JF Ptak Science Books    Post 2190

See also an earlier post “In Closing: “a Kiss from Your Beethoven”. Artistic and Literary Valedictions from the Master”

As all of you no doubt know Vincent van Gogh carried on a voluminous correspondence, mostly with his brother Theo.  I sat down with the third (and final) volume of The Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh (Bullfinch Press, 2001) and read through his letters from St. Remy (June 1889 to May 1890, two months before his death 29 July 1890), as well as those from Auvers-sur-Oise (the last of which is dated one week before his death). The letters are remarkable, and were written mostly to his brother, but also to his sister, and mother, and some few others.  

The letters are filled with fantastic observations and captured vision, comments on his artwork, technical aspects of painting, philosophy, and daily life.  And thinking.  It has always been interesting to me how people slow down a letter so it can come to a halt, and Vincent–in addition to being an excellent observer and word curator–knew how to write a letter, and it is enjoyable to step back from them a bit to look at their mechanics, especially when it comes to this slowing-down section.  So I’ve selected a few bits from what is usually the last part of the last sentence before the sign-off (hardly a rigorous process), just to see if there were the makings of a found-poem in them….and I believe there is. 

“And believe me”

“Good health.”

“I shake your hand, and your wife’s too”

“Next drawings next week”

“And then it does one good to work for people who do not know what a picture is”