour De tout son tre et de son me Triste victime de lamour! Socit tu es infme Quand tu courbes pour ton Dsir Des enfants au joug du Plaisir. 19 Juin 1888. Although Van Gogh talks about sonnets, strictly speaking this is not what they are. Cf. exhib. cat. New Brunswick 1988, p. 23. 51 There is no known painted version of Bernard52s Brothel scene . 6 To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888.

I wouldnt be surprised if he wanted to make an exchange with me for the head of a Zouave, although that ones very ugly.53 But as I wouldnt wish to deprive him of saleable studies I wouldnt suggest an exchange unless at the same time we could buy something from him for a small sum. Its still raining a lot here, which does a lot of damage to the wheat, which is still standing. But luckily I had a model these past few days. Ill need a book, A B C D du dessin by A. Cassagne55 .56 I requested it at the bookshop here, and after waiting a fortnight they tell me they need the name of the publisher, which I dont know. If you could send me it Id be very pleased. The negligence, the lazy carelessness of people here is indescribable and one is really put out by the least things. Thats the reason Ill have to go to Marseille one of these days, to be able to get what I need from over there. The cost of carriage from Paris isnt always pleasant, and makes things dearer, but there you are, to go to Marseille specially, that makes them even dearer. It quite often makes me feel sad that paintings like a bad mistress one might have, whos always spending, spending and its never [1v:3] enough, and to say to myself that even if there happens to be a passable study from time to time, it would be much less expensive to buy them from others. The rest, the hope of doing better, is also a bit of a fata Morgana. Well, theres not much remedy for all that, unless some day or other one could enter into an association with a good worker and produce more together. As for the publisher of Cassagne59s book you probably have his treatise on perspective, and the address should be in it. Besides, they have these books at Latouche60s, and in rue de la Chausse dAntin, at the place of that man who always has works by Allong61.62 Its very good that Claude Monet68 found a way of making these ten pictures between February and May. To work quickly isnt to work less seriously, it depends on the confidence and experience one has. In the same way, Jules Grard69 the lion-hunter says in his book that at the beginning young

53 It emerges from letter 633 that Van Gogh wanted to exchange the painting Zouave (F 423 / JH 1486) with Bernard54. Eventually he sent the watercolour Zouave (F 1482 / JH 1487) with the dedication A mon cher copain Bernard. Vincent. A letter from Bernard to his parents tells us that Van Gogh sent this drawing in mid-July: see letter 641. 55 Armand Thophile Cassagne (1823-1907) French artist 56 See for Cassagne57s Guide de lalphabet du dessin : letter 214, n. 2. It was published by Ch. Fouraut et fils, diteurs, at 47 rue Saint-Andr des Arts in Paris. Van Gogh needed the book for the drawing lessons he was giving the Zouave Lieutenant Milliet58 (see letter 628). 59 Armand Thophile Cassagne (1823-1907) French artist 60 Louis Latouche (1829-1884) seller of artists’ materials in Paris 61 Auguste Allong (1833-1898) French artist 62 See letter 158, n. 3, for Cassagne63s Guide de lalphabet du dessin and letter 168, n. 21 for his Trait daquarelle , Elments de perspective , Trait pratique de perspective and La perspective du paysagiste . Madame Latouche had a magasin de couleurs fines et tableaux modernes. Madame Latouche had a magasin de couleurs fines et tableaux modernes (shop selling fine colours and modern paintings) at 34 rue Lafayette. She had run the business alone since the death of her husband, the painter Louis Latouche64, in 1884. She did framing and lining and exhibited the work of the Impressionists in her shop window. Her business was taken over by Contet in 1886. See Correspondance Gauguin 1984, p. 332 (n. 24) and Distel 1989, pp. 33-34. Gauguin65 had paintings lined there (see letter 776, n. 30). The plaster cast of a Dante mask from Van Goghs collection (Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum) has a Latouche label on it. See cat. Amsterdam 2011. There were several art shops in rue de la Chausse dAntin, but since Van Gogh refers to a colourman in this context in letter 657, that man who always has works by [Auguste] Allong66 is probably Lon Berville67, 25 rue de la Chausse dAntin. In the address books Berville is the only paint merchant in rue de la Chausse dAntin; he is moreover listed in 1886 and 1887 as marchand de tableaux (dealer in pictures) (Almanach du commerce de Paris 1886-1888). We learn from an advertisement on the back of the catalogue Muse national du Luxembourg. Peintures, sculptures et dessins de lcole moderne of 1886 that Berville sold all the supplies for, among other things, Le Dessin Acadmique et dArchitecture (academic and architectural drawing). There are two drawings from Van Goghs Paris period on paper with watermark L. Berville. See cat. Amsterdam 2001, p. 204. 68 Claude Oscar Monet (1840-1926) French artist 69 Jules Grard To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 23 June 1888. 7 lions have a lot of trouble killing a horse or an ox, but old lions kill with a single well-judged strike from a claw or a tooth, and have an amazing sureness for that job.70 [1r:4] I dont find the southern gaiety here that Daudet72 talks about so much,73 on the contrary, an insipid affectation, a sordid carelessness, but that doesnt mean that the region isnt beautiful. All the same, nature here must be very different from Bordighera, Hyres, Genoa, Antibes, where theres less mistral, where the mountains give a quite different character.75 Here except for a more intense colour, it reminds one of Holland, its all flat only one thinks more of the Holland of Ruisdael77 and Hobbema78 and Ostade79 rather than the Holland of today. What amazes me is how few flowers there are, so no cornflowers in the wheatfields, seldom any poppies. What was the cost of the carriage for the crate of pictures recently? The impastos on some canvases are dry on the surface but not enough to roll them up; if it wasnt for that Id send them. Macknight80 has a friend81 with him now,82 I never see any of his work, yesterday I showed him and his friend four or five new studies, which they looked at in icy silence. I think for their part theyre preparing a big surprise, which I hope will be a good one. Because it would please me greatly to see that theyd found a direction. Handshake to you and to Mourier84 if, that is, he hasnt yet moved into the studio like Grme85s.86 Ever yours, Vincent

(1817-1864) French writer 70 Jules Grard71 writes in La chasse au lion (1855): Aged between eight months and a year old, the lion cubs start to attack the flocks of sheep or herds of goats which come to the area surrounding where they live during the day. Sometimes they take on cattle but are still so unskilful that for every one they kill, ten are injured and the father has to intervene. It is only when they reach two that the young lions can kill a horse, a bullock, a camel with a single snap of the jaws to the throat and leap over the two metre high hedges which are supposed to protect the doyars (De huit mois un an, les lionceaux commencent attaquer les troupeaux de moutons ou de chvres qui, pendant le jour, viennent dans le voisinage de leur demeure. Quelquefois ils sen prennent aux boeufs; mais ils sont encore si maladroits, quil y a souvent dix blesss pour un mort, et que le pre est oblig dintervenir. Ce nest qu deux ans que les jeunes lions savent trangler un cheval, un boeuf, un chameau, dun seul coup de gueule la gorge, et franchir les haies de deux mtres de haut qui sont rputes protger les douars) (Paris 1855, p. 31). 72 Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) French writer 73 A reference to Alphonse Daudet74s novels Aventures prodigeuses de Tartarin de Tarascon (1872) and Tartarin sur les Alpes (1885). 75 Bordighera is on the coast of Liguria (northwestern Italy). Hyres is the most southerly town in Provence, 18 km to the east of Toulon; Antibes is on the Cte dAzur, 20 km south-west of Nice. Monet76 had painted in both Bordighera and Antibes. 77 Jacob Isaackszn. Van Ruisdael (1628/29-1682) Dutch artist 78 Meindert Hobbema (1638-1709) Dutch artist 79 Isaac van Ostade (1621-1649) Dutch artist 80 Dodge Macknight (1860-1950) American artist 81 Eugne Guillaume Boch (1855-1941) Belgian artist 82 Eugne Boch83. 84 Christian Vilhelm Mourier-Petersen (1858-1945) Danish artist 85 Jean Lon Grme (1824-1904) French artist 86 See for the studio like Grme87s: letter 625, n. 21.