"I don't know whether you can understand that one may make a poem only by arranging colours, in the same way that you can say comforting things in music." - Vincent Van Goh



Van Goh takes a lot of time in his letter to his sister to describe a painting that he is creating. He explains in great detail the colors and why they were chosen, the people in his painting, and the lines that are in it that may even be overlooked by some people. All of these things in his painting have great meaning. He explains them all to his sister and then presents the quote that is at the top of this entry. I think he is saying in essence that his painting is like a poem or a song that you can get great feeling from. He is comparing the art forms of poetry and music in the sense that the painting that he created is powerful to look at the same way as a poem or song can move you so dramatically. Van Goh's painting is something that you don't just look at to see a pretty picture. There are meanings to his work and he takes great care to make his paintings so that when seeing them you call up a host of emotions and feelings. I think that what he is saying has a lot of value because to me I think that paintings can have the same impact as any other form of art.