Your second youth begins

Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, from The Hague, early April 1882

If a painter seized you by the arm and said, Look, Theo, you must draw that field like this: the lines of the furrows go this way, for such and such reasons and no other; they are brought into perspective this way. And that pollard willow being so tall, the other one higher up is so small, and you can measure the difference in size in this way. Look, when you hammer that onto the paper, those lines will be correct, and you have a solid foundation under your feet on which to work.

Such a conversation, provided he can put his theory into practice, would be much more effective in my case than many talks on either abstract or financial matters. I will not continue that train of thought much longer, but you are just on the verge of someday getting an insight into this practice, and if you happen to draw something correctly - in other words, if you learn to see the perspective of things - then you will be through with art dealing and will feel, like Correggio, I too am a painter. At the same time you will see that you are in your element, and then - then you will be younger and more hopeful than ever before; then your second youth begins: it is better than the first, for, thank God, the second one does not pass away - does not pass away like the first. For my first youth is gone, and yours will soon be gone too.

Letter 184
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
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