Vincent van Gogh: Visitor Submissions by Enrique Pareja

Since many years ago I have read about your life and your art. As I could, I have bought books about your paintings and drawings, I have bought books with your "Letters to Theo", or about your life and biography.

I have made some bad copies of your paintings, I have made them in charcoal. In 1974, I drew "Portrait of Armand Roulin" (F493), and in 1970 I made another charcoal of your "Self-portrait" (F380), I copied both from the first book about your art I already had. Let me tell you I lend this book to "a friend", and unfortunately I lost it.

In 1990, as an homage after 100 years of your death, I made another charcoal. It has two of your self-portraits: "Self-Portrait with Gray Felt Hat" (F0344, right) and "Self-Portrait in Front of the Easel" (F0522, left), with a part of "Still life: Vase with Fourteen Sunflowers" (F0457). In the upper part I wrote "Il me semble que J’ai constitué une palette pratique de couleurs saines" (something like "I feel as if I have been developed myself as a palette of pure colors"). I do not have the number of the letter to Theo, you wrote it, but you must remember it. Between the Self-portraits I wrote: "Never, never the nature looks to me so touching and sensitive", I do not have either the letter of reference. In the left part of the Vase with Sunflowers, I put "The painter of the future will be such a colorist as has never yet been" (T482) and at the right of the vase "...the truth is, we can only make our pictures speak" (T652).This is the most important phrase for me, because it was found in a letter over your chest the day of your death: July 29, 1890.

In this letter, I send you copy of my drawings. I include some other of your phrases. In the near future, through our friend David Brooks of Canada, I will send you another letters with photos or drawings trying to "copy" your paintings.

Desde hace varios años he leído mucho acerca de tu vida y obra. Cuando he tenido la oportunidad, he comprado libros donde vienen tus cuadros, donde algún autor reescribe tus cartas a Theo, o en los que algún autor rehace tu biografía o trata de escribir tu autobiografía.

Tus pinturas han sido para mi una inspiración para hacer dibujos al carbón o al pastel, algunos malas copias de tus pinturas, como son: un dibujo al carbón que hice en 1974 del "Retrato de Armand Roulin" (F493), o una copia al carbón que dibujé en 1970 de un "Autorretrato" (F380), ambos los copié de mi primer libro acerca de tu obra, que alguna vez presté a "un amigo" y nunca regresó a mis manos.

En 1990, como un homenaje a los 100 años de tu muerte, preparé otro dibujo al carbón, donde incluí dos de tus autorretratos: : "Autorretrato con sombrero gris" (F0344, derecha) y "Autorretrato enfrente del caballete" (F0522, izquierda), con parte de "Naturaleza muerta: Vaso con Catorce Girasoles" (F0457).

En este dibujo escribí algunas de tus frases. En la parte superior del dibujo, arriba de los dos autorretratos, escribí "Il me semble que J’ai constitué une palette pratique de couleurs saines" ("Me parece que me he convertido en una paleta de colores sanos"), no tengo la referencia de la carta a Theo en que la incluiste, pero seguro la recordarás. Entre los autorretratos, escribí "Nunca, nunca la naturaleza me pareció tan emocionante y sensitiva", no recuerdo tampoco la carta a Theo donde escribiste esta frase. A la izquierda de los girasoles "El pintor del futuro será un colorista, tal como no ha existido nunca" (T482) y a la derecha "...la verdad es que solo podemos hacer que sean nuestros cuadros los que hablen..." (T652). Esta última es la frase más importante, porque la escribiste en la carta que Theo encontró sobre tu pecho el día de tu muerte: 29 de julio de 1890.

En la parte inferior de esta carta, te envío copia de los dibujos, donde incluyo algunas más de tus frases. En el futuro, a través de la página de Internet de nuestro amigo David Brooks de Canadá, continuaré enviándote cartas, fotos o dibujos donde trataré de "copiar" tus pinturas.

DRAWING OF THE
"PORTRAIT OF ARMAND ROULIN"

"Portrait of Armand Roulin", (F493):

"I have made portraits of a whole family, that of the postman whose head I had done previously - the man, his wife, the baby, the little boy, and the son of sixteen, all characters are very French, though the first has the look of a Russian." (T560).

"This is how van Gogh saw himself in this guise, complete with suit, buttoned vest, stiff collar, and the blue tie that always appears in his smart outfits. His face radiates a degree of something approaching equanimity, if not quite self-confidence. This effect is enhanced by the light coloring."

VINCENT. A COMPLETE PORTRAIT. BERNARD DENVIR. 1994. RUNNING PRESS. PHILADELPHIA, USA.. PAGE 68

DRAWING OF THE
"SELF-PORTRAIT"

DRAWING WITH THE
TWO SELF-PORTRAITS AND SUNFLOWERS

"And in a picture I want to say something comforting, as music is comforting. I want to paint men and women with that something of the eternal which the halo used to symbolize, and which we seek to convey by the actual radiance and vibration of our coloring." (T531)

"And it isn’t an easy job to paint oneself." (W4)

VAN GOGH. SELF PORTRAITS WITH ACCOMPANYING LETTERS FROM VINCENT TO HIS BROTHER THEO. PASCAL BONAFOUX. TRADUCED BY DANIEL SIMON. 1989. TABARD PRESS. N.Y. PAGES 84 AND 107