This White Light

Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, from Drenthe, 29 October 1883

When I think of Father, it seems to me that the good in him is due to his intercourse with nature, and in my opinion his error is that he attaches more value to other things than they are really worth.

Father never knew, and does not know now, and never will know what the soul of modern civilization is. What is it? The eternal quality in the greatest of the great: simplicity and truth. . . . For me he is the rayon noir. Why isn't he a rayon blanc? - this is the only fault I find in Father. True, it is a great fault - I cannot help it. And listen to what I say: Try to find the rayon blanc, but blanc, do you hear?

I do not say - far, very far be it from me to say - that I myself have the rayon blanc, but I am not ashamed to say that it exists, this White Light - and that I seek it, and only this do I consider simplicity.

Letter 339a
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
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