1. Vincent had shown Tersteeg some of his drawings during a visit to The Hague in August (see letter 171). It is not known how Tersteeg conveyed his opinion of them to Theo.

2. This probably refers to the sketches in letters 172 and 173.

3. A similar remark about the intractability of nature also occurs in Zola and Taine. See Sund 1992, pp. 54, 277 (n. 11).

4. The taming of the shrew (1594-1595, first edition 1623) is the title of a comedy by William Shakespeare and the phrase occurs as a line in the play itself (act 4, scene 2). See ed. Brian Morris. London and New York 1981, pp. 254-255.

5. Van Gogh, who wrote in June 1881 that he was studying Armand Cassagne’s Traité d’aquarelle, could have had the following passage in mind when attributing these human characteristics to nature: ‘The painter who is strong in tones is the one who approaches nature with the greatest strength of coloration, and who, through skilful, powerful contrasts, succeeds in giving an idea of the solidity specific to each object. This tree, for example, has boughs that are vigorous, healthy, strong, juicy with sap; and you understand at first glance its strength and weightiness. Some other tree is enormous; but it is old, its wood lacks sap, it is hollow; you sense weakness under its apparent strength. The true painter must make it possible to guess all that in his work; his painting must have that je ne sais quoi that characterizes the moral diversity of these types’ (Le peintre puissant de ton est celui qui aborde la nature avec le plus force de coloration, et qui, par d’habiles et puissantes oppositions, arrive à donner une idée de la solidité propre à chaque objet. Cet arbre, par exemple, a des ramures vigoureuses, saines, fortes, humides de sève; on en comprend au premier coup d’oeil la force et la pesanteur. Tel autre arbre est gigantesque; mais il est vieux, son bois manque de sève, il est creux; sous sa force apparante on sent la faiblesse. Le vrai peintre doit faire deviner tout cela dans son oeuvre; sa peinture doit avoir ce je ne sais quoi qui caractérise la diversité morale de ces types.) Cassagne 1875, p. 102.

6. There are two sketches, at the end of the letter. No. 1 is Road with a man and pollard willows (F - / JH 58), of which no corresponding drawing is known, and the same applies to no. 2, Man putting potatoes in a sack (F - / JH 60). For the location depicted in the first sketch (with Leursestraat and the Roman Catholic Lambertuskerk at the end of it), see Kerstens 1990, pp. 24, 26.

7. Drenthe is a province in the north-east of the Netherlands. In Van Gogh’s day it was a relatively undeveloped region and therefore popular among landscape painters.

8. To visit Uncle Vincent van Gogh.

9. Van Gogh is referring to his short trip to The Hague at the end of August, at which time he must also have visited Rotterdam (see letter 171), where he saw the Self-portrait by Carel Fabritius (see letter 155, n. 18, first paragraph).

10. This is perhaps Mesdag’s drawing Fishing boat and horseman , which Van Gogh had seen in Brussels (see letter 166, n. 17).

11. Fours works by Sientje Mesdag-van Houten were on display at the Sixth exhibition of drawings (see letter 171). Van Gogh must be referring to the drawing Rozen (Roses); see exhib. cat. The Hague 1881-2, p. 11, cat. no. 72.

12. Theo was a member of the Hollandsche Club (Dutch Club) in Paris, a society where young Dutchmen met (FR b1673). He must have written to Vincent about something that happened there.