593 To Theo van Gogh. Arles, on or about Thursday, 5 April 1888.

metadata

No. 593 (Brieven 1990 595, Complete Letters 475)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Theo van Gogh
Date: Arles, on or about Thursday, 5 April 1888

Source status

Original manuscript

Location

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b515 V/1962

Date

Vincent has meanwhile spent the 50 francs for which he thanked Theo on or about 1 April (letter 591) on paint and canvas (see letter 592); now he says he is broke. In the next letter (594, of 9 April) he thanks Theo for sending 100 francs. He has finished another orchard since he wrote the previous letter (592). The present letter must have been written some time between these two letters; we have therefore dated it on or about Thursday, 5 April 1888.

Additional

The paint order for the paint suppliers Tasset & Lhote (ll. 105-106) was enclosed.

original text

1r:1

Mon cher Theo,

Suis obligé de t’écrire puisque je t’envoie une commande de couleurs laquelle si tu la commandes chez Tasset & l’Hôte Rue Fontaine,1 tu ferais bien – puisqu’ils me connaissent – de leur dire que je compte sur une remise au moins équivalente aux frais de transport que moi je payerai volontiers – ils n’ont pas à faire l’expédition, c’est nous qui la payerons, mais la remise devrait être dans ce cas de 20%.– S’ils veulent te l’accorder – selon ce que je suis porté à croire – ils pourront me fournir jusqu’à nouvel ordre et il s’agit donc pour eux d’une commande importante.–

1v:2

Tu demanderas – je t’en prie – au père Tasset ou au père l’Hôte le tout dernier prix de 10 mètres de sa toile au plâtre ou absorbante – et me feras parvenir le résultat de la discussion que tu auras probablement avec ce monsieur pour livraison de la marchandise ci dessus mentionnée. Voici la commande:

20	Blanc d’argent gros tubes
10	idem blanc de zinc
15	Vert Veronèse				doubles tubes
10	Jaune de Chrôme citron				id.
10	Jaune de Chrôme (No deux)				id.
3	Vermillon				id.
3	Jaune de Chrôme No trois2				id.
6	Laque	géranium	petits	tubes	nouvellement broyés, s’ils sont graissés je les renverrais.
12	,,	ordinaire	,,	,,
2	Carmin		,,	,,
4	Bleu de Prusse				petit tubes
4	cinabre VERT très clair				petit tube
2	Mine orange				petit tube
6	Vert emeraude				petit tube

1v:3

Cette commande est assez grave, cependant sans compter la différence entre la remise que j’ose espérer et les frais de transport, nous y gagnerons encore ce que je payerais en plus pour frais de transport, sans compter que je n’ai ici aucune remise.–

Ci joint pour que cela ne te presse pas outre mesure une commande plus petite et à déduire de la première, laquelle dernière nommée n’est pressée qu’en tant que quant à la réductiona ci dessous mentionnée.

Pressé
10	Blanc d’argent gros tubes
6	Vert Veronèse doubles tubes
3	Jaune	de chrome	citron
3	,,	,,	No 2	doubles tubes
1	,,	,,	No 3

1	Vermillon double tubes
3	Laques géranium	petits tubes
6	Laque ordinaire	,, ,,
2	Bleu de prusse	,, ,,
4	Vert émeraude	,, ,,

1r:4

Puis – aussitôt que possible – le prix définitif, pour moi, de la toile absorbante, 10 mètres s.v.p.–

Le marchand de couleurs d’ici3 me faisait de la toile absorbante mais il est tellement parresseux à la faire que je suis décidé de faire venir tout de Paris ou de Marseille et que j’y renonce – à bout de patience – de lui en faire faire.– (En attendant une toile de 30 absorbante j’en ai peintes deux sur toile non absorbante.)4

Il va sans dire que si tu achètes des couleurs pour moi mes dépenses ici diminueront de plus que 50%. Jusqu’à présent j’ai dépensé plus pour mes couleurs, toiles &c. que pour moi.– J’ai encore un nouveau verger pour toi – mais au nom de dieu fais moi parvenir la couleur sans retard.– La saison des vergers en fleurs est si passagère et tu sais que ces motifs sont de ceux qui égaient tout le monde.– Aussitôt que je pourrai payer caisses et affranchissement (le dernier sans doute meilleur marché ici à la petite station que le resultat Gare de Lyon)5 je t’expedie les études.– Suis sans le sou pour le moment comme déjà je te le disais.–6 Fais comme tu peux mais en tout cas gagnons la remise sur les couleurs si toutefois tu juges qu’il soit à notre avantage de travailler comme quatre.–

t. à. t.

Vincent

Ci inclus une commande pour Tasset & l’Hôte directement.–

Je suis assez curieux de savoir ce que tu diras de mon premier envoi qui contiendra certes au moins 10 toiles.–7

translation

1r:1

My dear Theo,

Am obliged to write to you as I’m sending you an order for colours which, if you place it with Tasset & Lhote, rue Fontaine,1 you’ll do well — since they know me — to tell them that I expect a discount at least equivalent to the cost of carriage, which I’ll be glad to pay myself — they don’t have to cover carriage, we’ll pay it, but in that case the discount should be 20%. If they’re willing to give you it — as I’m inclined to believe — they can supply me until further notice, and so this is a big order for them. 1v:2

You’ll ask — please — père Tasset or père Lhote the lowest price for 10 metres of his primed or absorbent canvas — and you’ll let me know the outcome of the discussion you’ll probably have with that gentleman for delivery of the merchandise described above. Here’s the order:

20	Silver white large tubes
10	ditto zinc white
15	Veronese Green				double tubes
10	lemon Chrome Yellow				ditto
10	(No. two) Chrome Yellow				ditto
3	Vermilion				ditto
3	No. three Chrome Yellow,2				ditto
6	Geranium	lake	small	tubes	freshly ground, if they’re greasy I’ll send them back.
12	ordinary	,,	,,	,,
2	Carmine		,,	,,
4	Prussian Blue				small tubes
4	very light cinnabar GREEN				small tubes
2	orange lead				small tubes
6	Emerald green				small tubes

1v:3

This is quite a sizeable order; however, without counting the difference between the discount I dare hope for and the cost of carriage, we’ll still earn what I pay in addition for carriage, without taking into account that I don’t get any discount here.

Attached, so that it won’t put too much of a burden on you, a smaller order to be deducted from the first one, which latter is only urgent in respect of the part mentioned below.

Urgent
10	Silver whit elarge tubes
6	Veronese Green double tubes
3	Lemon	chrome	yellow
3	No 2	,,	,,	double tubes
1	No 3	,,	,,

1	Vermilion, double tube
3	Geranium lake, small tubes
6	Ordinary lake	,,	,,
2	Prussian blue	,,	,,
4	Emerald green	,,	,,

1r:4

And — as soon as possible — the final price, to me, of absorbent canvas, 10 metres, please.

The colourman here3 made absorbent canvas for me, but he’s so lazy about doing it that I’ve decided to have everything sent from Paris or Marseille, and give up — having lost all patience — the idea of getting him to do it. (While waiting for a no. 30 absorbent canvas I painted two on non-absorbent canvas.)4

It goes without saying that if you buy colours for me my expenses here will be reduced by over 50%. Up to now I’ve spent more on my colours, canvases, &c. than on myself. I have another new orchard for you — but for Christ’s sake get the paint to me without delay. The season of orchards in blossom is so short, and you know these subjects are among the ones that cheer everyone up. As soon as I can pay for crates and postage (which is probably cheaper at the little station here than it would be at the Gare de Lyon)5 I’ll send you the studies. Am without a sou for the moment, as I was telling you before.6 Do what you can, but in any case let’s get the discount on the colours if, that is, you think it’s to our advantage to work like beavers.

Ever yours,

Vincent

Herewith an order direct to Tasset & Lhote.

I’m quite curious to know what you’ll say about my first consignment, which will definitely contain at least 10 canvases.7

notes

1. The artists’ supplies shop run by Guillaume Charles Tasset and his (unidentified) partner Lhote, 31 rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges in Paris.

2. ‘Chrome yellow 1, 2 and 3’ refer to ‘lemon’, ‘yellow’ and ‘orange’ respectively.

a. Read: ‘partie’.

3. Van Gogh probably bought his paint from the grocer and chemist Jules Armand; see letter 583, n. 8.

4. See for this absorbent size 30 canvas: letter 594, n. 2. One of the two works on non-absorbent canvas was the ‘new orchard’ that Van Gogh mentions a little later in the letter (the sentence ‘while waiting ... non-absorbent canvas’ (en attendant ... non absorbante) (ll. 81-81a) was added later). We do not know which work this was; all the orchards that are now known have already been mentioned or are referred to later in the correspondence. The other work cannot be identified either. It was probably another orchard (Van Gogh’s use of the words ‘a new orchard’ would not seem to indicate this, but orchards were his only subject during this period) and has been lost. In letter 606 Van Gogh says he has destroyed works; these two may have been among them.

5. The station in Paris from which trains for the south depart.

6. Van Gogh had written this in letter 592.

7. Van Gogh sent Theo the first batch of paintings from Arles on 7 May; see letter 606, n. 4.