"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

19 January 2017

Better.

van Gogh, The Mulberry Tree, 1889


Surely a canvas I've covered is worth more than a blank one. This, dear Lord is all I have -- my right to paint, my reason for painting -- and believe me, my pretensions go no further.

And after all it has cost me: this dilapidated carcass and a brain addled from living as best I can and have had to because of my own philanthropy.

My concentration is becoming more intense, my touch more certain. So I can almost dare to promise you that my paintings will get better. Because that is all I have left.

Vincent Van Gogh

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