On July 21, 1882, Van Gogh wrote a letter to his brother Theo, in which he wrote:
"In the eyes of most people, I am a clueless, eccentric, disgusting person. I have no social status to speak of, and I will never have. In short, I am the bottom of the bottom. Even if these views are completely correct, I would like to one day show them through my work what they see as the heart of this strange person, this insignificant person. ”
However, Van Gogh, who had been displaced and impoverished all his life, did not wait for that day until the day of his death— he would never have known that a century later, at the Christie's auction in New York in November 2017, his painting "The Farmer Ploughing the Field" sold for $81.3125 million. Another portrait of Dr. Gachet was auctioned for $82.5 million earlier!
The Farmer Plowing the Field was painted by Van Gogh during his treatment at the Sanatorium de Saint-Rémy-Saint-Paul in France, using the view from his window as a blueprint.
At the beginning of 1889, when Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo, he could not help but sigh: "What a beautiful land, how beautiful blue, how brilliant sunshine... A yellow field with wheat stubble cut, some people are cultivating, they plow out ditches on the land, dividing the yellow land into strips, becoming the background of the hillside... However, through the window I could only see the garden. ”
In May of that year, this immortal masterpiece, "The Farmer Who Ploughed the Field", came out. A year later, on July 27, 1890, Van Gogh, who could no longer bear the torment of illness, shot himself in a wheat field, and two days later he died in the arms of his brother Theo at the age of 37.
Vincent van Gogh, a fanatical and rational genius, turned his entire life into rushing colors and unbridled brushstrokes. In order to pursue the love in his heart, he even cut off his ears.
Van Gogh's strange behavior made others think that he was a madman, and even his great creations and fanatical colors were seen as manifestations of madness and pathology. But Van Gogh had nothing to do with madmen, and how could the worldly eyes see through such a crystal clear artist's heart?
In Van Gogh's time, there was probably only one person who could read the heart of that genius, and that person was Van Gogh's younger brother Theo. It can be said that without Theo's double material and spiritual support, there would be no Van Gogh paintings. Therefore, Van Gogh has always regarded Theo as his "closest relative, confidant and pillar".
In Van Gogh's short life, he wrote as many as 652 letters to Theo, and he put his emotional life, spiritual world, artistic introduction and life trivia into his pen and poured it out to Theo, so there was this exquisite "Listening to Van Gogh" published by the Chinese Translation Publishing House.
This set of books is both a testimony to Van Gogh's life experience and a true portrayal of his mental journey. If Van Gogh's paintings are as dazzling as daylight, then the large number of letters contained in this set of "Listening to Van Gogh" is like a silver moon, whispering about the great painter's turbulent and displaced life.
In these letters, Van Gogh talks about himself, about love, about painting, about art, and about his despair about life.
Last Sunday, I went to the French church here. The church is solemn, charming and impressive. After the prayer, I walked for a while along the mill on the riverbank. The sun was shining, and the damp ditch reflected the reflection of the sky. Other countries also have something curious. For example, in Dieppe, northern France, covered with green grass, the sea and the sky, and the old fishing boats moored in the harbor carrying brown fishing nets and sails, like Dubini's paintings. And the lights on the streets of London in the rain, like what I experienced after my trip to Ramsgate this summer.
"Talking about love" does not mean that there are no old women in the world, but that as long as a woman has love, as long as she is still loved, she will not grow old. Women and men are very different, we don't know women, and even if we do, they are only superficial. Yes, I'm pretty sure of that. Husband and wife can be combined into one, that is, they can be combined into one whole, not divided into two halves. I'm also convinced of that.
[Talking about painting] I don't think you can judge the color of a painting in isolation. For example, light brown is used in combination with a very thick reddish brown, dark blue, or olive green to depict the very subtle and fresh color of a meadow or wheat field. I'm sure De Bork, who calls certain colors "monotonous," certainly wouldn't object to this—I once heard him say that in some of Corot's paintings, such as the evening sky, some colors look bright, but when viewed separately, they are actually very dark gray tones.
[Talking about art] You have to find a way to master the knowledge of painting. It is recommended that you go to the museum as much as possible to learn about the older generation of painters; if you have the opportunity, it is recommended that you read a little art book, especially art magazines. Try to get out and about as much as you can and keep your love of nature, which is the right way to learn about art. Painters understand nature, love nature and guide us to know nature. If a person truly loves nature, then no matter where he is, he can find the existence of beauty.
Last year's deficit was bigger than I told you. I've paid off all my least pressing debts, but I still can't afford paint. I don't dare to pay the bills on credit again, because after a while I will be in debt... I must tell you frankly, I'm sorry that I recently took all the money you sent to pay off the debt... I was just an "unemployed person", and I was suddenly in a desperate situation, and there was no way to ask for help, and that was the case.
From these letters, we can see both Van Gogh's genius and his helpless despair in certain moments. Fortunately, every time he received a letter from his brother, Theo would do his best to comfort him and help him, so that he could have a warm little world in the indifferent world.
Rich or poor, healthy or sick, Theo never abandoned his dear brother and always accompanied him. Thus, in a letter, Van Gogh gratefully said to his brother Theo:
"Everyone has a fire in their hearts, but those who pass by see only smoke. But there is always someone, there is always someone who can see this fire and come and walk with me. ”
How fortunate van Gogh was to have such a loyal supporter as Theo to the death, and how fortunate we are to be able to admire his amazing paintings more than a century after Van Gogh's death. As the poet Yu Guangzhong said:
"Born Van Gogh, he dedicated his life to art, and he gave birth to Theo, and he gave his life to his brother." Otherwise, if there is Van Gogh in the world, there will be no Van Gogh paintings. Today, in the face of the magic of "Sunflowers" and "Starry Moon Night", audiences around the world who are touched must receive a piece of Theo's affection. ”
For Van Gogh, in addition to admiring his classic paintings, perhaps only by reading his affectionate and gentle letters and listening to his monologues of the pen can we truly understand this lonely genius.
This "Listen to Van Gogh" set includes the "Listen to Van Gogh" collection of letters (first and second volumes), the "Van Gogh Talk and Painting" album and the cultural and creative notebook. It not only records Van Gogh's thinking, creation and life wishes, but also allows you to witness the complete face of the works mentioned by His Majesty Van Gogh, and truly achieve "a book to understand Van Gogh's life".
Looking through the lows, you will see yourself; when you look at the good times, you will see the world!
"Listen to Van Gogh" new book debuted on the whole network, click the link below to buy ↓↓↓
#pgc-card .pgc-card-href { text-decoration: none; outline: none; display: block; width: 100%; height: 100%; } #pgc-card .pgc-card-href:hover { text-decoration: none; } /*pc 样式*/ .pgc-card { box-sizing: border-box; height: 164px; border: 1px solid #e8e8e8; position: relative; padding: 20px 94px 12px 180px; overflow: hidden; } .pgc-card::after { content: " "; display: block; border-left: 1px solid #e8e8e8; height: 120px; position: absolute; right: 76px; top: 20px; } .pgc-cover { position: absolute; width: 162px; height: 162px; top: 0; left: 0; background-size: cover; } .pgc-content { overflow: hidden; position: relative; top: 50%; -webkit-transform: translateY(-50%); transform: translateY(-50%); } .pgc-content-title { font-size: 18px; color: #222; line-height: 1; font-weight: bold; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; } .pgc-content-desc { font-size: 14px; color: #444; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; padding-top: 9px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 1.2em; display: -webkit-inline-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; } .pgc-content-price { font-size: 22px; color: #f85959; padding-top: 18px; line-height: 1em; } .pgc-card-buy { width: 75px; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 50px; color: #406599; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; } .pgc-buy-text { padding-top: 10px; } .pgc-icon-buy { height: 23px; width: 20px; display: inline-block; background: url(https://lf6-cdn-tos.bytescm.com/obj/cdn-static-resource/pgc/v2/pgc_tpl/static/image/commodity_buy_f2b4d1a.png); }
Listen to Van Gogh: A book to read Van Gogh is ¥85 to buy