Hello Friends!

Well, my Van Gogh Journal project is finished! When I completed it, I played the song “Vincent” by Don McLean and cried a little. Vincent van Gogh was such a beautiful soul. I wrote the most moving part of the song, to me, on the last page. Along with that on the bottom is a copy of a paragraph from one of my books, Van Gogh, by Rene Huyghe, page 91. He is pondering how Vincent may have felt.

“Isn’t it the picture of a completely wasted life? He must have felt it such to go to the end of what was his destiny: that is a total gift of himself, the redemption of his ego, exalted by the total sacrifice of everything which he had a right to expect. Van Gogh will have lived this admirable and perhaps unique passion; he will have greedily educated and developed his ego and will not have gotten anything out of it for himself but disappointment and finally the excruciating feeling of having achieved nothing in his life – a useless life.

But it is because of this that he is so great, because of this that his genius appears to us with the purity of a saint of painting. For, when he assumed his own nothingness, he started becoming for others, for ever increasing multitudes, a warming and illuminating fire. This lost fire, hardly noticeable by a barren smoke, has now changed into a sun, a sun whirling in our eyes and in our hearts and projecting its splendor – splendor made of flame, of love, of life.”

On the other page I included a copy of his paintings called “Portrait of a Young Peasant Girl” and “Portrait of Dr. Gachet” which were from Vincent’s Auvers Period. Then I copied a photo of his drawing called “Corridor of Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Remy.” I made three sizes of it and glued them together for a 3D effect. Next to it I cut a self-portrait of his in three pieces and glued it in separate pieces to show how broken his spirit must have felt before he died. Then I wrote what I would say to him if I could: The world reaped the beauty you sowed and included his painting of “The Sower” on the next page. 

Lastly, I included some stickers I found that I think are appropriate of wine, bread, and the words “LeCafe” and “Bonjour.” And the very last thing in the bottom right hand corner is a copy of how he signed all of his letters to his beloved brother, Theo. 

Ever yours, 

Vincent.

Have a wonderful day! 🙂