The artists very often starve

Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, from Antwerp, 6-7 December 1884

It is hard, terribly hard, to keep on working when one does not sell, and when one literally has to pay for one's color out of what would not be too much for eating, drinking and lodgings, however strictly calculated. And then the models besides. But all the same there is a chance, and even a good one, because comparatively speaking, there are only a few painters at work nowadays.

In my opinion they are only half to blame for that (for the other half, they are), for sometimes it is too hard.

All the same they are building State museums, and the like, for hundreds of thousands of guilders, but meanwhile the artists very often starve.

Letter 438
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
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