SALVADOR DALI
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domènech,
kısaca Salvador Dalí (11 Mayıs 1904 – 23 Ocak 1989), İspanyol sürrealist ressam. Gerçeküstü eserlerindeki tuhaf ve çarpıcı imgelerle ünlenmiştir. En iyi bilinen eseri olan Belleğin Azmi,ni 1931'de bitirmiştir.
Dalí, ressamlığın yanı sıra heykelcilik, fotoğrafçılık ve filmcilikle de ilgilenmiş, Amerikalı animasyoncu Walt Disney ile beraber yaptığı Destino adlı kısa çizgi film, 2003'te "en iyi kısa animasyon filmi" dalında Oskar adayı olmuştur.
Katalonya doğumlu olan Dalí, 711 yılında İspanya'yı fethetmiş olan Mağribiler'in soyundan geldiğini iddia etmiş, "süslü ve cafcaflı olan herşeye, lüks hayata ve doğu kıyafetlerine olan düşkünlüğünü" de "Arap kökeni"ne bağlamıştır.
Dalí hayatı boyunca, sanatıyla olduğu kadar kadar eksantrik giyimi, davranışları ve sözleriyle de dikkat çekmiş, bu durum kimi zaman, onun sanatını takdir edenleri de etmeyenler kadar usandırmıştır.Bu davranışların getirdiği kötü şöhret, Dalí'nin geniş kesimlerce tanınmasını sağlamış ve eserlerine duyulan ilgiyi artırmıştır.
Dalí 11 Mayıs 1904'te, İspanya'nın Katalonya bölgesinde bulunan Figueres kentinde, Salvador Dalí i Cusí ve Felipa Domenech Ferres çiftinin ikinci çocuğu olarak dünyaya geldi. Çiftin 1901 doğumlu ilk çocuğu, Dalí'nin doğumundan tam dokuz ay on gün önce (1 Ağustos 1903'te) sindirim yolu iltihabından ölmüş, onun ismi olan Salvador da ikinci çocuğa geçmişti. İlk çocuklarının küçük yaşta ölmesini bir türlü kabullenemeyen Dalí çifti, küçük Dalí'nin yanında sık sık ölmüş ağabeyinden bahsediyor, ilk Salvador'un bir resmini yatak odalarının duvarında tutuyor, ve Dalí'yle beraber düzenli olarak ilk Salvador'un mezarını ziyaret ediyorlardı.Bu durum, Dalí'nin küçük yaşta kendi kimliği konusunda karışıklık yaşamasına sebep oldu. Sonradan, hiç tanımadığı ağabeyi hakkında "iki su damlası gibi birbirimize benziyorduk, fakat yansımalarımız farklıydı [...] o, herhalde benim fazla mutlak olarak tasarlanmış ilk versiyonumdu" diye yazacaktı.
Dalí'nin babası, sert ve otoriter karakterli bir noterdi. Annesi ise tam tersine sevecen ve anlayışlıydı, ve oğlunun resim konusundaki çabalarına destek veriyordu. Dalí üç yaşındayken kızkardeşi Ana María doğdu. Evin tek erkek çocuğu olarak, annesi, kızkardeşi, teyzesi, anneannesi ve bakıcısından sürekli ilgi gören Dalí, küçük yaşlarından itibaren şımarık ve kaprisli bir karakter sergilemeye başladı.
1914'te annesinin desteğiyle özel bir resim okuluna yazılan Dalí, 1919'da Figueres Belediye Tiyatrosu'nda ilk sergisini açtı. Şubat 1921'de ise çok sevdiği annesini meme kanserinden kaybetti. Annesinin ölümü hakkında "hayatımda aldığım en büyük darbeydi. Ona tapardım [...] Ruhumun kaçınılmaz kusurlarını görünmez kılabilmesine hep güvendiğim bir varlığın kaybını kabullenemiyordum" diye yazacaktı. Dalí'nin babası, karısının ölümünden kısa süre sonra baldızıyla evlendi.meci ailesi özellikle ibraihm
1922'de Madrid'e taşınan ve buradaki San Fernando Güzel Sanatlar Okulu'na yazılan Dalí, ilk eserlerinde kübizm ve dadaizm etkileri gösterdi. Fransa ve İsviçre kökenli olan bu yeni akımlar, o sıralar Madrid'de pek yaygın değildi, ve Dalí'nin eserleri kısa sürede ilgi çekmeye başladı. Dalí, Madrid'de geçirdiği yıllarda, kendisi gibi avangart sanata meraklı olan film yapımcısı Luis Buñuel ve şair Federico García Lorca ile yakın arkadaş oldu. 1923'te disiplinsizlik yüzünden geçici olarak okuldan uzaklaştırılan Dalí, aynı yıl Girona'da anarşist gösterilere katıldığı için tutuklandı ve bir süre gözaltında tutuldu. 1925'te okula geri döndü, ve Barcelona'da ilk kişisel sergisini açtı. Resimleri eleştirmenler tarafından ilgi ve şaşkınlıkla karşılandı.
Dalí 1926'da Paris'e gitti ve büyük saygı duyduğu Pablo Picasso ile tanıştı. Sonraki birkaç yıl boyunca, Dalí'nin eserlerinde Picasso etkisi ağır basacaktı. Paris gezisinden döndükten kısa süre sonra okulundan temelli kovulan Dalí, çok geçmeden askere alındı. Ekim 1927'de askerlik hizmetini bitirdi ve Mart 1928'de sanat eleştirmenleri Lluís Montanyà ve Sebastià Gasch ile beraber, sanatta modernizmi ve fütürizmi savunan "Sanat Karşıtı Katalan Manifesto"yu yazdı.
1929'da arkadaşı Luis Buñuel ile beraber çektikleri Bir Endülüs Köpeği adlı avangart kısa film, sürrealist sanat çevrelerinde ikiliye büyük şöhret kazandırdı. Aynı yıl ikinci kez Paris'e giden Dalí, burada ressam Joan Miró aracılığıyla sürrealist akımın öncüleri André Breton ve Paul Éluard ile tanıştı. Éluard'ın karısı Gala (asıl ismi Helena İvanovna Diakonova), tanıştıkları andan itibaren Dalí'nin ilgisini çekti, ve 1929 yazında Dalí ile Gala arasında, sonradan evliliğe dönüşecek olan tutkulu bir ilişki başladı.
1931 yılında Dalí, en meşhur eseri olan Belleğin Azmi,ni yaptı. Yumuşak Saatler ya da Eriyen Saatler olarak da bilinen eserde, geniş bir kumsal manzarası önünde eriyen cep saatleri resmedilmiştir. Eser genel olarak, katı ve değişmez zaman kavramına karşı bir protesto olarak yorumlanır. Dalí sonradan bu resmin ilhamını, sıcak Ağustos güneşi altında erimekte olan bir Camembert peynirinden aldığını yazacaktı.
1929'dan beri beraber yaşayan Dalí ve Gala, 1934'te bir devlet nikâhıyla evlendiler. (1958'de bir Katolik düğünüyle nikâh tazeleyeceklerdi.) Aynı yıl New York'da bir sergi açan Dalí, ABD'de büyük sansasyon yarattı ve büyük üne kavuştu. 1936'da Londra Uluslararası Sürrealist Sergisi'nde bir konuşma yapması istenince, sahneye eski tip hantal bir dalgıç tulumu içinde çıktı. Tulumun beline mücevher işlemeli bir kama takmıştı; bir elinde bir bilardo ıstakası tutuyor, diğer eliyle de bir çift kurtköpeğini çekiştiriyordu.Konuşma sırasında nefes almakta zorluk çekince, dalgıç kıyafetinin başlığı çıkarıldı.
Dalí 1937'de Hollywood'a giderek zamanın meşhur komedyenleri Marx kardeşler ile tanıştı, ve onlar için bir film senaryosu yazdı. 1938 yazında ise Londra'da, hayranı olduğu Sigmund Freud ile tanıştı ve ünlü psikoloğun birkaç portresini yaptı. Tüm sürrealistler gibi Dalí de bilinçaltının dışavurumuyla ilgileniyor, ve Freud'un bilinçaltı konusundaki yazılarını ilgiyle takip ediyordu.
1936'da başlayan ve tüm İspanya'yı kaosa sürükleyen İspanya İç Savaşı, 1939'da General Francisco Franco'nun galibiyetiyle sona erince, Dalí yeni kurulan faşist rejimi desteklediğini açıkladı.Bunun üzerine, çoğunluğu Marksist olan, ve Dalí'nin abartılı dikkat çekme çabalarından zaten hoşlanmayan sürrealistler, Dalí'ye açıkça sırtlarını döndüler. Sürrealist grubun önderi Breton, Salvador Dalí'nin isminden iğneleyici bir anagram çıkardı: Avida Dollars (Dolar Heveslisi). Dalí ise cevap vermekte gecikmedi: "Le surréalisme, c'est moi!" (Sürrealizm benim!) Sürrealistler ve Dalí arasındaki çekişme, Dalí ölene kadar devam edecekti.
1940'da Dalí ve Gala, tüm Avrupa'yı etkisi altına almaya başlayan II. Dünya Savaşı'ndan kaçarak ABD'ye yerleştiler. Burada dokuz yıl kalacaklardı. 1942 yılında Dalí, Salvador Dalí'nin Gizli Hayatı isimli otobiyografisini yayımladı. 1945-46 yıllarında, Walt Disney ile beraber Destino, Alfred Hitchcock ile beraber Spellbound filmlerinin yapımında çalıştı. 1947'de sürrealist bir Picasso portresi yaptı.
1949'da Dalí, karısıyla beraber Avrupa'ya döndü ve memleketi Katalonya'ya yerleşti. Hayatının sonuna kadar burada kalacaktı. Faşist Franco rejimiyle yönetilen İspanya'ya yerleşmesi, bir kez daha sol görüşlü sanatçı ve aydınların tepkisini çekti.
Dalí 1951'de Katolisizm'in ve modern bilimin bazı kavramlarını sentezlediği Mistik Manifesto,yu yayımladı. II. Dünya Savaşı sonrası eserlerinde, Katolik temalar ve DNA, hiperküp (dört boyutlu küp) ve atomik çözünme gibi modern bilim kavramları öne çıkacaktı. Hiroşima'da patlayan atom bombasının gücünden çok etkilenmiş olan Dalí, hayatının bu dönemine "nükleer mistisizm" adını veriyordu. Yine bu dönemde Dalí, tuvale boya sıçratma, hologramlar, optik yanılgılar ve stereoskopi gibi pek çok değişik teknikle denemeler yaptı.
1960'da Figueres belediye başkanı, yıllar önce Dalí'nin ilk sergisine ev sahipliği yapmış ve iç savaşta zarar görmüş olan Belediye Tiyatrosu'nu "Dalí Tiyatrosu ve Müzesi" adıyla restore etmeye karar verdi. Dalí, 1974'e kadar müzenin inşaatı ve dekorasyonuyla bizzat ilgilendi ve bu projeye çok emek ve zaman harcadı. Müze 1974'te açıldıysa da, Dalí 1980'lerin ortasına kadar ufak eklemeler ve değişiklikler yapmaya devam etti.
10 Haziran 1982'de Dalí'nin çok sevdiği karısı, menajeri, modeli ve ilham perisi Gala hayatını kaybetti. Gala'nın ölümünden sonra yaşama isteğini kaybeden Dalí, karısının öldüğü ve gömüldüğü Púbol Kalesi'ne yerleşti ve münzevi bir hayat sürmeye başladı. Temmuz 1982'de İspanya Kralı Juan Carlos, Dalí'yi Púbol Markisi ilan etti. Dalí ise bu jeste karşılık olarak, krala Avrupa'nın Başı adlı çizimini hediye etti. 1983'te Púbol Kalesi'nde yaptığı Serçenin Kuyruğu adlı tablo, Dalí'nin son eseri olacaktı. Ağustos 1984'te Dalí, kaledeki yatak odasında bilinmeyen bir sebepten çıkan yangında bacağından yaralandı. Bu olaydan kısa süre sonra Figueres'e döndü ve Salvador Dalí Tiyatro ve Müzesi'nde yaşamaya başladı.
Dalí, 23 Ocak 1989'da kalp yetmezliğinden öldü ve Figueres'te kendi adını taşıyan müzenin mahzenine gömüldü.
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Salvador Dali is considered as the greatest artist of the surrealist art movement and one of the greatest masters of art of the twentieth century. During his lifetime the public got a picture of an eccentric paranoid. His personality caused a lot of controversy. After his death in 1989 his name remained in the headlines. But this time it was not funny at all. The art market was shaken by reports of great numbers of fraudulent Dali prints. What's all behind it?
The Prodigy Child without an Exam
Salvador Dali was born as the son of a prestigious notary in the small town of Figuera in Northern Spain. His talent as an artist showed at an early age and Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali received his first drawing lessons when he was ten years old. His art teachers were a then well known Spanish impressionist painter, Ramon Pichot and later an art professor at the Municipal Drawing School. In 1923 his father bought his son his first printing press.
Dali began to study art at the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid. He was expelled twice and never took the final examinations. His opinion was that he was more qualified than those who should have examined him.
Surreal Art
In 1928 Dali went to Paris where he met the Spanish painters Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. He established himself as the principal figure of a group of surrealist artists grouped around Andre Breton, who was something like the theoretical "schoolmaster" of surrealism. Years later Breton turned away from Dali accusing him of support of fascism, excessive self-presentation and financial greediness.
By 1929 Dali had found his personal style that should make him famous - the world of the unconscious that is recalled during our dreams. The surrealist theory is based on the theories of the psychologist Dr. Sigmund Freud. Recurring images of burning giraffes and melting watches became the artist's surrealist trademarks. His great craftsmanship allowed him to execute his paintings in a nearly photorealistic style. No wonder that the artist was a great admirer of the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael.
Dali and Gala
Meeting Gala was the most important event in the artist's life and decisive for his future career. She was a Russian immigrant and ten years older than Dali. When he met her, she was married to the famous French poet, Paul Eluard.
Gala decided to stay with Dali. She became his companion, his muse, his sexual partner, his model in numerous art works and his business manager. For him she was everything. Most of all Gala was a stabilizing factor in his life. And she managed his success in the 1930s with exhibitions in Europe and the United States.
Gala was legally divorced from her husband in 1932. In 1934 Dali and Gala were married in a civil ceremony in Paris and in 1958 in church after Gala's former husband had died in 1952. However from around 1965 on, the couple was seen less frequently together. But Gala continued to manage Dali's business affairs.
In the U.S.A.
In 1933 Salvador Dali had his first one-man show in New York. One year later he visited the U.S. for the first time supported by a loan of US$500 from Pablo Picasso. To evade World War II, Dali chose the U.S.A. as his permanent residence in 1940. He had a series of spectacular exhibitions, among others a great retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Besides creating a number of great paintings, Dali caused the attention of the media by playing the role of a surrealist clown. He made a lot of money and was contemptuously nicknamed Avida Dollars (greedy for dollars) by Andre Breton.
Dali became the darling of the American High Society. Celebrities like Jack Warner or Helena Rubinstein gave him commissions for portraits. His art works became a popular trademark and besides painting he pursued other activities - jewelry and clothing designs for Coco Chanel or film making with Alfred Hitchcock.
The Classic Period After World War II
In 1948 Dali and Gala returned to Europe, spending most of their time either in their residence in Lligat/Spain or in Paris/France or in New York. Dali developed a lively interest in science, religion and history. He integrated things into his art that he had picked up from popular science magazines. Another source of inspiration were the great classical masters of painting like Raphael, Velasquez or the French painter Ingres. The artist commented his shift in style with the words: "To be a surrealist forever is like spending your life painting nothing but eyes and noses."
In 1958 the artist began his series of large sized history paintings. He painted one monumental painting every year during the summer months in Lligat. The most famous one, The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, can be seen at the Dali Museum in St.Petersburg in Florida. It is breath-taking. The artist's late art works combine more than ever his perfect and meticulous painting technique with his fantastic and limitless imaginations.
Death in His Own Museum
Salvador Dali is the only known artist who had two museums dedicated exclusively to his works in his lifetime.
The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg in Florida/U.S.A.
This art museum was founded in 1971 by the Dali collector A. Reynolds Morse and his wife Eleanor. The collection was first exhibited in a building adjacent to their home in Cleveland/Ohio. In 1982, the museum was moved to St. Petersburg in Florida. It hosts 95 oil paintings including six of Dali's eighteen large-sized historical paintings.
Dali Museum-Theater in Figueres, Spain
The Museum was the former Municipal Theater of Figueres. In 1918, when Salvador Dali was only fourteen years old, it had shown his first public exhibition.
From 1970 the artist dedicated his energy to transforming the former Municipal Theater into a museum and art gallery. In 1974 the Theatro Museo Dali was officially opened.
In 1980 Dali was forced to retire due to palsy, a motor disorder, that caused a permanent trembling and weakness of his hands. He was not able to hold a brush any more. The fact that he could not follow his vocation and passion of painting and the news of Gala's death in 1982 left him with deep depressions.
After Gala's death he moved to Pubol, a castle, he had bought and decorated for Gala. In 1984, when he was lying in bed, a fire broke out and he suffered sever burns. Two years later, a pacemaker had to be implanted.
Towards the end of his life, Dali lived in the tower of his own museum where he died on January 23, 1989 from heart failure.
In 1949 his sister Ana Maria published a book about her brother, Dali As Seen By His Sister describing his youth as very normal and happy. The great surrealist master was furious and outraged and created a painting that can only be called a vulgar revenge against his sister.
In an interview with a news magazine in July 2000, Robert Descharnes, his long-time secretary, described the artist as a rather normal person.
Dali Biog. II
"Every morning when I wake up", said the painter of Soft Watches (later retitled The Persistance of Memory), "I experience exquisite joy - the joy of being Salvador Dali ..."
The native Catalonian was obsessed with both money and fame; painting and speaking were his main occupations, his favourite subject how to discover one's genius.
Not exactly loved by the Surrealists, who criticized him for extravagance and his adiction to money (it was Andre Breton who came up with the anagram "Avida Dollars"), Dali's "paranoiac-critical" method nonetheless provided them with a first-rate instrument to liberate intelligence and imagination from the bonds of memory or dreams.
Had he been born during the Renaissance, his genius would have met with greater acceptance than was the case in our era, which saw him as a constant source of provocation; he, for his part, described it as "degenerate".
Dali commented:
"The only difference between me and a madman is the fact that I am not mad"
Remarking pithily that:
"The difference between the Surrealists and myself is that I am a Surrealist."
Dali decodes the fantasies and symbols of his Surrealist visions, penetrating the depths of the irrational and subconscious, elevating hard and soft to the level of aesthetic principles. He and Gala, his wife and muse, are a mythical couple, she his "existential double", his "perpetuation in immortal memory".
At the age of three, Dali wanted to become a good cook, aged five Napoleon. Thereafter, he continually aspired to something higher - to be the divine Dali forever ...
VİNCENT VAN GOGH 1853 - 1890
"BİR DELİ GİBİ RESİM YAPIYORSUN" diyorlardı Van Gogh'a.Ama eleştirmenler kısmen haklı idiler.Özellikle son yıllarında Van Gogh birkaç defa delilik buhranı geçirdi ve sonunda intihar etti.Bununla beraber eserleri bir delinin degil dahinin eserleridir.Bugün bu sanatçı dünyanın en büyük ressamlarından biri olarak kabul edilmektedir.
Vincent Van Gogh 1853 de Hollanda'nın Zundert şehrinde dünyaya geldi.Babası rahipti.Van Gogh ailenin altı çocugunun en büyügü idi.En yakın arkadaşı kardeşi Theo idi.16 yaşına basınca amcası onu bir tablo satıcısının yanına yerleştirdi.Dört yıl Lahey'de çalıştıktan sonra tablo satıcılarının Londra'daki magzalasına gönderildi.Orada bir çok müze dolaştı ve çok kitap okudu ama mutsuz bir aşk sonunda içine kapanık bir insan oldu.
Degişiklik kendisine iyi gelir düşüncesiyle patronları onu Paris'taki şubelerine gönderdiler.Okumaya devam etti.Aynı zamanda müzedeki büyük tablolarıda inceliyordu.Ama karakterindeki gariplik bir yandanda artıyordu.
Van Gogh 1877 de Amsterdam'daki bir okulda ilahiyat okumaya başladı.İyi bir ögrenci degildi.Din anlayışı üzerinde ögretmenleri ile çatışıyordu.Daha sonra belçika'daki Borinage'da fakirlerin oturdugu bir semtte rahiplik yapmaya başladı.Ama iki yıl sonra onu bu görevden ayırdılar.
1880 de Van Gogh gerçek yeteneginin sanatta oldugunu anladı.O tarihte hayatını iyi kazanan kardeşi Theo ona para yardımı yapmaya başladı ve ölünceye kadar buna devam etti.Van Gogh artık resim yapıyordu.Beş yıl Brüksel'de,Lahey'de ve Antwerp'te resim ögrenimi yaptı.1886 da Paris'e kardeşi Theo'nun yanına gitti.Orada zamanın ünlü ressamları ile tanıştı.İki yıl sonra Fransa'nın güneyindeki Arles'a gitti.Ressam Gauguin'i yanına çagırdı.Ama kısa süre sonra kavga ettiler.Ve bir delilik buhranı sırasında Vincent sol kulagını kesti.Saglık durumunun gittikçe bozuldugunu anlayan sanatçı bir yıl sonra Arles yakınında Saint Rémy akıl hastanesine yatırıldı.Buhranlar sıklaşmaya başlayınca Theo onu Paris yakınındaki Auvers'de bir doktorun yanına getirdi.Hastalıgının geçmeyecegini anlayan ve bir yandanda hep Theo'nun parası ile geçinmek zorunda oldugunu görerek büyük bir acıya kapılan Vincent 29 Temmuz 1890 tarihinde kendini tabanca ile vurarak intihar etti.
Van Gogh 800 kadar tablo ile 900 kadar desen yaptı.En ünlü tabloları arasında şunları sayabiliriz:"Patates Yiyenler,Saksıda Gün Çiçekleri,Yıldızlı Gece".Sanatçının kardeşi Theo'ya yazdıgı mektuplar ayrıca büyük bir deger taşır.
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Van Gogh was the son of Theodorus van Gogh (1822-85), a pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus (1819-1907). Unfortunately there is virtually no information about Vincent van Gogh's first ten years. Van Gogh attended a boarding school in Zevenbergen for two years and then went on to attend the King Willem II secondary school in Tilburg for two more. At that time, in 1868, Van Gogh left his studies at the age of 15 and never returned.
In 1869 Vincent van Gogh joined the firm Goupil & Cie., a firm of art dealers in The Hague. The Van Gogh family had long been associated with the art world--Vincent's uncles, Cornelis ("Uncle Cor") and Vincent ("Uncle Cent"), were art dealers. His younger brother, Theo, spent his adult life working as an art dealer and, as a result, had a tremendous influence on Vincent's later career as an artist.
Vincent was relatively successful as an art dealer and stayed with Goupil & Cie. for seven more years. In 1873 he was transferred to the London branch of the company and quickly became enamoured with the cultural climate of England. In late August, Vincent moved to 87 Hackford Road and boarded with Ursula Loyer and her daughter Eugenie. Vincent is said to have been romantically interested in Eugenie, but many early biographers mistakenly misname Eugenie for her mother, Ursula. To add to the decades-long confusion over the names, recent evidence suggests that Vincent wasn't in love with Eugenie at all, but rather a Dutch woman named Caroline Haanebeek. The truth remains inconclusive.
Vincent van Gogh would remain in London for two more years. During that time he visited the many art galleries and museums and became a great admirer of British writers such as George Eliot and Charles Dickens. Van Gogh was also a great admirer of the British engravers whose works illustrated such magazines as The Graphic. These illustrations inspired and influenced Van Gogh in his later life as an artist.
The relationship between Vincent and Goupil's became more strained as the years passed and in May of 1875 he was transferred to the Paris branch of the firm. It became clear as the year wore on that Vincent was no longer happy dealing in paintings that had little appeal for him in terms of his own personal tastes. Vincent left Goupil's in late March, 1876 and decided to return to England where his two years there had been, for the most part, very happy and rewarding.
In April Vincent van Gogh began teaching at Rev. William P. Stokes' school in Ramsgate. He was responsible for 24 boys between the ages of 10 and 14. His letters suggest that Vincent enjoyed teaching. After that he began teaching at another school for boys, this one lead by Rev. T. Slade Jones in Isleworth. In his spare time Van Gogh continued to visit galleries and admire the many great works of art he found there. He also devoted himself to his Bible study--spending many hours reading and rereading the Gospel. The summer of 1876 was truly a time of religious transformation for Vincent van Gogh. Although raised in a religious family, it wasn't until this time that he seriously began to consider devoting his life to the Church.
As a means of making a transition from teacher to clergyman, Vincent requested that Rev. Jones give him more responsibilities specific to the clergy. Jones agreed and Vincent began to speak at prayer meetings held within the parish of Turnham Green. These talks served as a means of preparing Vincent for the task which he had long anticipated: his first Sunday sermon. Although Vincent was enthusiastic about his prospects as a minister, his sermons were somewhat lackluster and lifeless. Like his father, Vincent had a passion for preaching, but lacked a gripping and passionate delivery.
Undeterred, Vincent van Gogh chose to remain in The Netherlands after visiting his family over Christmas. After working briefly in a bookshop in Dordrecht in early 1877, Vincent left for Amsterdam on 9 May to prepare himself for the admission examination to the university where he was to study theology. Vincent received lessons in Greek, Latin and mathematics, but his lack of proficiency ultimately compelled him to abandon his studies after fifteen months. Vincent later described this period as "the worst time of my life". In November Vincent failed to qualify for the mission school in Laeken after a three month trial period. Never one to be swayed by adversity, Vincent van Gogh eventually made arrangements with the Church to begin a trial period preaching in one of the most inhospitable and impoverished regions in western Europe: the coal mining district of The Borinage, Belgium.
In January, 1879 Vincent began his duties preaching to the coal miners and their families in the mining village of Wasmes. Vincent felt a strong emotional attachment to the miners. He sympathized with their dreadful working conditions and did his best, as their spiritual leader, to ease the burden of their lives. Unfortunately, this altruistic desire would reach somewhat fanatical proportions when Vincent began to give away most of his food and clothing to the poverty-stricken people under his care. Despite Vincent's noble intentions, representatives of the Church strongly disapproved of Van Gogh's asceticism and dismissed him from his post in July. Refusing to leave the area, Van Gogh moved to an adjacent village, Cuesmes, and remained there in abject poverty. For the next year Vincent struggled to live from day to day and, though not able to help the village people in any official capacity as a clergyman, he nevertheless chose to remain a member of their community. One day Vincent felt compelled to visit the home of Jules Breton, a French painter he greatly admired, so with only ten francs in his pocket he walked the entire 70 kilometers to Courrières, France, to see Breton. Upon arriving, however, Vincent was too timid to knock and returned to Cuesmes utterly discouraged.
It was then that Vincent began to draw the miners and their families, chronicling their harsh conditions. It was during this pivotal time that Vincent van Gogh chose his next and final career: as an artist.
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Beginnings as an Artist
In autumn of 1880, after more than a year living as a pauper in the Borinage, Vincent left for Brussels to begin his art studies. Vincent was inspired to begin these studies as a result of financial help from his brother, Theo. Vincent and Theo had always been close as children and throughout most of their adult lives maintained an ongoing and poignantly revealing correspondence. It is these letters, in total more than 700 extant, which form most of our knowledge of Van Gogh's perceptions about his own life and works.
1881 would prove to be a turbulent year for Vincent van Gogh. Vincent applied for study at the Ecole des Beaux-Art in Brussels, although the biographers Hulsker and Tralbaut conflict with regards to the details. Tralbaut suggests a short and unremarkable tenure with the school, whereas Hulsker maintains that Vincent's application for admission was never accepted. Whatever the case, Vincent continued drawings lessons on his own, taking examples from such books as Travaux des champs by Jean-François Millet and Cours de dessin by Charles Bargue. In the summer Vincent was once again living with his parents, now situated in Etten, and during that time he met his cousin Cornelia Adriana Vos-Stricker (Kee). Kee (1846-1918) had been recently widowed and was raising a young son on her own. Vincent fell in love with Kee and was devastated when she rejected his advances. The unfortunate episode concluded with one of the most memorable incidents in Van Gogh's life. After being spurned by Kee, Vincent decided to confront her at her parents house. Kee's father refused to let Vincent see his daughter and Vincent, ever determined, put his hand over the funnel of an oil lamp, intentionally burning himself. Vincent's intent was to hold his hand over the flame until he was allowed to see Kee. Kee's father quickly defused the situation by simply blowing out the lamp and Vincent left the house humiliated.
Despite emotional setbacks with Kee and personal tensions with his father, Vincent found some encouragement from Anton Mauve (1838-88), his cousin by marriage. Mauve had established himself as a successful artist, and from his home in The Hague, supplied Vincent with his first set of watercolours--thus giving Vincent his initial introduction to working in colours. Vincent was a great admirer of Mauve's works and was deeply grateful for any instruction that Mauve was able to provide. Their relationship was a pleasant one, but would suffer due to tensions brought about when Vincent began living with a prostitute.
Vincent van Gogh met Clasina Maria Hoornik (1850-1904) in late February 1882, in The Hague. Already pregnant with her second child when Van Gogh met her, this woman, known as "Sien", moved in with Vincent shortly afterward. Vincent lived with Sien for the next year and a half. Their relationship was a stormy one, partly due to both of their volatile personalities and also because of the strain of living in complete poverty. Vincent's letters to Theo show him to be devoted to Sien and especially her children, but his art was always his first passion--to the exclusion of all other concerns, including food. Sien and her children posed for dozens of drawings for Vincent, and his talents as an artist grew considerably during this period. His early, more primitive drawings of the coal miners in the Borinage made way for far more refined and emotion-laden works. In the drawing Sien, Sitting on a Basket, with a Girl, for example, Vincent masterfully depicts quiet domesticity, as well as an underlying sense of despair--feelings which would truly define Van Gogh's 19 months living with Sien.
1883 was another year of transition for Van Gogh: both in his personal life and in his role as an artist. Vincent began to experiment with oil paints in 1882, but it wasn't until 1883 that he worked in this medium more and more frequently. As his drawing and painting skills advanced, his relationship with Sien deteriorated and they parted ways in September. As with his failure in The Borinage, Vincent would spend his time recovering from this failed relationship in isolation. With much regret, particularly because of his feelings for Sien's children, Vincent left The Hague in mid-September to travel to Drenthe, a somewhat desolate district in The Netherlands. For the next six weeks Vincent lived a rather nomadic life, moving throughout the region and drawing and painting the remote landscape and its inhabitants.
Once again, Vincent returned to his parents' home, now in Nuenen, in late 1883. Throughout the following year Vincent van Gogh continued to refine his craft. He produced dozens of paintings and drawings during this period: weavers, spinners and other portraits. The local peasants proved to be his favourite subjects--in part because Van Gogh felt a strong affinity toward the poor working labourers and partly because he was such an admirer of the painter Millet who himself produced sensitive and compassionate paintings of workers in the fields. Vincent's romantic life took yet another dramatic and unhappy turn that summer. Margot Begemann (1841-1907), whose family lived next door to Vincent's parents, had been in love with Vincent, and the emotional upheaval of the relationship lead her to attempt suicide by poison. Vincent was greatly distraught over the incident. Margot eventually recovered, but the episode upset Vincent a great deal and he referred to it in his letters on a number of occasions.
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Turning Point 1885: The First Great Works
In the early months of 1885 Van Gogh continued his series of portraits of peasants. Vincent viewed these as "studies", works which would continue to refine his craft in preparation for his most ambitious work to date. Vincent laboured throughout March and April on these studies, briefly distracted from his work by the death of his father on 26 March. Vincent and his father had maintained a severely strained relationship over the last few years and, while certainly not happy about his father's death, Vincent was quite emotionally detached and continued his work.
All the years of hard work, of continually refining his technique and learning to work in new media--all served as stepping stones toward the production of Vincent van Gogh's first great painting: The Potato Eaters.
Vincent worked on The Potato Eaters throughout April of 1885. He had produced various drafts in preparation of the final, large oil on canvas version. The Potato Eaters is acknowledged to be Vincent van Gogh's first true masterpiece and he was encouraged by the outcome. Although angered and upset by any criticism of the work (Vincent's friend and fellow artist, Anthon van Rappard (1858-1892), disliked the work and his comments would prompt Vincent to end their friendship), Vincent was pleased with the result and thus began a new, more confident and technically accomplished phase of his career.
Van Gogh continued to work throughout 1885, but once again became restless and in need of new stimulation. He enrolled briefly in the Academy in Antwerp in early 1886, but left it about four weeks later feeling stifled by the narrow and rigid approach of the instructors. As he demonstrated frequently throughout his life, Vincent felt that formal study was a poor substitute for practical work. Vincent had worked for five difficult years to hone his talents as an artist and with the creation of The Potato Eaters he proved himself a first-rate painter. But Vincent continually sought to better himself, to acquire new ideas and explore new techniques as a means of becoming the artist he truly aspired to be. In The Netherlands he had accomplished as much as he could. It was now time to explore new horizons and begin a journey which would further refine his craft. Vincent left The Netherlands to find the answers in Paris . . . . and in the company of the Impressionists.
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New Beginnings: Paris
Vincent van Gogh had written to his brother, Theo, throughout early 1886 in an effort to convince Theo that Paris was where he belonged. Theo was all too aware of his brother's somewhat abrasive personality and resisted. As always, Vincent was undeterred and simply arrived in Paris unannounced in early March. Theo had no choice but to take Vincent in.
Van Gogh's Paris period is fascinating in terms of its role in transforming him as an artist. Unfortunately, Vincent's two years in Paris is also one of the least documented periods of his life--namely because biographers are so dependent on the letters between Vincent and Theo to supply the facts, and these letters stopped while the brothers lived together in Theo's apartment at 54 rue Lepic in Paris's Montmartre district.
Still, the importance of Vincent's time in Paris is clear. Theo, as an art dealer, had many contacts and Vincent would become familar with the ground-breaking artists in Paris at that time. Van Gogh's two years in Paris were spent visiting some of the early exhibitions of the Impressionists (displaying works by Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Seurat and Sisley). There's no question that Van Gogh was influenced by the methods of the Impressionists, but he always remained faithful to his own unique style. Throughout the two years Van Gogh would incorporate some of the techniques of the Impressionists, but he never let their powerful influence overwhelm him.
Vincent enjoyed painting in the environs of Paris throughout 1886. His palette began to move away from the darker, traditional colours of his Dutch homeland and would incorporate the more vibrant hues of the Impressionists. To add further to the complex tapestry of Van Gogh's style, it was at this point in Paris that Vincent became interested in Japanese art. Japan had only recently opened its ports to outsiders after centuries of a cultural blockade and, as a result of this long-held isolationism, the western world was fascinated with all things Japanese. Van Gogh began to acquire a substantial collection of Japanese woodblock prints (now in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam) and his paintings during this time (The Portrait of Père Tanguy, for example) would reflect both the vibrant use of colour favoured by the Impressionists, and distinct Japanese overtones. Although Van Gogh only ever produced three copies of Japanese paintings, the Japanese influence on his art would be evident in subtle form throughout the rest of his life.
1887 in Paris marked another year in which Vincent evolved as an artist, but it also took its toll on him, both emotionally and physically. Vincent's volatile personality put a strain on his relationship with Theo. When Vincent insisted on moving in with Theo, he did so with the hopes that they could better manage their expenses and that Vincent could more easily devote himself to his art. Unfortunately, living with his brother also resulted in a great deal of tension between the two. In addition, Paris itself was not without its temptations and much of Vincent's two years there was spent in unhealthy extremes: poor nutrition, and excessive drinking and smoking.
As was often the case throughout his life, poor weather during the winter months left Vincent irritable and depressed. Never was Vincent more happy then when he was outdoors communing with nature when the weather was at its finest. Whether painting or simply taking long walks, Vincent van Gogh lived for the sun. During the bleak winter months in Paris of 1887-88 Van Gogh became restless. And the same pattern was re-emerging. Van Gogh's two years in Paris had a tremendous impact on his ongoing evolution as an artist. But he had acquired what he was seeking and it was time to move on. Never truly happy in large cities, Vincent decided to leave Paris and follow the sun, and his destiny, south.
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The Studio of the South
Vincent van Gogh moved to Arles in early 1888 propelled by a number of reasons. Weary of the frenetic energy of Paris and the long months of winter, Van Gogh sought the warm sun of Provence. Another motivation was Vincent's dream of establishing a kind of artists' commune in Arles where his comrades in Paris would seek refuge and where they would work together and support each other toward a common goal. Van Gogh took the train from Paris to Arles on 20 February 1888 heartened by his dreams for a prosperous future and amused by the passing landscape which he felt looked more and more Japanese the further south he travelled.
No doubt Van Gogh was disappointed with Arles during his first few weeks there. In search of the sun, Vincent found Arles unusually cold and dusted with snow. This must have been discouraging to Vincent who had left everyone he knew behind in order to seek warmth and restoration in the south. Still, the harsh weather was short lived and Vincent began to paint some of the best loved works of his career.
Once the temperature had risen, Vincent wasted no time in beginning his labours outdoors. Note the two complimentary works: the drawing Landscape with Path and Pollard Trees and the painting Path through a Field with Willows. The drawing was produced in March and the trees and landscape appear somewhat bleak after winter. The painting, however, executed a month later shows the very first spring buds on the trees. During this time Van Gogh painted a series of blossoming orchards. Vincent was pleased with his productivity and, like the orchards, felt renewed.
The months to follow would be happy ones. Vincent took a room at the Café de la Gare at 10 Place Lamartine in early May and rented his famous "Yellow House" (2 Place Lamartine) as a studio and storage area. Vincent wouldn't actually move into the Yellow House until September, in preparation for establishing it as the base for his "Studio of the South."
Vincent worked diligently throughout the spring and summer and began to send Theo shipments of his works. Van Gogh is often perceived today as an irritable and solitary figure. But he really did enjoy the company of people and did his best during these months to make friends--both for companionship and also to pose as much valued models. Although deeply lonely at times, Vincent did make friends with Paul-Eugène Milliet and another Zouave soldier and painted their portraits. Vincent never lost hope in the prospect of establishing the artists' commune and began a campaign to encourage Paul Gauguin to join him in the south. The prospect appeared unlikely, however, because Gauguin's relocation would require even more financial assistance from Theo who had reached his limit.
In late July, however, Van Gogh's Uncle Vincent died and left a legacy to Theo. This financial influx would enable Theo to sponsor Gauguin's move to Arles. Theo was motivated both as a concerned brother and also as a business man. Theo felt that Vincent would be happier and more stable in the company of Gauguin and also Theo had hopes that the paintings he would receive from Gauguin, in exchange for his support, would turn a profit. Unlike Vincent, Paul Gauguin was beginning to see a small degree of success from his works.
Despite the improved state of Theo's financial affairs, Vincent nevertheless remained true to form and spent a disproportionate amount of his money on art supplies instead of the basic necessities of life. Malnourished and overworked, Van Gogh's health declined early October, but he was heartened upon receiving confirmation that Gauguin would join him in the south. Vincent worked hard to prepare the Yellow House in order to make Gauguin feel welcome. Gauguin arrived in Arles by train early on 23 October.
The next two months would be pivotal, and disastrous, for both Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Initially Van Gogh and Gauguin got on well together, painting on the outskirts of Arles, discussing their art and differing techniques. As the weeks passed, however, the weather deteriorated and the pair found themselves compelled to stay indoors more and more frequently. As always, Vincent's temperament (and most likely Gauguin's as well) fluctuated to match the weather. Forced to work indoors, Vincent's depression was assuaged, however, when he was encouraged and stimulated by a series of portraits he undertook. "I have made portraits of a whole family . . . ." he wrote to Theo (Letter 560). Those paintings, of the Roulin family, remain among his best loved works.
The relationship between Van Gogh and Gauguin deteriorated throughout December, however. Their heated arguments became more and more frequent--"electric" as Vincent would describe them. Relations between the pair declined in tandem with Vincent's state of mental health. On 23 December Vincent van Gogh, in an irrational fit of madness, mutilated the lower portion of his left ear. He severed the lobe with a razor, wrapped it in cloth and then took it to a brothel and presented it to one of the women there. Vincent then staggered back to the Yellow House where he collapsed. He was discovered by the police and hospitalized at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Arles. After sending a telegram to Theo, Gauguin left immediately for Paris, choosing not to visit Van Gogh in the hospital. Van Gogh and Gauguin would later correspond from time to time, but would never meet in person again.
During his time in the hospital, Vincent was under the care of Dr. Felix Rey (1867-1932). The week following the ear mutilation was critical for Van Gogh--both mentally and physically. He had suffered a great deal of blood loss and continued to suffer serious attacks in which he was incapacitated. Theo, who had rushed down from Paris, was sure that Vincent would die, but by the end of December and the early days of January, Vincent made a nearly full recovery.
The first weeks of 1889 would not be easy for Vincent van Gogh. After his recovery, Vincent returned to his Yellow House, but continued to visit Dr. Rey for examinations and to have his head dressings changed. Vincent was encouraged by his progress after the breakdown, but his money problems continued and he felt particularly depressed when his close friend, Joseph Roulin (1841-1903), decided to accept a better paying position and move with his family to Marseilles. Roulin had been a dear and faithful friend to Vincent for most of his time in Arles.
Vincent was quite productive in terms of his art throughout January and early February, producing some of his best known works such as La Berceuse and Sunflowers. On 7 February, however, Vincent suffered another attack in which he imagined himself being poisoned. Once again, Vincent was taken to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital for observation. Van Gogh was kept in the hospital for ten days, but returned once again to the Yellow House, provisionally: "I hope for good." (Letter 577)
By this time, however, some of the citizens of Arles had become alarmed by Vincent's behaviour and signed a petition detailing their concerns. The petition was submitted to the mayor of Arles and eventually to the superintendent of police who ordered Van Gogh readmitted to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital. Vincent remained in the hospital for the next six weeks, but was allowed to leave on supervised outings--in order to paint and to put his possessions into storage. It was a productive, but emotionally discouraging time for Van Gogh. As was the case a year before, Van Gogh returned to painting the blossoming orchards around Arles. But even as he was producing some of his best works, Vincent realized that his position was a precarious one and, after discussions with Theo, agreed to have himself voluntarily confined to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh left Arles on 8 May.
Confinement
Upon arrival at the asylum, Van Gogh was placed in the care of Dr. Théophile Zacharie Auguste Peyron (1827-95). After examining Vincent and reviewing the case, Dr. Peyron was convinced that his patient was suffering from a type of epilepsy--a diagnosis that remains among the most likely possibilities, even today. The asylum was by no means a "snake pit," but Van Gogh was disheartened by the cries of the other residents and the bad food. He found it depressing that the patients had nothing to do all day--no stimulation of any kind. Part of Van Gogh's treatment included "hydro-therapy", a frequent immersion in a large tub of water. While this "therapy" was certainly not cruel in any way, neither was it in the least beneficial in terms of helping to restore Vincent's mental health.
As the weeks passed, Vincent's mental well-being remained stable and he was allowed to resume painting. The staff was encouraged by Van Gogh's progress (or, at least, at his not suffering any additional attacks) and in mid-June Van Gogh produced his best known work: Starry Night.
Van Gogh's relatively tranquil state of mind didn't last, however, and he was incapacitated by another attack in mid-July. During this attack Vincent tried to ingest his own paints and for that reason he was confined and not given access to his materials. Although he recovered fairly quickly from the incident, Van Gogh was discouraged at being deprived of the one thing that gave him pleasure and distraction: his art. After another week, Dr. Peyron relented and agreed to allow Van Gogh to resume his painting. His resumption of work coincided with an improved mental state. Vincent sent Theo letters detailing his precarious state of health; while at the same time Theo had similar issues to deal with. Theo's health had often been delicate and he had been ill throughout much of early 1889.
For two months Van Gogh was unable to leave his room and wrote to his sister: " . . . when I am in the fields I am overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness to such a horrible extent that I shy away from going out . . . ." (Letter W14) In the weeks to follow, however, Vincent would again overcome his anxieties and resume working. During this time Vincent began to plan for his eventual departure from the asylum at Saint-Rémy. He expressed these thoughts to Theo who began to make inquiries of possible alternatives for Vincent's medical care--this time much closer to Paris.
Van Gogh's mental and physical health remained fairly stable throughout the remainder of 1889. Theo's health had recovered for the most part and, in the midst of preparing a home with his new wife, Theo was also assisting Octave Maus who was organizing an exhibition, Les XX, in Brussels in which six of Vincent's paintings would be displayed. Vincent seemed enthusiastic about the venture and remained quite productive throughout this time. The ongoing correspondence between Vincent and Theo worked out many of the details surrounding Vincent's showing within the exhibit.
On 23 December 1889, a year to the day after the ear slashing incident, Vincent suffered another attack: an "aberration" as he called it (Letter 620). The attack was serious and lasted about a week, but Vincent recovered reasonably quickly and resumed painting--this time mainly copies of other artists' works, due to being confined inside, both because of his mental health and also because of the weather. Sadly, Van Gogh suffered more attacks throughout the early months of 1890. These attacks came more frequently and left Vincent more incapacitated than any of those previously. Ironically, during this time when Van Gogh was probably at his lowest and most mentally despondent state, his works were finally beginning to receive critical acclaim. News of this, however, only served to depress Vincent further and renewed his hopes to leave the asylum and return to the north.
After making some inquiries, Theo felt that the best course of action would be for Vincent to return to Paris and then enter the care of Dr. Paul Gachet (1828-1909), a homeopathic therapist living in Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris. Vincent agreed with Theo's plans and wrapped up his affairs in Saint-Rémy. On 16 May 1890 Vincent van Gogh left the asylum and took an overnight train to Paris.
"The sadness will last forever . . . . "
Vincent's journey to Paris was uneventful and he was met by Theo upon his arrival. Vincent remained with Theo, Theo's wife Johanna and their newborn son, Vincent Willem (named after Vincent) for three pleasant days. Never one to enjoy the hustle and bustle of city life, however, Vincent felt some stress returning and opted to leave Paris for the more quiet destination, Auvers-sur-Oise.
Vincent met with Dr. Gachet shortly after his arrival in Auvers. Although initially impressed by Gachet, Vincent would later express grave doubts about his competence, going so far as to comment that Gachet appeared to be "sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much" (Letter 648). Despite his misgivings, however, Vincent managed to find himself a room in a small inn owned by Arthur Gustave Ravoux and immediately began painting the environs of Auvers-sur-Oise.
Over the course of the next two weeks, Van Gogh's opinion about Gachet softened somewhat and he became completely absorbed in his painting. Vincent was pleased with Auvers-sur-Oise, which afforded him the freedom denied him in Saint-Rémy, while at the same time provided him with ample subjects for his painting and drawing. Vincent's first weeks in Auvers passed pleasantly and uneventfully. On 8 June Theo, Jo and the baby came to Auvers to visit Vincent and Gachet and Vincent passed a very enjoyable day with his family. To all appearances, Vincent appeared quite restored--mentally and physically.
Throughout June, Vincent remained in good spirits and was remarkably productive, painting some of his best known works (Portrait of Doctor Gachet and The Church at Auvers, for example). The initial tranquility of the first month in Auvers was interrupted, however, when Vincent received news that his nephew was seriously ill. Theo had been going through a most difficult time throughout the previous few months: uncertainty about his own career and future, ongoing health problems and finally his own son's illness. Following the baby's recovery, Vincent decided to visit Theo and his family on 6 July and caught an early train. Very little is known about the visit, but Johanna, writing years later, would suggest that the day was strained and fairly tense. Vincent eventually felt overwhelmed and quickly returned to the more quiet sanctuary of Auvers.
During the next three weeks Vincent resumed his painting and, as his letters suggest, was reasonably happy. To his mother and sister Vincent wrote: "For the present I am feeling much calmer than last year, and really the restlessness in my head has greatly quieted down." (Letter 650) Vincent was absorbed in the fields and plains around Auvers and produced some brilliant landscapes throughout July. For Vincent life had appeared to settle into a productive and--if not happy--at least stable pattern.
Although details chronicled within the various reports conflict, the basic facts of 27 July 1890 remain clear. On that Sunday evening Vincent van Gogh set out, with his easel and painting materials, into the fields. There he took out a revolver and shot himself in the chest. Vincent managed to stagger back to the Ravoux Inn where he collapsed in bed and was then discovered by Ravoux. Dr. Mazery, the local practitioner, was called, as was Dr. Gachet. It was decided not to attempt to remove the bullet in Vincent's chest and Gachet wrote an urgent letter to Theo. Unfortunately, Dr. Gachet didn't have Theo's home address and had to write to him care of the gallery where he worked. This didn't cause a serious delay, however, and Theo arrived the next afternoon.
Vincent and Theo remained together for the last hours of Vincent's life. Theo was devoted to his brother, holding him and speaking with him in Dutch. Vincent seemed resigned to his fate and Theo later wrote: "He himself wanted to die; when I sat at his bedside and said that we would try to get him better and that we hoped that he would then be spared this kind of despair, he said 'La tristesse durera toujours' ('The sadness will last forever.') I understand what he wanted to say with those words." Theo, always his brother's greatest friend and supporter, was holding Vincent as he spoke his last words: "I wish I could pass away like this."
Vincent van Gogh died at 1:30 am. on 29 July 1890. The Catholic church of Auvers refused to allow Vincent's burial in its cemetery because Vincent had committed suicide. The nearby township of Méry, however, agreed to allow the burial and the funeral was held on 30 July. Vincent's long time friend, the painter Emile Bernard, wrote about the funeral in detail to Gustave-Albert Aurier:
