"Something up there"
Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, from The Hague, 12-18 December 1882
I have two new drawings now . . . . My intention in these two, and in the first little old man, is one and the same, namely to express the peculiar sentiment of Christmas and New Year's Eve. Both in Holland and England this is always more or less religious, in fact, it is that way everywhere, at least in Brittany, and in the Alsace, too. Now one need not agree exactly with the form of that religious sentiment, but if it is sincere, it is a feeling one must respect. And personally, I can fully share it and even need it, at least to a certain extent, just the way I have a feeling for such a little old man and a belief in "something up there," even though I am not exactly sure how or what it may be. I think it a splendid saying of Victor Hugo's, "religions pass away, but God remains"; and another beautiful saying of Gavarni's is "what matters is to grasp what does not pass away in what passes away."
One of the things "that won’t pass away" is the "something up there" and the belief in God, too, though the forms may change - a change which is just as necessary as the renewal of the leaves in spring.
Letter 253
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
Back to The Way of Vincent: Making art no matter what
I have two new drawings now . . . . My intention in these two, and in the first little old man, is one and the same, namely to express the peculiar sentiment of Christmas and New Year's Eve. Both in Holland and England this is always more or less religious, in fact, it is that way everywhere, at least in Brittany, and in the Alsace, too. Now one need not agree exactly with the form of that religious sentiment, but if it is sincere, it is a feeling one must respect. And personally, I can fully share it and even need it, at least to a certain extent, just the way I have a feeling for such a little old man and a belief in "something up there," even though I am not exactly sure how or what it may be. I think it a splendid saying of Victor Hugo's, "religions pass away, but God remains"; and another beautiful saying of Gavarni's is "what matters is to grasp what does not pass away in what passes away."
One of the things "that won’t pass away" is the "something up there" and the belief in God, too, though the forms may change - a change which is just as necessary as the renewal of the leaves in spring.
Letter 253
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
Back to The Way of Vincent: Making art no matter what
Labels: spirituality, work
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