…. When Vincent van Gogh was in Arles in 1888, the 8th august … he wrote 1 letter to his brother Théo :
http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let657/letter.html )
My dear Theo, I’ve just sent off 3 large drawings, as well as some other, smaller ones and the two lithographs by De Lemud. The vertical small farmhouse garden is, it seems to me, the best of the three large ones. The one with the sunflowers is the little garden of a bathhouse. The third, horizontal, garden is the one of which I’ve also done some painted studies. Under the blue sky, the orange, yellow, red patches of flowers take on an amazing brilliance, and in the limpid air there’s something happier and more suggestive of love than in the north. It vibrates — like the bouquet by Monticelli that you have. I’m annoyed with myself for not painting flowers here. Anyway, even having already produced about fifty drawings or painted studies here, I feel as though I’ve done absolutely nothing at all. I’d gladly content myself with being nothing but a pioneer for other, future painters who’ll come to work in the south.
Now the harvest, the garden, the sower and the two seascapes are croquis after painted studies. I believe that all these ideas are good, but the painted studies lack clarity of touch. One more reason why I felt the need to draw them (…)
Have a look at his writings few days before. The death of their « oncle Cent », art dealer in Goupil&Cie, was taking a part of their discussions : http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let654/letter.html http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let656/letter.html
And with their sister Whilemin talking also about the « Garden » we use in our workshops (cf. http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let653/letter.html )