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863 To Theo van Gogh. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Tuesday, 29 April 1890.

metadata
No. 863 (Brieven 1990 864, Complete Letters 629)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Theo van Gogh
Date: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Tuesday, 29 April 1890

Source status
Original manuscript

Location
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b678 V/1962

Date
Vincent wishes Theo a happy birthday (1 May). In Brieven1914 Jo van Gogh-Bonger dated this letter to Tuesday, 29 April 1890; it is possible she had a postmark to rely on. We have followed her in the dating of this letter, since this is also in keeping with Theo’s remark, i.e. that he had said to Jo the day before his birthday that he hoped to receive a letter from Vincent, and that a letter had actually come (see letter 867).

Ongoing topic
Fourth attack in Saint-Rémy (857)

Sketches

  1. Large brush (F - / JH -), letter sketch
  2. Brush (F - / JH -), letter sketch

original text
 1r:1
Mon cher Théo,
Jusqu’à présent je n’ai pu t’écrire, mais de ces jours ci allant un peu mieux je n’ai pas voulu tarder pour te souhaiter une heureuse année puisque c’est ta fête,1 à toi, à ta femme & à ton enfant. En même temps je te prie d’accepter les divers tableaux que je t’envoie2 avec mes remerciments pour toutes les bontés que tu as pour moi, car sans toi je serais bien malheureux.
Tu verras qu’il y a d’abord des toiles d’après Millet.3 Ceux là n’étant pas destinés au public peutêtre en feras tu cadeau à nos soeurs tot ou tard.4 Mais d’abord tu en garderas ce que bon te semble et tant que tu voudras, c’est absolument à toi. Tu m’enverras de ces jours ci quelqu’autre chôse des artistes anciens & modernes à faire si tu en trouves.
Le reste des toiles c’est maigre, n’ayant pas pu travailler depuis deux mois je suis bien en retard. Tu trouveras que les oliviers à ciel rose sont le meilleur,5 avec les montagnes,6 je m’imagine; les premiers vont bien comme pendant à ceux au ciel jaune.7 Pour le portrait d’arlesienne tu sais que j’en ai promis un exemplaire à l’ami Gauguin et tu le lui feras parvenir.8 Puis les cyprès sont pour M. Laurier.9 J’aurais voulu les refaire avec un peu moins d’empatements mais le temps me manque.
Enfin il faut les laver encore plusieurs fois à l’eau froide puis un fort vernis lorsque les empatements seront secs à fond, alors les noirs ne saliront pas quand l’huile sera bien évaporé. Maintenant il me faudrait necessairement des couleurs qu’en partie tu pourrais bien reprendre chez Tanguy s’il est gêné ou si cela lui serait agréable. Mais bien entendu faut pas qu’il soit plus cher que l’autre.
 1v:2
Voici la liste des couleurs qu’il me faudrait

Grands
Tubes.
12 blanc de zinc, 3 Cobalt, 5 Vert Veronèse
1 Laque ordinaire
2 Vert émeraude, 4 Chrome 1, 2 chrome 2
1 Mine Orange, 2 Outremer

Puis (mais chez Tasset) 2 laque geranium, tubes moyen format.
Tu me rendrais service en m’en faisant parvenir au moins la moitié de suite de suite car j’ai perdu trop de temps.
Puis il me faudrait 6 brosses [sketch A]
6 putois10 [sketch B]
à peu près de ces grandeurs. et 7 mètres toile ou même 10.
Que te dire de ces deux mois passés, cela va pas bien du tout, je suis triste et embêté plus que je ne saurais t’exprimer et je ne sais plus où j’en suis.
La commande de couleurs étant un peu lourde laisse moi attendre la moitié si cela te convient mieux.
Etant malade j’ai bien encore fait quelques petites toiles de tête que tu verras plus tard, des souvenirs du nord,11 et à present je viens de terminer un coin de prairie ensoleillée que je crois plus ou moins vigoureux.12 Tu verras cela bientôt.
Monsieur Peyron etant absent je n’ai pas encore lu tes lettres mais je sais qu’il en est venu. Il a été assez bon pour te mettre au courant de la situation,13 moi je ne sais que faire et que penser. mais j’ai grande envie de sortir de cette maison.– Cela ne t’etonnera pas, je n’ai pas besoin de t’en dire davantage.
 1v:3
Il est venu également des lettres de la maison que je n’ai pas encore eu le courage de lire, tellement je me sens mélancolique.
Veuillez prier M. Laurier de ne plus ecrire des articles sur ma peinture,14 dites le lui avec instance que d’abord il se trompe sur mon compte, puis que réellement je me sens trop abimé de chagrin pour pouvoir faire face à de la publicité. Faire des tableaux me distrait – mais si j’en entends parler cela me fait plus de peine qu’il ne le sait. Comment va Bernard. Puisqu’il y a des toiles en double, si tu veux tu lui ferais un échange car une toile de lui de bonne qualité ferait bien dans ta collection. Je suis tombé malade à l’epoque où je faisais les fleurs d’amandier.15 Si j’avais pu continuer à travailler, tu peux de là juger que j’en aurais fait d’autres des arbres en fleur. A présent c’est déjà presque fini les arbres en fleur, vraiment j’ai pas de chance.– Oui il faut chercher de sortir d’ici, mais où aller. Je ne crois pas qu’on puisa être plus enfermé et prisonnier dans les maisons où l’on n’a pas la prétention de vous laisser libre tel qu’à Charenton ou à Montevergues.
Si tu ecris à la maison dites leur bien des chôses de ma part et que je pense souvent à eux.
Puis bonne poignée de main à toi et à Jo. crois moi

t. à t.
Vincent.

 1r:4
Veuillez m’envoyer ce que tu trouves de figures dans mes vieux dessins, j’y songe de refaire le tableaux des paysans dinant, effet de lumière de lampe.16 Cette toile doit etre toute noire à présent,17 peutêtre pourrais je de tête la refaire entierement. Tu m’enverras surtout les glaneuses et des bêcheurs18 s’il y en a encore.
Puis si tu veux je referai la vieille tour de Nunen19 et la chaumière.20 Je crois que si tu les as encore j’en ferais à présent de souvenir quelque chose de mieux.

translation
 1r:1
My dear Theo,
I haven’t been able to write to you until now, but as I’m feeling a little better these days I didn’t want to delay wishing a happy year to you, your wife and your child, since it’s your birthday.1 At the same time, please accept the various paintings I’m sending you2 with my thanks for all the kindnesses you’ve shown me, for without you I would be most unhappy.
You’ll see that first there are canvases after Millet.3 As these aren’t destined for public viewing, perhaps you’ll make a present of them to our sisters sooner or later.4 But first you must keep the ones you consider good, and as many as you wish, they’re absolutely yours. One of these days you must send me some other things by ancient and modern artists to do, if you find any.
The rest of the canvases are meagre, I’m very much behind, not having been able to work for two months. You’ll find that the olive trees with the pink sky are the best,5 with the mountains,6 I would imagine; the first go well as a pendant to those with the yellow sky.7 As regards the portrait of the Arlésienne, you know that I’ve promised our friend Gauguin one, and you must see that he gets it.8 Then the cypresses are for Mr Aurier.9 I would have liked to redo them with a little less impasto, but I don’t have the time.
Anyway, they must be washed again several times in cold water, then a strong varnish when the impasto is dry right through, then the blacks won’t get dirty when the oil has fully evaporated. Now I would necessarily need colours, part of which you could well get from Tanguy’s if he’s hard up, or if that would please him. But of course he mustn’t be dearer than the other.
 1v:2
Here’s the list of colours I would need

Large
tubes.
12 zinc white, 3 cobalt, 5 Veronese green
1 ordinary lake
2 emerald green, 4 chrome 1, 2 chrome 2
1 orange lead, 2 ultramarine

Then (but from Tasset’s) 2 geranium lake, medium-sized tubes.
You would do me a service by sending me at least half of it at once, at once, for I’ve lost too much time.
Then I would need 6 brushes [sketch A]
6 fitch brushes10 [sketch B]
around these sizes, and 7 metres of canvas, or even 10.
What can I tell you of these two last months, things aren’t going well at all, I’m more sad and bored than I could tell you, and I no longer know what point I’m at.
As the order for colours is a little large, let me wait for half if that suits you better.
While I was ill I nevertheless still did a few small canvases from memory which you’ll see later, reminiscences of the north,11 and now I’ve just finished a sunlit corner of a meadow which I think is fairly vigorous.12 You’ll see it soon.
As Mr Peyron is away I haven’t yet read your letters, but I know that some have come. He has been quite kind in informing you of the situation,13 as for me I don’t know what to do or think. But I have a great desire to leave this place. That won’t surprise you, I don’t need to tell you any more about it.  1v:3
Letters have also come from home, which I haven’t yet had the courage to read, so melancholy do I feel.
Please ask Mr Aurier not to write any more articles about my painting,14 tell him earnestly that first he is wrong about me, then that really I feel too damaged by grief to be able to face up to publicity. Making paintings distracts me – but if I hear talk of them that pains me more than he knows. How is Bernard? Since there are duplicates of some canvases, if you want you could do an exchange with him, because a good-quality canvas of his would look well in your collection. I fell ill at the time I was doing the almond-tree blossoms.15 If I’d been able to continue working, you can judge from that that I would have done others of the trees in blossom. Now the trees in blossom are almost finished, really I have no luck. Yes, I must try to leave here, but where am I to go? I don’t believe one can be more shut up and imprisoned in the places where they don’t pretend to leave you free, such as at Charenton or Montevergues.
If you write home, give them my warm regards and tell them I think of them often.
Then good handshake to you and Jo. Believe me

Ever yours,
Vincent.

 1r:4
Please send me what you can find of figures among my old drawings, I’m thinking of redoing the painting of the peasants eating supper, lamplight effect.16 That canvas must be completely dark now,17 perhaps I could redo it entirely from memory. You must above all send me the women gleaning and diggers,18 if there are any left.
Then if you like I’ll redo the old tower at Nuenen19 and the cottage.20 I think that if you still have them I could now make something better of them from memory.
notes
1. Theo turned 33 on 1 May. Vincent had been withdrawn for a long time. On 27 April 1890, Theo wrote to Mien Bonger, Jo’s sister: ‘The poor fellow is still ill. The doctor recently wrote that for weeks now he’s been sitting with his head in his hands and if one speaks to him, he makes signs that he wants to be alone. Isn’t it terrible?’ (FR b4305).
2. This last (seventh) consignment from Saint-Rémy contained, in addition to the works mentioned by Van Gogh (see nn. 3-8), the following works, listed by Theo when he confirmed receipt of the consignment in letter 867: Charles-Elzéard Trabuc (F 629 / JH 1774 ), Portrait of a one-eyed man (F 532 / JH 1650 ) and Almond blossom (F 671 / JH 1891 ). Van Gogh must also have sent at this time Olive grove with two olive pickers (F 587 / JH 1853 ) and Road-menders in a lane with massive plane trees (F 658 / JH 1861 ), which he had withheld from the previous consignment (see letter 834).
3. The paintings after prints by Millet, Diggers (after Millet) (F 648 / JH 1833 ) and Evening (after Millet) (F 647 /JH 1834 ), had been in the previous batch of paintings sent to Theo (see letter 834). Vincent probably sent at this time the rest of the Millet copies, i.e. The end of the day (after Millet) (F 649 / JH 1835 ), Morning: going out to work (after Millet) (F 684 / JH 1880 ), Noon: rest (after Millet) (F 686 / JH 1881 ), Reaper (after Millet) (F 687 / JH 1782 ), Reaper with a scythe (after Millet) (F 688 / JH 1783 ), Woman binding sheaves (after Millet) (F 700 / JH 1781 ), Woman with a rake (after Millet) (F 698 / JH 1789 ), Sheaf binder (after Millet) (F 693 / JH 1785 ), Woman bruising flax (after Millet) (F 697 / JH 1788 ), Thresher (after Millet) (F 692 / JH 1784 ), Sheepshearers (after Millet) (F 634 / JH 1787 ), Woman spinning (after Millet) (F 696 / JH 1786 ), Woodcutter (after Millet) (F 670 / JH 1886 ), Snow-covered field with a plough and harrow (after Millet) (F 632 / JH 1882 ), The first steps (after Millet) (F 668 / JH 1883 ), Sower (after Millet) (F 690 / JH 1837 ) and Sower (after Millet) (F 689 / JH 1836 ).
4. Only Vincent’s elder sister Anna received at some point a copy after Millet: Woman spinning (after Millet) (F 696 / JH 1786 ).
5. Van Gogh had two paintings of ‘olive trees with a pink sky’: Women picking olives (F 656 / JH 1870 ) and Women picking olives (F 654 / JH 1868 ). Considering that both were intended for Theo, he must have sent both of them. The third version, intended for his mother and Willemien, had already been sent to Theo (see letter 834).
6. ‘The mountains’ must refer to Ravine (F 661 / JH 1871 ). It emerges from letter 865 that he included it in this consignment.
7. Olive trees (F 710 / JH 1856 ).
8. Van Gogh had four versions of Marie Ginoux (‘The Arlésienne’); the fifth had been lost during his visit to Arles (see letter 857, n. 1). He must have sent at least three to Theo, because letter 877 reveals that in Auvers he still had one himself (though he could have taken it along from Paris). Theo kept the portrait of the Arlésienne in pink clothing (F 543 / JH 1895 ); see letters 877 and 879. F 541 / JH 1893 came into the possession of Albert Aurier, presumably as a present from Vincent or Theo. See cat. Otterlo 2003, pp. 341-343. That Gauguin did in fact receive a version of the Arlésienne emerges from RM23 and the correspondence between Gauguin and Jo van Gogh-Bonger from March-May 1894. See Gauguin lettres 1983, pp. 330-341 (GAC 43-45). Provenance research has shown that Gauguin received F 542 / JH 1894 , and that F 540 / JH 1892 came into the possession of Bernard. See Feilchenfeldt 2005, pp. 118-119.
9. Read: ‘Aurier’. The work in question is Cypresses (F 620 / JH 1748 ). Cf. cat. Otterlo 2003, pp. 296-300.
10. A fitch brush is a thin brush used for very fine brushwork.
11. In letter 864 Van Gogh describes a ‘reminiscence of Brabant’ with cottages with mossy roofs. Given the subject and the format, ‘reminiscences of the north’ must refer here to Cottages at sunset (‘Reminiscence of Brabant’) (F 675 / JH 1921 , 29 x 36.5 cm), Cottages at sunset (‘Reminiscence of Brabant’) (F 673 / JH 1919 , 45.5 x 43 cm), and Cottages at sunset (‘Reminiscence of Brabant’) (F 674 / JH 1920 , 50 x 39 cm). Field with women lifting turnips (F 695 / JH 1923 ), measuring 50 x 64 cm, is a bit bigger than the above-mentioned works; moreover, Van Gogh’s description of it in letter 864 implies that it was not a ‘reminiscence of the north’. This presumably holds true for the smaller Diggers (F 694 / JH 1922), the subject of which is similar to that of F 695.
12. This was The garden of the asylum with dandelions and tree-trunks (F 676 / JH 1970 ), which Van Gogh describes in more detail in letter 864.
13. For Peyron’s letter to Theo, see letter 862, n. 2.
14. For Aurier’s article ‘Les isolés: Vincent van Gogh’, see letter 845, n. 2.
15. Almond blossom (F 671 / JH 1891 ).
a. Read: ‘puisse’.
16. The potato eaters (F 82 / JH 764 ).
17. Regarding the discoloration of The potato eaters , see exhib. cat. Amsterdam 1993, p. 54.
18. This refers to drawings of gleaners and diggers from Nuenen, which Van Gogh had taken with him to Paris.
19. The old church tower at Nuenen (‘The peasants’ churchyard’) (F 84 / JH 772 ).
20. The cottage (F 83 / JH 777 ).