Paul Gauguin – letters to Émile Bernard.
[Arles, November 1888]
Dear Bernard,
I forgot your father's letter and you must have understood none of it. But this time you will learn about everything. I hope, that you don't have much trouble with these types, whom I left extremely excited; in any case, you work and, as we say, you combine. I'm afraid, that the cardboard is not quite durable under the glue, just like a tree, which gives a hard surface and causes peeling of the paint. But if you use flexible matter, like coarse paper glued to the canvas, which primed absorbs paint, you will get very good results. This is how wall decorations are made and they are durable.
You discuss shadows with Laval and ask, do I have them somewhere? That's how much, as far as it concerns the manifestation of light, yes. Take a look at the Japanese, who, after all, draw perfectly, and you will see life in the open air and in the sun without the use of shadows. They use color only as a combination of tones, various harmonies giving the impression of heat, etc.. Anyway, I consider impressionism to be a completely new search., very far removed from all mechanized ways, such as photography, etc.; so I'll move as far away from everything as possible., which creates the illusion of things, and because the shadow creates the illusion of the sun, I came to the conclusion, that it needs to be removed. If in your composition shadow appears as an indispensable form, it's another matter entirely. Then you put only the shadow of the character in place of the character; this is the original starting point, whose distinctiveness you invented yourself. It's like that, as if, according to the artist's choice — a deliberate choice —- plant on the head of Athens a crow instead of a parrot. So, dear Bernard, lay shadows, if you find them useful or do not put them down, it doesn't matter, if you respect each other (not as a shadow slave). He is, in a sense, your servant.. I express my thoughts roughly, and your thing is to read between the lines.
I'm sending you money: 280 Fr. to pay Maria Gloanec, 35 for Fryderyk, 5 Fr. for sending images, 5 Fr. so that you both drink for my health.
I guess, that on the road prepared by van Gogh, any talented artist from our group can cope; so just go straight ahead. I was talking about you with a zouave, and I guess, that you could easily live in Africa for the great benefit of your art. If you do not decide and if you could come here, it won't be too hard for you to support yourself. I was thinking about money matters; we can arrange ourselves cheaply, by doing so, what I will be doing from tomorrow (cook at home).
It's funny, Vincent considers, that here you have to do Daumiera, I think the opposite — you have to make a colorful Puvis mixed with the Japanese. Women here have elegant headgear, beautiful Greek beauty. Their shawls, arranged in folds as in the images of primitives, Form, Repeat, Greek retinue. Every girl walking down the street is a lady and has an equally pristine appearance., like Juno. Anyway, you have to see it. In any case, there is a source of beautiful — modern style.
Handshake to both of you, be friends with Laval, is a beautiful and noble nature despite the flaws revealed in the moment, when it comes to the voice of the boorish; You know, that we all have flaws, you also have horrible. You have to force yourself, to put up with them all and come to this, so that we all hold hands.
Paul Gauguin
[Arles, December 1888]
My dear Bernard,
thank you for the letter and for buying paints. You're not telling me, or Tanguy is not considered injured after receiving the image, which you gave him. In any case, the goods sent must be paid for in cash, and van Gogh has money at your disposal for this purpose. Couldn't you upload the frame to the "50" format image″?
I'm glad, that you were at the good Schuffenecker; you don't tell me anything, whether he is making progress? He is distraught at the moment, that the Revue Indépendante” does not want to exhibit it then, when taking Dubois-Pillet, Lucea etc.
I feel very foreign in Arles, so much everything seems small to me, miserable — landscape and people. Vincent and I agree on few things at all., especially in painting. He admires Daumiera, Daubigny, The Earth and the great Rousseau— I hate them all. And on the contrary, hates Ingres, Rafaela, Degasa — all, I love; Answer: Brigadier, vous avez raison, to have peace of mind. He really likes my paintings, but then, when I make them, always considers, that I'm wrong about this or that. He is a romantic, I'm more of a primitive. As for the color, he sees random impediments, as in Monticelli's, and I hate textural combinations, etc..
I find it very embarrassing to answer about the two drawings kept by your mother.. They are not my property, but van Gogh, which he sent me this summer 50 Fr. for drawing. So you have to give them to him. I do not understand, how your mother could understand as a gift a request to settle the matter, which she undertook. I would not like to be considered a miser and this is what I propose: at Goupil's there is a small matte jug with decoration with a bird and a blue-green background. Take it on my behalf; if you show my letter to van Gogh, will give it to you. I donate it to Madeleine.
Silence is the order of the day, but I hope, that by putting flowers in a jug, he will sometimes think of his older brother. It's a very harsh thing, but it expresses me more than a drawing with little girls. So he will not lose on this exchange. The jug is cold, and yet its interior withstood the temperature 1600 Degrees. Having taken a good look at it, maybe you could notice a bit of this heat, as in its author.
Expressions of deep respect for your mother. A warm handshake. Vincent assures you of his friendship and asks me to thank you for your study., that you sent him in return.
Paul Gauguin