To the quickguide
1r:1
My dear friend Gauguin
I’m taking advantage of my first trip out of the hospital to write you a few most sincere and profound words of friendship.
I have thought of you a great deal in the hospital, and even in the midst of fever and relative weakness.
Tell me. Was my brother Theo’s journey really necessary – my friend? Now at least reassure him completely, and yourself, please. Trust that in fact no evil exists in this best of worlds, where everything is always for the best.1 1v:2
So I want you to give my warm regards to good Schuffenecker –
to refrain from saying bad things about our poor little yellow house until more mature reflection on either side –
to give my regards to the painters I saw in Paris.
I wish you prosperity in Paris. With a good handshake

Ever yours,
Vincent

Roulin has been really kind to me, it was he who had the presence of mind to get me out of there before the others were convinced.2

Please reply.

730 | Show metadata

Br. 1990: 734 | CL: 566
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Paul Gauguin
Date: Arles, Friday, 4 January 1889
more...


Source status:
Original manuscript

Location:
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b613 V/1962

Date:
Like letter 729 to Theo, this letter was written on Friday, 4 January 1889. This was, after all, the day of Vincent’s ‘first trip out of the hospital’ (ll. 2-3). See letter 729, Date.

Additional:
Written in pencil on the back of letter 729 to Theo. It is not certain whether Theo let Gauguin read the letter in this form or whether he made a copy for him.

Ongoing topics:
Vincent’s first crisis and hospitalization (728)
Theo’s journey to Arles (728)
Gauguin’s departure from Arles (728)

Original text

Translation

Notes

Artwork

730 To Paul Gauguin. Arles, Friday, 4 January 1889.

1r
1v
title

730 To Paul Gauguin. Arles, Friday, 4 January 1889.

For this quotation from Voltaire ’s Candide , see letter 568, n. 3.
Van Gogh means that Roulin had arranged for him to leave the hospital for a short while on 4 January. On that day Roulin wrote to Theo: ‘Monsieur the house doctor felt slightly anxious about letting him go out; I told him that I would be in charge of accompanying him and seeing that he returns to the hospital’ (FR b1068).

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