| | 48 letters relate to business - selling... | Excerpt length: shorter longer | |
| Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh
(late October 1885)
... and superficially people criticize.
You must just let me maintain my pessimism about the art
trade as it is these days, for it does not at all include
discouragement. This is my way of reasoning. Supposing I am
right in considering that curious haggling about prices of
pictures to be more and more like the bulb trade. I repeat,
supposing that like the bulb trade at the end of the last
century, so the art trade, along with other branches of
speculation at the end of this century, will disappear as they
came, namely rather quickly. The bulb trade may disappear - the
flower-growing remains. And I for myself am contented, for
better or for worse, to be a small gardener, who loves his
plants.
Just now my palette is thawing and the frigidness of the
first beginning has disappeared.
It is true, I often blunder still when I undertake a thing,
but the colours follow of their own accord, and taking one
colour as a starting-point, I have clearly before my mind what
must follow,... | Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh
(28 November 1885)
... and
certainly doesn't look dreary.
Now that I have the 3 studies I took along with me here, I
shall try to make contact with the marchands de tableaux
[picture dealers], who seem, however, to live for the most part
in private houses, with no display windows giving on to the
street.
The park is beautiful too. I sat there one morning and did
some drawing.
Well - I've had no setbacks so far, and I'm well off as far
as accommodation is concerned, for by sacrificing another few
francs I've acquired a stove and a lamp. I shan't easily get
bored, believe me.
I've also found Lhermitte's Octobre, women in a
potato field in the evening, splendid, but not his Novembre
yet. Have you kept track of that by any chance? I've also seen
that there's a Figaro illustré with a beautiful drawing
by Raffaelli.
My address, as you know, is 194 Rue des images, so please
send your letter there, and the second de Goncourt volume when
you've finished with it. Regards,... | Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh
(6-7 December 1885)
... seen from my window ,
two in the park. I have exhibited one of those
at a dealer's. Further, I have given the ones I brought along
from the country to two others on commission. At a fourth, I
can exhibit a view of the quay as soon as the weather permits
me to make it, because he had a Mols, along with which he could
exhibit another one. Then I have got an address from this
dealer, where he assured me I should be well received.
Now these dealers are not the biggest ones in Antwerp, but
at all their places, among many things I did not like, I saw
things which pleased me: for instance one had a picture by Van
Goyen and a study by Troyon; at another's I saw a Mols and
small Dutch pictures; at another place there was that small
picture I mentioned to you, like Raffaelli (it is by Moormans),
and a few good watercolours; at another's I found various good
marines by young Belgians. I saw very little of figure
painting, and so I intend to try and do some.
The address that dealer... | Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh
(c. 15 December 1885)
... and went to show it to
some dealers. Two of them were not at home, and one did not
like it, and one complained bitterly that in a fortnight
literally not a single person had shown his face in the store.
This is not very encouraging, especially when the weather is
chilly and gloomy, and when one has changed one's last 5-franc
piece and doesn't know how to get through the next two
weeks.
Oh dear. Do try to keep me afloat these two weeks, for I
want to paint some more figures. This morning I heard it said
that some of those pictures I wrote you about had been sold
privately - there was a rumour of 21,000 fr. I don't know if it
is true, but at all events there was a crowd of spectators when
I was there, and the exhibition for the raffle was also
crowded. If there were more better things on view, more
business would be done. But the shops have a desolate aspect.
The picture of “Het Steen” is rather elaborate, and
I shall make another one from a different spot on the... | Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh
(early January 1886)
... that there are some who want
them.
Today I spoke to a photographer's assistant, and asked him
if he couldn't procure me orders for portraits. He wanted a
commission for every woman he would bring to me for a portrait.
I let the matter rest only in so far that I did not promise any
commission before I knew my man somewhat better. But probably I
shall see him again soon. And then I shall see if I can do
anything with him directly, or if I shall go and speak to his
boss; but sometimes the employee is better, it all depends. I
told him now that I did not know him, and that I should like to
see what he could do, but that it was a risk for me, because a
portrait always entails expenses for me.
Well, I shall see later on; but the most urgent thing is
that I have some fine heads to show. I must also try to make
acquaintances among the prostitutes, which is not a pleasant
task when one has a purse with very little in it. I can assure
you it is no pleasure then.
But it is... |
<< Previous Next >> 48 results found
Showing matches 19 - 23 |
