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Vincent van Gogh - Three White Cottages in Saintes-Maries 1888

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The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

To Theo van Gogh. Nuenen, between about Friday, 25 and about Tuesday, 29 September 1885.
My dear Theo,
I wanted to drop you a line to tell you that I have a few things ready that I wanted to send you.
I’ve read Bracquemond’s book more than once, and have thought about it a lot. Although what he says about the colours isn’t new — although it comes down to the same thing — at bottom — as the theories that Delacroix discovered — although what he says about drawing — modelling is drawing, drawing is modelling — isn’t new either — all the same, I’ve seldom read more powerful words for these and other truths. In short — I think the book very good — and have thought about it a lot.
What I have for you are some still lifes — of a basket of potatoes — fruit — a copper kettle &c., but which I made specifically in connection with modelling with different colours, and I would like Portier to see them. I’ll send them to you as soon as I have the money because am at the end of the month.
Am also curious about the Lhermitte, whether there’s been one this month.

I sent for paint from Schoenfeld in Düsseldorf, a few colours that I can’t easily get here.
The fact that the colour isn’t right in the painting of the potato eaters is at least in part the fault of the paint. I was reminded of it because I was painting a large still life in which I was looking for similar tones and, not satisfied with it because I was getting the same things as then in it again — redid it. And going by that experience, I would have got it much better with mineral blue, which I have now, than with what I had until now.
Regards.
Yours truly,
Vincent