First I had an absolutely consuming period of work and then I was so worn out and ill that I didn’t feel I had the strength to go and live on my own — and I’ve put up with things too much, for their present bill they’re basing themselves on a period when I was paying them more (when I was ill and had asked them for better wine).

But all in all, it’s so much the better that all of that has now forced me to take this decision.  1v:2

In short, I believe I’m a worker and not a soft foreign tourist here to enjoy himself, and it would be lack of energy on my part to let myself be exploited like that. So I’m starting to set up a studio that may at the same time be of use to our pals, if they come, or if there are painters here.

In the crate you’ll first of all find the paintings I did for Jet Mauve and Tersteeg.2 If in the meantime you should foresee that Tersteeg would take offence at it, well, in a word, if it’s better that I don’t talk to him, then you’ll keep it and you can scrape off the dedication3 and we’ll exchange it with a pal. As for the repetitions of these two studies,4 I thought the bridge was better than Tersteeg’s but Jet Mauve’s study is simpler than the repetition. Perhaps as it ages this repetition will improve, I worked on it a lot.  1v:3 Then the series of orchards5 — I think the white orchard of which I sent you pen drawing6 and the largest of all in pink and green on absorbent canvas7 are the best. A large study without a stretching frame and another on a stretching frame in which there’s a lot of stippling8 are unfinished, which I regret because the composition gave an overall idea of the large orchards surrounded by cypresses around here. Well, I’ve already written and told you what I thought of them. And you’ll have them soon, since the crate goes off this evening.

Handshake.