Vincent's Paddle

 Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) died at the age of only 37 years.

Thomas Jefferson took the phrase "pursuit of happiness" from John Locke (1632-1704) who was one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and was commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism". Jefferson turned the phrase into his famous statement of a peoples' inalienable right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the American Declaration of Independence. Jefferson did not provide the answer on how or where to find happiness in that pursuit of life.

I believe that Vincent had the solution. A happy life is one where you make yourself “useful” to society and your fellow man.  You can find that theme throughout his 37 years if you only look. Entitlement was not the answer and should not make you truly happy. 

The life struggles of Vincent have been well documented. A Google search of “Vincent van Gogh” yields more than 62 million hits. Some of these links will be misleading and many will just focus on the missing ear and his “insanity”.  People around the globe and especially art historians have very strong opinions concerning Vincent. My approach was to ensure that any opinions I might have, must be well-informed. With this in mind I would like to suggest two excellent resources of the many that I have consulted.

Vincent didn’t realize it at the time but those more than 900 letters that he wrote, mainly to his Brother Theo, would evolve into his life story. “Vincent By Himself” as edited by Bruce Bernard is an excellent summary of those letters. Vincent was a very empathetic, passionate and articulate man and not the frenzied, madman artist on the far edge of sanity as often portrayed. The parody of the genius artist as a starving, crazy lunatic just isn't valid. His letters proved that simple fact but they needed the help of his sister-in-law.  

Johanna Gezina van Gogh-Bonger was the Dutch editor and translator of the letters of the van Gogh brothers. She was the wife of Theo van Gogh, art dealer, and the sister-in-law of Vincent. She became the key player in the growth of Vincent's fame. Without Johanna, Vincent would have likely been unknown more like Johannes Vermeer – but that’s another story.

I also enjoyed “Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story” by Bernadette Murphy. The research that went into “The True Story” is phenomenal. Murphy reveals, for the first time, the true story of this long-misunderstood incident of Vincent’s ear. 

The truth sweeps away decades of myth and reveals the troubled but brilliant artist at his breaking point. Murphy’s detective work spanned the continents. She databased the inhabitants of Arles where Vincent created his finest work and wove their lives together and tied in where Vincent interconnected with each. Murphy uncovered previously unknown information about “Rachel” and uses it to propose a bold new hypothesis about what was occurring in Van Gogh’s heart and mind as he made a mysterious delivery to her doorstep. I will not give away the truth here. It is worth reading Bernadette Murphy's book. 

If books are not your style, then the 1956 movie “Lust for Life” is an accpetable American biographical film about the life of Vincent van Gogh. The movie was based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Irving Stone. The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh was Hollywoodized. Much of the dialogue was imagined and the Vincent story was definitely fictionalized. This book and the movie is the basis of what many think they know about Vincent. The movie did not have the benefit of many of the facts later uncovered by Bernadette Murphy.

If books and movies do not connect with you, there is another option. Don McLean wrote “Vincent,” which is also known as “Starry, Starry Night,” in the fall of 1970 in his apartment full of antiques. At the time McLean was living in the Sedgwick House, a beautiful Federal style house in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The inspiration came to him one morning while he was sitting on the veranda looking at a book about Vincent Van Gogh. As he studied a print of Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night,” he realized that a song could be written about the artist through the painting. “The more I thought about it, the more interesting and challenging the idea became… I put down the book and picked up my guitar… Looking at the picture, I realized that the essence of the artist’s life is his art. And so, I let the painting write the song for me. Everyone is familiar with that painting.”

Van Gogh actually painted “Starry Night” while he was in an asylum at Saint Remy in 1889. He had to paint the scene from memory, not outdoors as he preferred. Van Gogh mentioned “Starry Night” only twice in his letters to his brother, Theo. Vincent lived well in the hospital and enjoyed more freedoms than any of the other patients. He was allowed to paint, read, and withdraw into his own room and even leave the ground if attended. Vincent certainly wasn’t crazy…

If all of these approaches fail you, then sitting quietly and looking through books of Vincent’s art like Don McLean did, is still a very good option. Travelling to the various museums to see the art in person would be the ultimate joy but far beyond the means of most. If you really do study the art, then Don Maclean’s words might ring true.

Irises (Saint Remy Van Gogh 1889)

The Starry Night (Van Gogh 1889)

“Now I think I know what you tried to say to me

How you suffered for your sanity How you tried to set them free

They would not listen they’re not listening still

Perhaps they never will.”

Vincent was in the pursuit of happiness and trying to be useful in life. I felt that Vincent had an understanding of happiness even though it largely eluded him. This is why I asked Janine to paint a Vincent Paddle. Here are the results. 

Janine selected some of my favourite Vincent quotes. Vincent preferred to be called simply by his Christian name which is how he signed his canvases. Very few people could correctly pronounce his family name anyway.

                                                         If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.
                                                                         I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.
                                      There is no blue without yellow and without orange.

Here is Janine’s story behind the Vincent Paddle. 

One wonders what art Tom and Vincent might have created if they had more time to explore their creativity.

I think this story was worth sharing... art matters...and we are all in this together. 

The story of Janine Marson and her art was featured in the March 2020 copy of Muskoa Life. You may also visit Janine's site at www.janinemarson.com.

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water (but not this one)... thank you Janine. 

Phil the Forecaster Chadwick