A warm heart for his fellow men
Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, from The Hague, 1 November 1882
What I appreciate in Herkomer, Fildes, Holl and the other founders of the Graphic, the reason why they still mean more to me than Gavarni and Daumier, and will continue to, is that while the latter seem to look on society with malice, the former - as well as men like Millet, Breton, De Groux, Israels - chose subjects which are as true as Gavarni's or Daumier's, but have something noble and a more serious sentiment. That sentiment especially must remain, I think. An artist needn't be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men. I think it very noble, for instance, that no winter passed without the Graphic doing something to arouse sympathy for the poor. For example, I have a page by Woodville representing a distribution of peat tickets in Ireland; another by Staniland called "Help the Helpers," representing various scenes in a hospital which was short of money; "Christmas in the Workhouse" by Herkomer; "Homeless and Hungry" by Fildes, etc. I like them better than the drawings by Bertall, or the like, for the Vie Elégante.
Letter 240
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
Back to The Way of Vincent: Making art no matter what
What I appreciate in Herkomer, Fildes, Holl and the other founders of the Graphic, the reason why they still mean more to me than Gavarni and Daumier, and will continue to, is that while the latter seem to look on society with malice, the former - as well as men like Millet, Breton, De Groux, Israels - chose subjects which are as true as Gavarni's or Daumier's, but have something noble and a more serious sentiment. That sentiment especially must remain, I think. An artist needn't be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men. I think it very noble, for instance, that no winter passed without the Graphic doing something to arouse sympathy for the poor. For example, I have a page by Woodville representing a distribution of peat tickets in Ireland; another by Staniland called "Help the Helpers," representing various scenes in a hospital which was short of money; "Christmas in the Workhouse" by Herkomer; "Homeless and Hungry" by Fildes, etc. I like them better than the drawings by Bertall, or the like, for the Vie Elégante.
Letter 240
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
Back to The Way of Vincent: Making art no matter what
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