2Since I am here in Paris 3I have very often thought of your self and work_1 4You will remember that I liked your colour/ 5your ideas on art and litterature and I add/ 6most of all/ your personality_
7I have already before now thought that 8I ought to let you know what I was doing/ 9where I was.–
10But what refrained me was that I find 11living in Paris is much dearer than in 12Antwerp and not knowing 13what your circumstances are I dare 14not say Come over to Paris/ without 15warning you that it costs one dearer than Antwerp 16and that if poor/ one has to suffer many 17things.– As you may imagine_– 18But on the other hand there is more 19chance of selling_
20There is also a good chance of exchanging 21pictures with other artists_
22In one word/ with much energy/ with 23a sincere personal feeling of colour in nature 24I would say an artist can get on 25here notwithstanding the many obstructions_ 26And I intend remaining here still 27longer.–
28There is much to be seen here 29– for instance Delacroix 30to name only one master_
31In Antwerp I did not even know 32what the impressionists were/ 33now I have seen them2 and 34though not being one of the club/ 35yet I have much admired certain 36impressionist pictures – de Gas/ 37nude figure – Claude Monet/ landscape_3
38And now for what regards what I 39myself have been doing/ I have 40lacked money for paying models/ 41else I had entirely given myself to 42figurepainting but I have 43made a series of colour studies 44in painting simply flowers/4 45red poppies/ blue corn flowers 46and myosotys. white and rose roses/ 47yellow chrysantemums – seeking 48oppositions of blue with orange/ 49red & green/ yellow and violet/ 50 seeking LES TONS ROMPUS ET NEUTRES 51to harmonise brutal extremes_
52Trying to render intense COLOUR 53and not a grey harmony_5
54Now after these gymnastics6 I lately 55did two heads7 which I dare say 56are better in light and colour than 57those I did before_–
58So as we said at the time in COLOUR 59seeking life/ the true drawing is 60modelling with colour_
61I did a dozen landscapes too/ 62frankly green/ frankly blue_8
63And so I am struggling for life 64and progress in art_
65Now I would very much like to know 66what you are doing and 67whether you ever think of going 68to Paris_–
69If ever you did come here/ write 70to me before and I will/ if you 71like/ share my lodgings and 72studio9 with you so long as I have 73any. In spring – say February 74or even sooner I may be going 75to the South of France/10 76the land of the blue tones 77and gay colours_
78And look here/ if I knew 79you had longings for the 80same we might combine_ 81I felt sure at the time that 82you are a thorough colourist 83and since I saw the impressionists 84I assure you that neither your 85colour nor mine as it is developping 86itself/ is exactly the same as 87their theories but so much 88dare I say/ we have a chance 89and a good one of finding friends_
90I hope your health is all right_ 91I was rather low down in health when 92in Antwerp but got better here_
93Write to me/ in any case remember 94me to Allen/ Briet/ Rink/ Durand/11 but I have 95not so often thought on any of them as I 96did think of you – almost daily.
104What regards my chances of sale/ look here/ 105they are certainly not much but still 106I do have a beginning_
107At this present moment I have found 108four dealers who have exhibited studies of mine_12 109And I have exchanged studies with several 110artists_13
111Now the prices are 50 francs_ 112Certainly not much but – as far as 113I can see one must sell cheap 114to rise/ and even at costing price_ 115And mind my dear fellow/ 116Paris is Paris/ there is but one 117Paris and however hard living may 118be here and if it became worse 119and harder even – the french 120air clears up the brain and does 121one good – a world of good_–
122I have been in Cormons studio 123for three or four months but did 124not find that so useful as I had 125expected it to be.14 It may be 126my fault however/ any how 127I left there too as I left Antwerp 128and since I worked alone/ and 129fancy that since I feel my own self 130more_–
131Trade is slow here/ the great dealers 132sell Millet/ Delacroix/ Corot/ Daubigny/ Dupre/ 133a few other masters at exorbitant prices_ 134They do little or nothing for young artists_ 135The second class dealers contrariwise 136sell those but at very low prices_ 137If I asked more I would do nothing/ 138I fancy. However I have faith 139in colour/ even what regards the price 140the public will pay for it in the 141longer run_–
142But for the present things are awfully 143hard/ therefore let anyone who risks 144to go over here consider there is no 145laying on roses at all_
146What is to be gained is progress 147and/ what the deuce/ that it is to 148be found here I dare ascertain_ 149Anyone who has a solid position 150elsewhere/ let him stay where he is but 151for adventurers as myself I think 152they lose nothing in risking more_ 153Especially as in my case I am not an 154adventurer by choice but by fate and 155feeling nowhere so much myself a stranger 156as in my family and country_–
157Kindly remember me to your landlady 158Mrs Roosmaalen15 and say her that if she will 159exhibit something of my work I will send her a small 160picture of mine_–
-There is no clue in the letter as to the correct sequence of pages 5 and 6.