Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh. Paris, Wednesday, 24 April 1889. Wednesday, 24 April 1889 Metadata Source status: Original manuscript Location: Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. nos. b732 a-b V/1962 Date: Letter headed: le 24 Avril 1889. Additional: Theo enclosed a letter of recommendation for Dr Peyron, the director of the asylum at Saint-Rmy (cf. ll. 47-50 and n. 3), as well as a 100-franc note (see letter 763). Original [1r:1] le 24 Avril 1889 Mon cher Vincent, Jai t bien touch par ta lettre que nous avons reu hier,1 tu dis vraiment trop de bien dune chose qui nest que toute naturelle, sans compter que tu me las rendu plusieurs fois, et par ton travail et par une fraternit qui vaut plus que tout largent que jamais je possederai. [1v:2] Je suis bien pein en te sachant encore toujours dans un tat de sant incomplt. Quoique rien dans ta lettre ne trahit une faiblesse desprit, au contraire, le fait que tu juges ncessaire dentrer dans une maison de sant est dj assez grave. Esprons que cela ne sera 1 This was letter 760. 1 2 Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh. Paris, Wednesday, 24 April 1889. qu titre prventive. Comme je te connais assez pour te croire capable de tout les sacrifices imaginables, jai pens que la possibilit existe que tu aies pens cette solution pour gner moins ceux qui te connaissent. Si cela est le cas, je te suplie de ne pas le faire, car certainement la vie[1v:3] l-dedans ne doit pas tre agrable. Sches donc bien ce que tu fais et si peut tre tu ne ferais pas un autre essai avant. Soit en revenant ii pendant quelque temps, soit en allant Pont Aven pendant lt, soit en cherchant une pension chez des gens qui auraient soin de toi. Si tu nas eu aucune arrire pense en mcrivant comme tu las fait je trouve que tu as parfaitement raison daller St Remy. En y restant quelque temps tu pourras reprendre assurance en tes propres forces et rien ne tempchera de retourner Arles au bout de quelque temps si le coeur ten dit. M. Salles ma envoy des prospectus de St Remy[1r:4] o il est dit quil faut quune tierce personne demande ladmission.2 Je te mets donc sous ce pli la lettre pour le Directeur de ltablissement, dont tu pourras faire lusage que tu voudras.4 Aussitt que tu auras dcid ton dpart je tenverrai largent ncessaire. Maintenant je veux encore te dire que nous sommes ii depuis Samedi dernier, nous sommes installs peu prs et tous les jours, lappartement prend un aspect plus habit grace toutes sortes dinventions de Jo. Nous nous entendons trs bien ensemble de sorte, quil y a une si complte satisfaction des deux cts, que nous nous sentons plus heureux que je ne puis te le dire. Nous avons quitte la mre & les soeurs en parfaite[2r:5] sant. Moe parait rajeunir. Elle est repartie maintenant Breda aprs une absence dun mois peu 2 Salles3 had sent the prospectus with his letter to Theo of 19 April 1889 (FR b1050). The complete text of an 1866 brochure is included in Coquiot 1923, pp. 201-211. Cf. also the photographs of a prospectus preserved in the Tralbaut archives (Van Gogh Museum, Documentation) and the illustration in exhib. cat. New York 1986, p. 26. 4 In this letter, dated 24 April 1889, Theo wrote to Dr Thophile Peyron5, director of the asylum at Saint-Rmy, that he hoped you will have no objection to allowing him the freedom to paint outside the institution when he wishes to do so (que vous ne trouverez aucun inconvenient en lui accordant la libert, de faire de la peinture en dehors de ltablissement quand il le dsirera). See Documentation, 24 April 1889. Peyron received his letter through Salles6; see letter 763. Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh. Paris, Wednesday, 24 April 1889. 3 prs. 7 Mon mariage lui a fait bien plaisir, surtout parce que Jo et elle & Wil se conviennent absolument, du reste elle a quelque chose de si sincre dans ses manires quil y a beaucoup de personnes sur qui elle fait une trs agrable impression. Quoiquil y ait bien des choses de la vie quelle ignore et sur lesquelles son opinion doit se former, elle a un tel fond de bien vouloir & dardeur bien faire que je ne crains plus les dsillusions que je redoutais avant notre mariage. [2v:6] Jusqu prsent tout marche bien mieux que je ne lavais pens, et je navais pas os esprer tant de bonheur. Le temps en Hollande ma manqu pour voir beaucoup de tableaux, cependant jai revu la fiance Juive10 & les autres Rembrandt, les F. Hals Haarlem12 que jai trouv plus beau que jamais & le portrait de vieille femme de Rembrandt au Muse de Bruxelles.14 Ce dernier est bien beau. Ces vieux portraits cest ce quil y a de plus remarquable & de plus caractristique en Hollande. on est bien loin de cette epoque quand on voit les gens dprsent. Il y avait chez C.M. une exposition de croquis au fusain de Mauve, des feuilles de ses livres desquisse.15 Des choses bien touchantes. Jet nous a fait cadeau dun de ces dessins, dont je suis trs trs content.18 Ecris moi bientt ce que tu auras dcid dfinitivement & ne dsespre pas, car certes ils viendront encore de meilleurs jours pour toi. Je te serre les deux mains. Theo Translation [1r:1] 24 April 1889 My dear Vincent, 7 On 31 March Mrs van Gogh8 and Willemien9 had travelled with Theo from Breda to Amsterdam (FR b2432), where they stayed until after the wedding, which took place on 18 April. 10 Regarding Rembrandt11s Jewish bride , see letter 430, n. 10. 12 For the paintings by Hals13 in Haarlem, see letter 130, n. 2. 14 Now Circle of Rembrandt, The dead woman (Brussels, Muses Royaux des Beaux-Arts). Ill. 364. 15 From 8 to 15 April there were sketches and drawings by Anton Mauve16 on display at C.M. van Gogh17s gallery at Keizersgracht 453. The Amsterdam society Arti et Amicitiae had held a viewing of these studies on 28 March. See De Groene Amsterdammer, 14 April 1889 and De Amsterdammer. Dagblad voor Nederland, 27 March 1889 and 9 April 1889. 18 Theo probably received as a present Mauve19s Study of a flock of sheep (Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum), Ill. 2281 which has Sketch of a landscape with sheep on the verso. 4 Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh. Paris, Wednesday, 24 April 1889. I was very touched by your letter, which we received yesterday,20 you really say too many kind things about a thing thats just entirely natural, not taking into account that youve given it back to me several times over, both by your work and by a brotherly affection which is worth more than all the money Ill ever possess.[1v:2] It pains me to know that youre still in a state of incomplete health. Although nothing in your letter betrays weakness of mind, on the contrary, the fact that you judge it necessary to enter an asylum is quite serious in itself. Lets hope that this will be merely a preventive measure. As I know you well enough to believe you capable of all the sacrifices imaginable, Ive thought that theres a possibility that you may have thought of this solution to encumber less those who know you. If [1v:3] thats the case, I beg you not to do it, for certainly life in there cant be agreeable. So be well aware of what youre doing, and if perhaps you wouldnt make another try first. Either by coming back here for a while, or by going to Pont-Aven during the summer, or by trying to board with people who would take care of you. If you had no ulterior motive in writing to me as you did, I find that youre absolutely right to go to St-Rmy. By staying there for a while youll be able to regain confidence in your own strength, and nothing will prevent you from returning to Arles after a little while if the heart tells you to. [1r:4] Mr Salles21 has sent me some prospectuses of St-Rmy in which its said that a third party must request admission.22 I therefore enclose the letter for the director24 of the establishment, which you can use however you wish.25 As soon as youve decided to leave Ill send you the necessary money. Now I also want to tell you that weve been here since last Saturday, were almost settled in, and every day the apartment takes on a more lived-in aspect, thanks to all sorts of inventions on Jo28s part. We get along very well together, so that theres such complete satisfaction on both [2r:5] sides that we feel happier than I can tell you. We left Mother29 and the sisters30 in perfect health. Ma seems to be getting younger. She has now gone back to Breda after an absence of almost a month.31 My marriage pleased her very much, above all because Jo34 and herself and Wil35 get on perfectly, moreover she has something so sincere in her ways that there are many people on whom she makes a very agreeable impression. Although there are many things of life about which she does not know and on which her opinion must be formed, she has such a fund of good will and ardour to do good that Im no longer afraid of the disillusionments I feared before our marriage.