The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

Theodorus “Theo” van Gogh (1857-1891) was a Dutch art dealer, and the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh’s relationship with Theo was his closest and most constant friendship for the duration of his life, and the immense number of letters exchanged between the brothers reflects this closeness. While Theo kept every letter he received from his brother, Vincent was not as meticulous a record keeper, so only 30 or so of Theo’s letters to Vincent survive in the present day.

Although Theo loved and admired his brother very dearly, Vincent’s stubborn, sometimes insensitive, nature could prove difficult for him to deal with, especially in regards to maintaining good relations with their parents. Van Gogh’s relationship with Sien Hoornik and his prior infatuation with Kee Vos both proved to be particularly trying in this respect. He admonished Van Gogh for pursuing these connections, and believed that Van Gogh was sometimes too harsh in his defiance of their parents. His frustration with Vincent during the latter affair is evidenced by his stern tone in a letter dated January 5th, 1882: “I guarantee that one day you will be extremely sorry for having been so callous in this matter” (201). Theo also felt an immense amount of pressure to support Vincent financially, since his older brother was continually failing to sell his work. In their most heated instance of conflict, the brothers also clashed while living together in Paris. 

Despite these numerous instances of tension between Theo and Vincent, by the end of their lives they had cultivated an effective, mutually supportive relationship as artist and dealer, as well as brothers. This profound closeness in spite of adversity is emblemized by the final moments of Vincent can Gogh’s life, which were spent cradled in Theo’s arms as he succumbed to a gunshot wound.

Beyond deep insights into his relationship with Theo, Van Gogh’s letters also provide a portrait of his entire family. The most fraught of Van Gogh’s familial relationships was with his father, who was named Theodorus like his younger brother. Theodorus van Gogh the elder (1822-1885) was a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, and by all accounts a strong-willed personality whom Van Gogh viewed as a repressive, prohibitive force in his life. 

In the earlier years, Van Gogh aspired to please his father by following in his footsteps and becoming a preacher. As Van Gogh explained to Theo, “In our family, which is a Christian family in the full sense of the term, there has always been, as far as one can tell, someone from generation to generation who was a preacher of the Gospel” (96). 

When these plans failed, however, Van Gogh grew resentful of his father’s withholding of acceptance, and the two had a series of bitter fights that led to long periods of estrangement. Van Gogh tried to find understanding within himself, assuring Theo, “Because Father is an old man, I have spared his feelings a hundred times & tolerated things that are little short of intolerable” (203). Nevertheless, Theodorus’s inability to treat Vincent as he desired would taint their relationship permanently.

Anthonij “Anton” Mauve (1838-1888) was a Dutch painter and cousin through marriage of Vincent van Gogh. Mauve painted with a realist style, and is best known for his canvases depicting animals in outdoor settings. Having grown up in the Dutch province of North Holland, Mauve moved to The Hague in 1872, and quickly became a central figure in the art scene there. He was closely associated with other Hague artists like Jozef Israëls and Paul Gabriël, and this group would come to be known as the first generation of The Hague School.

Vincent van Gogh admired Mauve’s work greatly, as well as the work of other artists in The Hague school like Israëls. In 1881, Van Gogh sought out his first formal training from Mauve, and came to rely on him as one of his only supporters in the family at the time. Although the cousins had an abrupt falling out over Van Gogh’s relationship with sex worker and model Sien Hoornik, Van Gogh’s continued admiration for Mauve is evident throughout the letters of his later years. In 1883, Van Gogh recalled, “Mauve once told me, ‘You will find yourself if you persist at your art, if you go more deeply into it than you have been doing up to now.’ He said that 2 years ago. Lately I have been thinking a lot about those words of his” (351). 



Later, when Mauve died unexpectedly at the age of 50, Van Gogh dedicated one of his paintings of the fruit trees in Arles to his late cousin, titling it Souvenir de Mauve. Thus, Mauve’s influence over Van Gogh can be felt for the duration of Van Gogh’s letters: Van Gogh never seemed to lose his aspirations to be more like Mauve, despite the fact that they worked in vastly different styles, and were interested in different subject matters.

Hermanus Tersteeg (1845-1927) was a Dutch artist and art dealer. He became acquainted with the Van Gogh brothers after replacing their uncle as head of Goupil & Cie’s branch in The Hague. Tersteeg was a mentor to both Theo and Vincent, with Theo even referring to him as a “brother” in one letter to Vincent. Vincent valued Tersteeg’s opinions about art, and desperately wanted his approval as he embarked on his own career as an illustrator and painter. 

As the years passed and Tersteeg refused to praise Van Gogh’s work, Van Gogh became frustrated, and their relationship soured. He complained of Tersteeg’s insults to Theo, “‘For years now he has considered me a kind of duffer & dreamer. He still does, and even says of my drawing that ‘it’s like a kind of opium you take so you won’t feel the pain at not being able to do any more watercolours’” (218). Although Van Gogh maintained his relationship with Tersteeg throughout the duration of his life (presumably understanding the value of having connections in the art trading world), he was never able to fully let go of the resentment over Tersteeg’s disapproval, and their interactions would continue to be frosty from this point onwards.

Anthon van Rappard (1858-1892) was a Dutch painter and close friend of Vincent van Gogh. Art Historians have not placed a lot of emphasis on Van Rappard as an individual artist, and most discussions of him are in reference to his relationship with Van Gogh. The letters to Van Rappard reveal a great fondness towards him on Van Gogh’s part, but also an unyielding volley of criticisms between the two men towards the end of their friendship.

In the end, Van Rappard’s criticisms of The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh’s first great work, proved too hurtful to Van Gogh. He responded to Van Rappard’s criticisms, “I advise you in all seriousness not to fight with me. As far as I am concerned, I suit myself—understand?—but I have no desire to pick a quarrel with anyone right now, not even you” (410). Afterwards, they ceased contact with one another. 

Following Van Gogh’s death, however, The Van Gogh Museum notes that Van Rappard wrote to Van Gogh’s mother to express his condolences, saying, “Although Vincent and I were separated from each other during the last few years as a result of a misunderstanding, which I often regret, I have nevertheless thought about him and our dealings together with nothing other than very great friendship” (“Friendships for Better and for Worse.” Van Gogh Museum).