Learning Vincent: Diving into Van Gogh’s letters and 'Loving Vincent'

Learning Vincent: Diving into Van Gogh’s letters and Loving Vincent

 

By Purbi Maini

“I also have nature and art and poetry and if that isn’t enough, then what is?” (Vincent Van Gogh letter 17 1874). Born with quite an intellectual mind, Vincent Willem Van Gogh took birth in a Dutch reformed church family in the town of Grootzundert in southern Netherlands. He was born on 30th march, 1853. Although being blessed with a lot of siblings, his closest bond was with his younger brother, Theodore Van Gogh. He was frequently defined as a grave and considerate child who did not have a jolly childhood. He is now one of the most well-known post-impressionist modern painters, granted that he was constantly dismissed and underappreciated while he lived, rumoured to have only sold one painting, The Red Vineyard at Arles in his entire lifetime. Loving Vincent is the world’s first-hand painted feature film and entirely inspired by Van Gogh’s life and art.  Every scene of that film is painted in Van Gogh’s impressions. And at first look, one would think it brings focus to his death but through his death, it shows some of his deepest thoughts. Van Gogh’s last letter is beautifully portrayed. And all of it made it through because the nine hundred and three letters that he wrote with all his passion survived.  

As it’s known, the only reason the world is aware of so much about the creativity and tragedies of Van Gogh’s life isn’t only through his paintings but also because of the letters that survived him. 

There was a total of nine hundred and three letters that now are preserved at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The writing style of the Van Gogh family was that of the typical nineteenth-century books where one was allowed to express themselves freely to the ones that they are close to. Also known as familiar letters. These letters mostly consisted of family members elaborating on their daily lives, recent updates about their financial situation, marriages, birthdays etc. Letters were considered to be an initial part of socialisation and the Gogh family did its best to perform in it.  

Some specific letters were used in the film. It starts from Joseph Roulin, who was Van Gogh’s postman and all letters were delivered by him while the painter lived in Paris. Joseph had recently set his son, Armand Roulin to deliver Van Gogh’s last letter to his brother Theo in Paris. And that letter was the final draft of the last piece he ever wrote.  

The reason Armand Roulin was taken in as the narrator of the movie even though he was not very connected with Van Gogh’s life was to show and understand his life through the view of a stranger just like the audience. Van Gogh had painted him at least three times including the rest of his family.  

The movie has recreated and, in a way, represented Van Gogh’s masterpieces through the investigation of paintings and letters.  On 29th September, 1888, in a letter to his brother, he describes the night when he was painting the Starry Night, The Ploughed Fields and The Night Café. He talks about the difficulty of the subject and how he had painted the night café to the left of the restaurant. He describes The Starry Night as a likeable painting to his brother because it seems very calm and harmonious. He also mentions how easy it would be sell paintings if he made them less chaotic. 

Other paintings that are displayed in the movie from his own life are Bridges across the Seine at Asnieres, Landscape with a Carriage and a Train, The Railway Bridge over Avenue Montmajour, Belvedere Overlooking Montmartre and Vincent’s self-portrait.  

The letters have played a very important part in portraying Van Gogh’s deep interest in literature and different writers. He would occasionally quote writers that inspired him and was deeply attached to reading. He had always been very ‘bookish’ even when he was a child. He believed reading books to be something, that without hesitation, just be admired. The movie shows Van Gogh’s place to be full of canvases, painting supplies and books. That was his life until he died.  

Van Gogh had quite a literary mind. His letters are full of beautiful details and vocabulary that you can only find in a writer’s hand. It was this passion for literature that made him write thousands of letters. Historians usually seem to use his letters as a technical aid for his art but it is important to recognise his talent in the old writing and inspiration. A number of reading styles can be explored like the Dutch and the Parisian period in Van Gogh’s life. Although he read widely, including writers like Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo, he soon became very interested in the French naturalist and realist authors that subsequently influenced his art. As it is mentioned before, Van Gogh didn’t have any particular techniques; he really disliked them. His conception of art can be found to be connected with the concept of literature. He found truth in them. Emile Zola, a French naturalist and impressionist was one of his favourites. He was so smitten by his ideas and work, that the correspondence that Van Gogh took part in can be found to be quite similar to Zola’s own literary projects and art criticism. He worked on ‘de-romanticisation’ and appreciating the beauty of natural art. His painting Sorrow, 1882 was heavily inspired by Zola and of the first paintings that he ever made.  Loving Vincent explores all the people who played an important role in his life. This art film used 64,000 frames to portray Van Gogh’s art. The film took a deep dive into a lot of the events that took place after his death, but it could’ve made more effort to show Van Gogh’s life rather than just his final days. The film takes place in a structured manner, where Armand goes around the village where Van Gogh spent his last days. It is almost a dreamlike imaginary world that the film contained in itself just like the masterpieces that Van Gogh himself created.  The goal of the director was to reflect on Van Gogh’s creativity and for that he had to take a sip of his thoughts. And his letters were a swarm of literary pieces to drink from.  It showed the importance of two most significant people in Van Gogh’s story.

The first was his beloved brother, Theo, who was his financial and emotional support throughout his life. Their lives were connected till the end, so much so that Theo passed away six months right after Van Gogh’s tragic death. It was Theo who had advised to paint and make it a career and until this day their brotherly love is discussed and admired.  

Armand went to Dr Gachet’s house in Auvers sur oise after talking to the art dealer Pere Tanguy who told him that Theo had passed away. But taking interest in this story of Van Gogh’s death became a prime subject for him. He wanted to enquire more and so he reached the doctor’s house in search of more answers. The doctor was a very major part of Van Gogh’s life. He mentioned him in his letters like he was family. After Van Gogh left the Saint Remy asylum, he sought help from Dr Gachet and in that process, he became very connected to him. He painted him and his daughter Marguerite twice as well. Van Gogh’s payment to the doctor for his treatment were his paintings and Dr Gachet was almost envious of how good Van Gogh was at his art. He was everything he could never be. As found in a lot of Van Gogh’s letters to Theo, he appreciated the connection between him and he thought that the doctor and himself were very closely similar. The movie showed certain important aspects of their relationship that people still contemplate to this day. “I’ve found in Dr Gachet a ready-made friend and something like a new brother would be – so much do we resemble each other physically, and morally too.” (Vincent Van Gogh to Willemien letter 879) 

The film tried to show various perceptions of how Van Gogh’s tragic death took place. The film captured all of his emotions that he poured into his letters and into his paintings.  Van Gogh had told everyone that he had simply just shot himself and his last words were reputedly “La tristesse durera toujours” which meant that “the sadness will last forever” (Theo to Elizabeth 5th August 1890). Theo stayed by his side forever.  

But on the other hand, it had been suspected that he might have been accidentally shot by some  young teenage boys who used to tease him for being eccentric. Even in his letters, Van Gogh had quite a different thinking than what was expected of him. He felt himself to be a nobody, a non-entity (Vincent Van Gogh letter 249 1882). He couldn’t fit into the box he was expected to. Additionally, his first dealer Pere Tanguy, tried to explain to everyone how it was impossible for him to shoot himself because he was hit in the abdomen and the wound was still there. The only way for that to happen was if someone from a distance had shot him.  

There is no certain evidence of any mental illness interfering with Van Gogh’s early life, but there has been a lot of speculation. He dealt with a lot of failed artistic work and other various jobs and he questioned his purpose. Things started to deteriorate when he travelled to Paris to focus on his artwork and live with his brother Theo. A lot of observations were noted down including different episodes related to sensations, a French drink that started to affect his body language. He kept untidy and was quite quarrelsome. It all went downhill when Van Gogh cut off his own ear after an intense brawl with his fellow companion, the painter Gaugin. Van Gogh felt deeply and expressed the same way in his paintings. He wanted to banish the techniques and focus more on the impression of nature and the objects around him. He had to submit himself into psychiatric rehabilitation and go through several treatments with his doctor, Dr Gachet.  There had been a lot of studies revealed after the time of his death which gathered a lot of psychoanalysed information to take into account concerning things that took place in Van Gogh’s life. He had impulsive and unpredictable behaviour. Even when he lived in Paris, he drank alcohol, experienced anxiety, hostility and easy irritability. The letter given to Armand by Theo’s widow, stated how low he thought of himself.   

Some believe that Van Gogh ate yellow paint to be happy although he might argue with that.  He exclaimed to his brother during his stay in Saint Remy’s that he didn’t eat yellow paint to feel happiness but because he couldn’t help but eat filthy things. It can be said that maybe if he lived in the 21st century, he could’ve been diagnosed. Some studies have tried to show the possibility of bipolar disorder 1 and depression. (Understanding Van Gogh’s Night: Bipolar disorder 1  Neurological Disorders in Famous artists 121-131)  

Van Gogh’s written letters Ever Yours and the art-piece Loving Vincent have a very interactive relationship between them and explains the depths of Van Gogh’s consciousness.  

Van Gogh was the knight of the pen. The analysis of his letters shows the deep-rooted issues and the meaning behind all of his art and feelings. His detailed words and constant search for something made him inquisitive and who he is today. The film is able to capture his essence and bring the aura of his personality.  

 He was also an avid reader and took part in and enjoyed reading French realist and naturalist works which inspired his post impressionism in his art. He was sincere and believed that there was a purpose behind his art. The film itself goes through a spectacular journey of its own while still connecting to his purpose from the roots.  

A lot of writers are known to be suffering from melancholia and paint their masterpieces during that period of time. Van Gogh, these days, is known for his underlying preconceptions for mental illnesses and is taken as a subject for historians to discover upon. His case, on the other hand, focused a lot on recovery. He believed in healing and the beauty of natural things. The movie has shown this matter of fact uniquely and the frames are taken in a way that a person can distort people’s reality and feel his emotions through the screen.  

His artwork has inspired hundreds of festivals all over the world. Cities like Pune, in India have organised several events where people express their art and celebrate authenticity.  Van Gogh’s legacy lives on in so many artists all around the world. His influence of originality and creativity is a spirit that still inspires post-modern impressionist works. 

 

WORKS CITED

·       Gogh, Vincent van, et al. Vincent Van Gogh: Ever Yours: the Essential Letters. Yale University  Press, 2014. 

·      “Loving Vincent.” 

·       Blumer, Dietrich. “The Illness of Vincent Van Gogh.” American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 159, no. 4, 2002, pp. 519–526., doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.4.519.

·  Pennanen, Marie Fernicola. “Vincent Van Gogh: Chemicals, Crises, and Creativity.” JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 270, no. 15, 1993, p. 1870., doi:10.1001/ jama.1993.03510150106046.

·   Carota, Antonio, et al. “Understanding Van Gogh’s Night: Bipolar Disorder1.” Frontiers of Neurol ogy and Neuroscience Neurological Disorders in Famous Artists, 2005, pp. 121–131.,  doi:10.1159/000085627.

·       Hoek, Leo H. “Van Gogh and Zola a Case of Formal Similarity.” Neophilologus, vol. 77, no. 3, 1993, pp. 343–354., doi:10.1007/bf00999678.

·     Laurenmichelleroberts. “Vincent Van Gogh and Emile Zola.” Lauren Michelle Roberts, 4 Dec. 2012, laurenmichelleroberts.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/vincent-van-gogh-and-emile-zola/. 

·   “Brotherly Love: Vincent & Theo.” Brotherly Love: Vincent & Theo - Van Gogh Museum, www.- vangoghmuseum.nl/en/stories/brotherly-love. 

·   “History - Historic Figures: Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890).” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/history/ historic_figures/van_gogh_vincent.shtml.

·    “Correspondents.” Correspondents - Vincent Van Gogh Letters, vangoghletters.org/vg/correspon dents_4.html.

·  Vincent Van Gogh to Theo Van Gogh : 21 July 1882, www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/ 11/218.htm?qp=health.venereal.

·    Odee - odee.pl / Strony internetowe. “Blogs.” Loving Vincent - the World's First Fully Painted Fea ture Film!, lovingvincent.com/blogs,203,pl.html. 

·    Peralta, Eyder. “Was Van Gogh Murdered? A New Book Says Yes.” NPR, NPR, 17 Oct. 2011, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/10/17/141435564/was-van-gogh-murdered-a-new-book says-yes. 

· indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-artists-interpret-vin-cent-van-goghs-letters-and-artwork 6136885/.