Twitter | Kevin Seney Author of “midlife drive”
“You can never be sure about anything, Vincent. You can only have the courage and strength to do what you think is right. It may turn out to be wrong, but you will have at least done it, and that is the important thing.”
~ Mendes da Costa – Vincent Van Gogh’s early mentor
I did not intend to study literature in college. I took a literature class as an elective and the professor inspired me to take every class he offered. It became an “accidental passion” of mine. I loved the classics. I ended up finishing my degree with a Minor in Comparative Literature (18th Century European).
The Literature of the late 18th Century is very interesting to me because of the radical changes that were happening in every area of social evolution. The period of the French Revolution 1789–1799 was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France which had a fundamental impact on modern history worldwide.
Three of the most influential authors of that period were Rousseau, Diderot and Voltaire. I love their work, and have written several unpublished articles based on the last work of Jean Jacques Rousseau, which I plan to finish editing and post them someday soon.
But, another book I read which was outside the time period of my area of study, was “Lust for Life” by Irving Stone. This book tells the life story of one of my favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh 1853-1890. Published in 1934 “Lust for Life” has remained a best selling modern classic.
If you have never read this book, I highly recommend it. It will bring a whole new meaning to the power and passion of Vincent Van Gogh’s art.
I recently began rereading this book for the fourth time. For me it is not to learn more about the history of this “now famous” artist inasmuch as it is to experience once again, the compelling story of a simple man who was driven by unstoppable passion and his need to express himself.
There is a passage early in the book where Vincent went for a stroll around Amsterdam with his mentor, Mendes da Costa. (Vincent was studying Latin and the Ministry at that time).
As they strolled past Rembrandt’s old home in the Zeestraat, Mijnher da Costa said to Vincent, “Rembrandt died in poverty and disgrace.”
“He, didn’t die unhappy, though,” said Vincent
“No,” replied Mendes, “Rembrandt had expressed himself fully and he knew the worth of what he and done. But, he was the only one at the time who did. What the world thought made little difference. Rembrandt had to paint. Whether he painted well or badly didn’t matter; painting was the stuff that held him together as a man. The quality of his perseverance and loyalty to his idea is what was important, not the quality of his work.”
They ended their conversation with Mendes saying to Vincent, “Every person has an integrity, a quality of character and if he observes it, whatever he does will turn out well in the end. Someday Vincent, you will express yourself fully, no matter what medium you may choose. I know that whatever you will do Vincent, you will do well.”
I guess we all know how things turned out for Vincent Van Gogh, and also for Rembrandt, for that matter. But, like many artists their work was never valued or accepted during their lifetime.
There is a familiar message here that “life is about the journey, not the destination.”
This post will make more sense in the days to come… KS
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
Twitter | Kevin Seney Author of “midlife drive”
