Vincent van Gogh

Quotes are word for word from the source.

• Supportive partnerships

  “The love between brothers is a strong support through life, that is an old truth, let us look for that support”

  Our noteVincent wrote about the importance of their bond and mutual honesty.

• Power of love

  “It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love, is well done.”

  Our noteVincent was explaining how passion leads to great accomplishments in work and life.

• Resilience in art

  “I felt my energy revive, and said to myself, In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.”

  Our noteVincent was describing the moment he decided to return to drawing after a period of deep dejection.

• Practical career goal

  “by going on drawing those types of working people, etc., I hope to arrive at the point of being able to do illustration work for papers and books.”

  Our noteStating his specific plan to gain employment through his art studies.

• Execution difficulty

  “Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it.”

  Our noteHe was reflecting on the gap between artistic inspiration and the actual creation of art.

• Action over inaction

  “But whether the result be better or worse, fortunate or unfortunate, it is better to do something than to do nothing.”

  Our noteVincent was discussing the unpredictable nature of life and the importance of taking action.

• Fear of mistakes

  “I tell you, if one wants to be active, one must not be afraid of going wrong, one must not be afraid of making mistakes now and then.”

  Our noteVincent was encouraging his brother to embrace mistakes as a necessary part of being active.

• Preparation for execution

  “Although I'll have painted the actual painting in a relatively short time, and largely from memory, it's taken a whole winter of painting studies of heads and hands.”

  Our noteVincent explained the long preparation required for his famous painting 'The Potato Eaters'.

• Adapting to constraints

  “I have lacked money for paying models, else I had entirely given myself to figure painting but I have made a series of colour studies in painting simply flowers”

  Our noteHe explained how financial limitations forced him to pivot his subject matter to flowers.

• Finding inspiration

  “When I have a terrible need of - shall I say the word - religion. Then I go out and paint the stars.”

  Our noteVincent describes his spiritual connection to painting the night sky.

• Impressionistic technique

  “I know very well that not a single flower was drawn, that they're just little licks of colour, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, violet, but the impression of all those colours against one another is nonetheless there in the painting as it is in nature.”

  Our noteVincent describes his method of using color to create a summery motif.