Van Gogh's Inner Struggle Quotes

“To act on the world one must die to oneself. [...] Man is not placed on the earth merely to be happy; nor is he placed here merely to be honest, he is here to accomplish great things through society, to arrive at nobleness, and to outgrow the vulgarity in which the existence of almost all individuals drags on." [Letter 33, London, 8 May 1875]”
― Liesbeth Heenk, Van Gogh's Inner Struggle: Life, Work and Mental Illness

“I find EVERYTHING poetic, and it’s in the corners of my heart which are sometimes mysterious that I catch a glimpse of poetry. Forms and colours brought into harmonies create a form of poetry in themselves." [Letter 675, Arles, c. 8 September 1888]”
― Liesbeth Heenk, Van Gogh's Inner Struggle: Life, Work and Mental Illness

“Now, myself as a painter, I’ll never signify anything important, I sense it absolutely." [Letter 768, Saint-Rémy, 3 May 1889]”
― Liesbeth Heenk, Van Gogh's Inner Struggle: Life, Work and Mental Illness

“The artist’s life is one long Calvary to go through! And that’s perhaps what makes us live. Passion enlivens us, and we die when it has nothing more to feed on. Let’s leave these paths full of thorny bushes, but they have their wild poetry all the same." [Letter 675, Arles, c. 8 September 1888]”
― Liesbeth Heenk, Van Gogh's Inner Struggle: Life, Work and Mental Illness

“People were apparently unable to see the value of Vincent’s work, which was too modern, or too rough, to be appreciated. The public remained indifferent, and there was no way to bridge the gap:”
― Liesbeth Heenk, Van Gogh's Inner Struggle: Life, Work and Mental Illness

“Vincent would never cease to feel guilty about having failed. In his family’s eyes, he was and would always remain a failure.”
― Liesbeth Heenk, Van Gogh's Inner Struggle: Life, Work and Mental Illness