your sunflowers on a yellow background1 which I regard as a perfect page of an essential ‘Vincent’ style. At your brother’s home I saw your Sower,2 which is very good, as well as a yellow still life, apples and lemons.3 Your brother gave me a lithographed reproduction of an old painting of yours, Dutch – very interesting as regards colour in the drawing.4 In my studio5 next to your portrait.6
The grape harvests7 are totally covered in scales as a result of the white which has separated. I’ve stuck all of it back down using
1r:2 a process shown to me by the reliner.8 If I tell you about it it’s because the thing is easy to do and can be very good for those of your canvases that need retouching – you stick newspapers on your canvas with flour paste. Once dry, you put your canvas on a smooth board and with very hot irons you press down hard on it. All the breaks in your colour will remain but will be flattened down and you’ll have a very fine surface. Afterwards you soak your paper covering well and take off all the paper.
Thank Roulin for thinking of me. I have indeed received my stretcher keys9 – at the next opportunity if you can send me by parcel post my 2 fencing masks and gloves,10 which I left on the shelf in the little upstairs room.