Tell you a true story about Van Gogh

Author: Xu Zhirong
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: A mainstream American novelist who always lies; an economic depression that had just passed; and a group of Japanese who became rich overnight. These three (pumpkins) turned into a carriage, relentlessly dragging Van Gogh's remains toward the altar of the greatest (at least in status) painting master of the 20th century. But what is the truth? This book starts with Irving Stone's The Desire of Life and gradually peels away the layers to reveal a real Van Gogh in history—clearly with severe personality flaws, doomed to be abandoned by any era he lived in due to his obsessive and embellished personality. Van Gogh was not a god, nor even a commendable person.
A mainstream American novelist who always lies; an economic depression that had just passed; and a group of Japanese who became rich overnight. These three (pumpkins) turned into a carriage, relentlessly dragging Van Gogh's remains toward the altar of the greatest (at least in status) painting master of the 20th century. But what is the truth? This book starts with Irving Stone's The Desire of Life and gradually peels away the layers to reveal a real Van Gogh in history—clearly with severe personality flaws, doomed to be abandoned by any era he lived in due to his obsessive and embellished personality. Van Gogh was not a god, nor even a commendable person.
What being fired from Goupil meant to Van Gogh, he knew better than anyone else. In the distance, his heir status was ruined; up close, his immediate livelihood became a problem. More seriously, the more fervent he was about religion, the more anxious he became about becoming unemployed—idleness was a great sin in the eyes of Protestants. So, in the last three months at Goupil, he worked extremely hard—submitting resumes to countless job postings. This last effort would undoubtedly frustrate Uncle Vincent immensely. If only he had known earlier, why did he start this way? However, for a high school dropout with no special skills, how easy could finding a job be?
Finally, as he was about to leave Paris, a British private school replied: teach children German, French, and arithmetic, with a trial period covering only food and lodging, with no salary. The school was in Ramsgate by the sea, and it took four and a half hours by train to London. Though there was no salary, it was at least a job. This trip to England for work easily brought to mind Eugénie. To shape Van Gogh's "heroic" image, Irving Stone even portrayed him as resigning voluntarily to go to England in search of his beloved in his novel The Desire of Life. But the truth was far from that. Although Goupil gave Van Gogh the opportunity to write a resignation letter, it was merely a way to preserve some dignity for him. Since Van Gogh had left without notice during Christmas, the company had already decided to fire him. After Van Gogh returned to Paris from the Netherlands, he was told that the company would keep him on for only three months to give him time to find a new job and was asked to submit his resignation immediately.
In his novel, Irving Stone vividly described Van Gogh's trip to England as a love pilgrimage, moving and tear-jerking: because there was no salary, Van Gogh couldn't afford train tickets, so he had to set off every Saturday afternoon, walking 160 kilometers from Ramsgate to London just to sneak a peek at the light from his beloved's window. If he was lucky, he could see Eugénie leave for church on Sunday morning. But the truth was vastly different: Van Gogh did make such long journeys, but only once. That was because the school moved from Ramsgate to Elstow near London, and Van Gogh voluntarily walked there to enjoy the scenery along the way. Although the school kept Van Gogh on, it never paid him a salary. So after moving to Elstow, Van Gogh jumped ship to a church school, still teaching German and French. Though the salary was very low, at least he had income. The school's headmaster, Rev. Jones, was not only responsible for all school affairs but also served as the pastor of two churches. He was very kind to Van Gogh and, upon learning that Van Gogh aspired to become a minister, arranged for him to lead a sermon. This excited Van Gogh greatly. He copied his sermon and sent it to Theo, along with a heartfelt letter:
"Dear Theo, last Sunday, your brother gave his first sermon in a church. Standing at the pulpit, I felt like someone who had emerged from a dark cave and returned to the friendly, benevolent light of day. A happy and joyful thought rose in my heart: wherever I go in the future, I will spread the gospel. To spread the gospel well, one must keep it in their heart. May God grant me this ability."
Rev. Jones was very pleased with Van Gogh's sermon and immediately promoted him from assistant teacher to a full teacher, entrusting him with fundraising for the church in London. A month later, Christmas came again. Van Gogh returned to his parents' home for the holiday. His progress in England greatly cheered his family, especially his pastor father—since the Van Gogh family had always had someone devoted to serving God since his grandfather's generation. Now, the eldest son had decided to follow in his father's footsteps, which was a joyous choice for everyone. After all, Uncle Vincent's business could be inherited by Theo. The whole family was very satisfied with this arrangement. Vincent Van Gogh, pastor—this sounded wonderful.
However, just then, a small mishap disrupted the family's entire plan: Uncle Vincent, unaware of his wayward nephew's new developments, had an old friend, Mr. Breet, visit during the holiday. Mr. Breet was the owner of a bookstore near Rotterdam, and Van Gogh's concerned Uncle Vincent persuaded him to arrange a job for his nephew at the bookstore. Van Gogh agreed without hesitation, reasoning, "(The bookstore) pays more than Rev. Jones does. A man has a responsibility to consider this, because life will require more money in the future." It seemed that money was more important than God. And Eugénie—she was now just an old acquaintance. During his time in London, Van Gogh had visited the Loye family once, to raise funds for Rev. Jones's church.
P19-P20