23: Vincent van Gogh • Madness, Genius, & Tragedy (Part Two)

INTRO:

The final three years of Vincent van Gogh’s life present us with a paradox. It is a paradox that seemingly cannot be reconciled. It is a paradox which has captured the obsessive fascination of art historians, filmmakers, and psychologists for over a century.

The paradox involves two distinct narratives playing out in the mind of one man. In one corner we have severely declining mental health, and in the other corner we have a flourishing creative genius. Each one of these narratives alone, are rare and strange enough to warrant our interest. But both of them together — in one man — are what cement Vincent into a legendary figure of art history.

Imagine two graphs, the first graph we will label as Vincent’s ‘mental health’, with a red line, the second graph we will label as Vincent’s ‘creative genius’, with a blue line.

In those last three years, what was a relatively stable ‘mental health’ red line suddenly takes a volatile plunge downward. And what was a promising ‘creative genius’ blue line suddenly takes a soaring leap upward. Superimpose these two graphs and you will see the paradox. The red line’s descent and the blue lines rise create an X on the page.

It is in the three year radius of that X, that Vincent creates his most stunning and celebrated works.

Crazy, right?

The intersection of those two narratives, mental health and creative genius, is the subject of this episode.

This is Creative Codex, Episode 23: Vincent van Gogh • Madness, Genius, & Tragedy (Part Two).

If you have not yet listened to Part One, I encourage you to pause this episode, and scroll down in the podcast feed to Episode 22. Give that a listen and come back. That episode contains Chapters One and Two of this series, where we lay the foundation for understanding Vincent’s temperament and his early years, which gives you valuable insight for what’s to come.

I am your host, MJDorian.

Hang on to your seats, it’s gonna be a wild ride…

[music cue]

December 29th, 1888.

A letter is sent to Theo from the chief house physician of the hospital of Arles, in Southern France. He writes to update Theo about Vincent’s condition – following a serious psychotic attack. The doctor’s name is Felix Rey… :

‘Dear Sir,

As I promised you when you left Arles, I am hastening to give you the information you may wish concerning your brother’s condition:

His mental state seems to have worsened since Wednesday.

The day before yesterday, he got into bed with another patient and refused to leave, despite my comments. He then chased the senior nurse in his nightshirt… and refuses to allow anyone whatsoever to approach his bed. He rose yesterday to wash himself in the coal-bucket.

I had no choice yesterday but to confine him to separate quarters. My superior drew up a certificate of mental illness today, in which he diagnosed general insanity and requested special treatment in an institution.

We await the mayor’s instruction to commit him to the regional asylum; he is being closely guarded in a room.

With my sincerest regards,
Dr. Rey Félix’

Vincent is 35 at the time of this shocking letter. I can only imagine the impact it has on Theo to read such a thing.

But how do we account for this startling turn of events? How do we reconcile the contrast to the thoughtful mind we explored in Part One, of a young Vincent who expresses his intelligence in evocative metaphors, and pursues art with an unwavering intellectual determination. How is that the same mind that 8 years later is being diagnosed with ‘general insanity?’

How did we get here? What pieces are we missing?

Let’s rewind a bit. We’re not ready for the asylum yet. Let’s find the catalyst event, and the trail that brings us back to this point.

Chapter Three: The Yellow House

From the moment Vincent accepts Theo’s unique arrangement, in July of 1880, the affection between the brothers grows. The arrangement is this: Theo will send Vincent money for food, occasional arrangements for lodging, and buy him art supplies. And Vincent will use every moment he has to learn and master the craft of oil painting, so that one day, he might produce paintings of such exceptional aesthetic quality that Theo, still working as an art dealer, can offer them to prospective buyers. Making profit for them both.

The goal is to establish Vincent van Gogh as a contemporary artist through Theo’s connections in the thriving art industry of Paris. It is an ambitious goal, for many reasons, but it is not borne out of greed, it is borne out of admiration and faith. Theo admires and adores his brother.

For example, 7 years into this arrangement, in a letter Theo wrote to their sister Elisabeth, he says:

[music]

‘Vincent is still working hard and is making progress. His paintings are becoming lighter, and his great quest is to capture sunlight into them. He’s an odd fellow, but what a head he has on him, it’s enviable.’

The other reason this is an ambitious goal is that when they first agree to this arrangement, in 1880, Vincent is already 27 years old, and he effectively knows nothing about painting.

He is an amateur. Yes, he worked as an art dealer for six years, and yes he has some experience with illustration, but he hasn’t amassed any hours putting brush to canvas.

To Vincent’s credit, what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in determination. All of the money he has goes towards this goal. He devotes himself to mastering oil painting with an unwavering dedication, it becomes an all consuming passion. Some months he saves money by living off of only bread, cigarettes, and coffee.

He takes figure drawing classes, he attends seminars, he studies prints Theo sends him, he tries to emulate the old masters, and perhaps most importantly, he makes a point of absorbing the influences of other contemporary artists.

He understands, in a very practical way, that great art does not exist in a vacuum, it is always judged in the context of the art that exists around it. To be a relevant innovator, you must know what rules to follow and what rules to break.

We can see Vincent’s eagerness to grow as an artist coming into full view in 1887. Something happens in that year, something — clicks, and you immediately can see it in the way he uses color.

Compare his works from 1885, when he is in Antwerp, to his works in 1887 when he is in Paris, and they look like different artists.

You can take a look at a selection of these paintings on my site, I’ve put together a little companion gallery of them from these time periods. Just click the link in the episode notes, or simply go to:
www.mjdorian.com/vincent

His colors in 1885 are predominantly browns and grays, subdued and muted palettes, with a dreary and melancholy impression. Take for example the painting: Lane With Poplars, completed in 1885, while Vincent was still in the Netherlands.

The colors and shadows have — a heaviness to them. As if the painting sucks up all the light around it.

I simply call this period, Vincent’s goth phase. If Norwegian Black Metal existed back then, I have no doubt he would be listening to it. He’s painting heavy shadows with the last glimmers of light on the horizon, he’s painting dreary peasant faces, rats, bats, and to top it off, at the end of 1886 he paints a skeleton with a lit cigarette in its teeth. So goth. Vincent van Goth.

But compare all that to this 1887 painting, entitled A Woman Walking In A Garden, which he made while living in Paris. And the two styles could not be more different.

The painting ‘A Woman Walking In A Garden’ leaps off of the canvas. The colors are warm greens and yellows, and they seem to vibrate in the air. There is a strange feeling that some ‘truth’ about a summer’s day is conveyed by this painting. Some unnameable impression of human experience.

These paintings represent the stylistic tendencies of Vincent in specific years, but just as importantly, in specific cities. This shift to warmer and more vibrant color palettes is a direct influence of Vincent being in Paris.

When he was back in the Netherlands, like in his goth period, he was largely a loner, but once he is in Paris, he is part of the fabric of a lively art community, one that is thriving in Paris during the late 1880’s.

Still, even with his diligent effort, his brother’s connections in the art world, and with the clear potential for future success… Vincent’s paintings are not selling.

With each passing year, he is finishing hundreds of paintings, which he sends to Theo. Theo stores them in his apartment. But when he presents Vincent’s work to art collectors in Paris, they pass on them.

Through these passing years, Vincent never takes Theo’s financial help for granted, on the contrary, he is always apologetic and promising Theo that once his paintings begin to sell, that he will work to give Theo back everything he has spent in supporting him. (Having been an art dealer first, and having seen what sells, Vincent knows his own work is good.)

In 1888, eight years into their arrangement, Vincent devises a new plan. He leases a large four bedroom house in Arles, a beautiful province city in Southern France. The conditions of the air, climate, and weather are perfect for painting. His dream is to establish an artist commune, a place where noteworthy Impressionist painters can live together, under one roof, influence each other’s work, and paint masterpieces, which Theo van Gogh, can exclusively represent on the art market. The sale of these paintings will help fund the expenses of the house, and create a support structure, so that artists don’t have to starve, so that even if one artist sells more than the others, they will all rise together, and if one artist becomes famous, so will the others through association.

In many respects, Vincent’s intuition is right. Historically speaking, art collectors value artwork higher when it is associated with movements and the proximity that art was made or influenced by other noteworthy artists.

It’s a bold and intelligent plan. Though it comes with its own risks. If the van Gogh brothers publicize this artist commune in Southern France as a treasure trove of new talent… and then it fails? Then they are both in debt from the lease and their reputations in the art community are thrown in the gutter.

The four bedroom house Theo and Vincent lease for this project becomes known as The Yellow House. And Vincent famously completes a painting of it and the view of the street in September 1888, this famous painting is simply titled The Yellow House.

In 1888, he is in correspondence with several painters, and sends individual invitations to them live with him in The Yellow House. But the one he finally settles on is Paul Gauguin, a French painter, who Vincent met in Paris through Theo. At this time, Gauguin is in his forties, and he is starting to achieve notoriety for his iconic paintings of exotic locales. Specifically a series he did while away in Polynesia. One noteworthy piece is called Conversation, which depicts Polynesian women of the town, seated on the grass in a semicircle.Ttheir jet black hair and warm brown skin was something foreign and new to French art collectors of the late 1800’s.

In May of 1888, Vincent writes:

“My dear comrade Gauguin,

I wanted to let you know that I have just rented a four-room house here in Arles. And that it would seem to me that if I could find another painter inclined to work in the South, and who, like myself, would be sufficiently absorbed in his work to be able to resign himself to living like a monk (who goes to the brothel once a fortnight)… it might be a good job… My brother would send 250 francs a month for both of us which we would share… And you would give my brother one picture a month.”

In the letter, Vincent tries to lure Gauguin to The Yellow House by appealing to his lust, saying there are easily accessible brothels filled with beautiful Arlesiennes, he also appeals to his vanity, by confessing that he and Theo both love his work, and to Gauguin’s practical nature: guaranteeing him that finances would be stable and that his paintings would have representation on the market through Theo.

To Vincent’s excitement, Gauguin accepts the arrangement.

[music]

He arrives in October, 1888. Over the course of the next nine weeks they become close friends, being the only two artists living in The Yellow House. They eat breakfast and dinner together, they drink and visit the brothels together, and they even paint together, in the same room. At one point, they both paint a portrait of Augustine Roulin. She is the wife of Joseph Roulin, the postman who is the subject of one of Vincent’s most celebrated portraits, titled Portrait of the Postman.

You can really appreciate a glimpse of the magic that Vincent envisioned for the Yellow House by comparing Vincent’s portrait of Augustine Roulin, with Paul Gauguin’s portrait of Augustine Roulin.

It’s endlessly fascinating that they painted the same subject, at the same time, in the same pose, but you end up seeing her through two different artist’s eyes. It has this triangulating effect, as you imagine the three of them in one room together…making art history.

But as the months went on, all was not perfect in The Yellow House. Although the time spent together made Gauguin and Vincent quick friends, their close proximity also brought out sharp differences between them. For one, they had nearly opposite temperaments.

The book Van Gogh: The Life says this:

“Where Vincent saw a brotherhood, Gauguin saw a contest. “I have a need for struggle,” he had announced before arriving, using a French term, la lutte, for the competition of wills that Gauguin saw in every exchange, whether with swords, fists, words, or images; “I slash away blow by blow.” he wrote. To underscore this en grade, he sent Vincent a drawing of a painting he had made. It showed two Breton youths locked in a tense, wrestlers’ embrace. He described it as an image of primal combat “as seen through the eyes of a Peruvian savage.”

In addition to their frequent arguments, there were more personal issues that created tension or resentment between them. In the year they spent together in The Yellow House, Vincent didn’t just see Gauguin as a friend, he also began to see him as a reminder of his own inadequacies.

He sees Gauguin’s promiscuous lifestyle, and the ease with which he has sexual relationships. He is sociable and charismatic. All traits that stand in contrast to Vincent, with his awkward social interactions.

But perhaps even worse than that… he feels his inadequacy as an artist, anytime Theo sells a painting of Gauguin, and sends him the profits, which he then flaunts at the bar and a visit to the brothel. Anytime an art collector relays a message through Theo that he wants more Gauguins of a certain style. And every time that Vincent’s best attempts, which he sees as equal to his housemate’s, are met with disinterest from collectors.

What on the one hand started as a friendship… unconsciously turns into a rivalry. Bear in mind, Gauguin is no saint either, he actually has a wife and five children, whom he separated from to pursue his art ambitions and bohemian lifestyle.

By the end of the nine weeks, Gauguin and Vincent can be heard having loud arguments into the midnight hours. The pressure is mounting for Vincent, and unknown to him, all of this is provoking a volcano that has been lying dormant for years.

In recent conversations, they can’t even agree on art, Gauguin is expressing his distaste for Impressionism, vowing to take his painting in a different direction, while Vincent stays dedicated to the promise of the Impressionist movement. He also expresses doubts about the following year, stating he might leave the Yellow House to go back up north. As in earlier years, when life is difficult, Vincent falls back to his old habits, drinking, and in Arles, the drink of choice is absinthe. It is unknown how the unique chemical compound in absinthe interacted with Vincent’s undiagnosed mental condition.

Add to this Vincent’s anxiety about Theo, who has been wrestling with health issues due to contracting syphilis, and you can imagine Vincent’s volcano of anxiety stirring.

The book Van Gogh: The Life goes on:

“On December 23rd, the last Sunday before Christmas, the moment Vincent had long feared finally arrived. Whether Gauguin intended to leave Arles when he walked out of the Yellow House that evening isn’t clear. But Vincent thought he did. In the previous few days, their life together had become unbearable. Bad weather had trapped them both inside…

… Vincent obsessing over his strange portrait of Augustine Roulin; Gauguin idle and restless. When not working, Vincent spent his days in rambling arguments punctuated by outbursts of temper and voids of brooding silence. Gauguin, finally convinced of his host’s true “madness,” worried that at any moment “a fatal and tragic attack” might imperil his own safety— especially at night, when Vincent roamed the house menacingly. “I have been living with my nerves on edge,” he reported to Emile Bernard.”

Earlier that night they had been arguing about a newspaper report concerning a Jack the Ripper style killer, who was awaiting execution. Somewhere in this midnight fog of madness, Gauguin exits the house. The sound of the door closing startles Vincent. He thinks ‘this might be it,’ the last time they see each other.

Gauguin is walking through the dark alleys, toward the brothel district, when he hears familiar footsteps behind him. He turns to see Vincent, staring fiercely back at him.

Vincent says “You are going to leave?”
“Yes.” Gauguin replies.

Vincent interprets it as the final verdict. Gauguin is abandoning everything Vincent worked toward.

Without saying a word, he hands Gauguin a page he tore from the day’s newspaper. He points to the bottom line of the text, which says “Le meurtier a pris la fuite” — the murderer has fled.

Gauguin turns to continue walking, and hears Vincent run into the darkness.

[whirlwind music]

There are no witnesses for what happens next. Vincent is in a state of mental darkness, in the throes of a psychotic attack. Even he is not a reliable witness of the events to follow, recounting to doctors later that he only remembers terrible auditory and visual hallucinations.

Within an hour, he appears at Gauguin’s favorite brothel, only a few minutes walk from the Yellow House. He has his head wrapped in a blood soaked bandage and dons a large hat. Vincent tries to enter, but the brothel keeper does not let him pass. He asks the host to see a woman named Gaby, Gauguin’s favorite.

When she comes to the front, Vincent presents her an offering, a small newspaper bundle, perhaps a sign of penance to Gauguin, that Vincent has paid the ultimate price for his sins, an apology rife with Biblical symbolism.

He tells the girl ‘Guard this object carefully. Remember me.’ She opens it, [newspaper sound], and finds a freshly severed ear — she faints. And Vincent disappears into the night.

[end whirlwind music]

 

Chapter Four: The People vs Vincent van Gogh

In the days following the ear incident, Vincent is kept at the hospital of Arles. Theo receives a telegram on Christmas night from Gauguin, it does not describe what happened, only that it involves Vincent, and that it is very serious. He hastily makes the trip from Paris to Arles by train. He arrives on Christmas morning, he stops at the Yellow House first, assuming that Gauguin will be coming with him to the hospital. In each room of the house, Theo finds splatters of blood, red soaked rags, and a bloody handprint on the wall of the staircase. Vincent’s self inflicted wound had passed through an artery.

Considering a night had passed, it is a miracle that Vincent is still alive.

Gauguin tells him that Vincent has been calling for Gauguin, like a madman, in fits, to tell him not to summon Theo.

Gauguin refuses to visit Vincent, he will wait until Theo returns and board the train with him to Paris. Theo makes his way to the hospital. Because of it being Christmas Day, the hospital is strikingly empty and short staffed.

The book Van Gogh: The Life, paints the scene:

“With so few staff and so many beds, finding Vincent could not have been easy. Since arriving twenty-four hours earlier, he may have already been removed from the “fever ward” — a huge, high-ceilinged room with dozens of beds separated by muslin curtains. The police had left him there, bleeding and unconscious, the previous morning. But when he regained consciousness, he cried out incomprehensibly in a tumble of Dutch and French that unnerved both patients and staff. Eventually, they moved him to an isolation cell— a tiny room with padded walls, barred windows, and a bed fitted with shackles.

By the time Theo found him, he had calmed down again and may have been returned to the ward—a round-trip he would make many times.

‘He seemed to be all right at first,’ Theo reported to Jo, his feance in a letter. At one point, he lay down in the bed beside his brother and they reminisced about their childhood together in the attic of the Zundert parsonage. “How poignant, together on a pillow” their mother wrote when Theo related the scene to her. Theo asked if Vincent approved of his plan to marry Jo. Vincent replied elusively: “marriage ought not to be regarded as the main object in life.” But before long the demons descended again. The reported “He lapsed into brooding about philosophy and theology. It was terribly sad… From time to time all his grief would well up inside and he would try to weep, but couldn’t.’

If only Vincent had someone like Jo, Theo thought. He wrote to her after his first visit: “Poor fighter and poor, poor sufferer. Had he just once found someone to whom he could pour his heart out, it might never have come to this.”

Theo does what he can, he speaks to the chief physician and asks him to update him in the next few days. He climbs aboard a train back to Paris, to return to his work and life… Gauguin comes with him.

Vincent’s physical wound is recovering well, but in the coming days he seems to be mentally unstable.

[the police and doctor reports]

December 29th, 1888.

An update is sent to Theo from the chief house physician of the hospital of Arles. Dr. Felix Rey… he writes:

“Dear Sir,

As I promised you when you left Arles, I am hastening to give you the information you may wish concerning your brother’s condition:

His mental state seems to have worsened since Wednesday.

The day before yesterday, he got into bed with another patient and refused to leave, despite my comments. He then chased the senior nurse in his nightshirt… and refuses to allow anyone whatsoever to approach his bed. He rose yesterday to wash himself in the coal-bucket.

I had no choice yesterday but to confine him to separate quarters. My superior drew up a certificate of mental illness today, in which he diagnosed general insanity and requested special treatment in an institution.

We await the mayor’s instruction to commit him to the regional asylum; he is being closely guarded in a room.

With my sincerest regards,
Rey Félix”

As drastic as the situation is, to everyone’s surprise, in a few days, Vincent makes a full recovery of his mental faculties.

On January 2nd, 1889, in his own hand, Vincent writes:

My dear Theo,
In order to reassure you completely on my account I’m writing you these few words in the office of Mr Rey, the house physician, whom you saw yourself. I’ll stay here at the hospital for another few days — then I dare plan to return home very calmly.

Now I ask just one thing of you, not to worry, for that would cause me one worry too many.

Now let’s talk about our friend Gauguin… Did I terrify him?

In short, why doesn’t he give me a sign of life? He must have left with you. Besides, he needed to see Paris again, and perhaps he’ll feel more at home in Paris than here.

Tell Gauguin to write to me, and that I’m still thinking of him.

Good handshake, I’ve read and re-read your letter about the meeting with the Bongers. It’s perfect. As for me, I’m content to remain as I am. Once again, good handshake to you and Gauguin.

Ever yours,
Vincent

Write to me.

– On the back of the page, Dr. Felix Rey writes: –

Sir –
I shall add a few words to your brother’s letter to reassure you, in my turn, on his account.

I am happy to tell you that my predictions have been borne out, and that this over-excitement was only fleeting. I strongly believe that he will have recovered in a few days’ time.

I very much wanted him to write to you himself, to give you a better account of his condition. I have had him brought down to my office to talk a little. It will entertain me and do him good.

With my sincerest regards,
Felix Rey.”

Vincent is discharged. He is in better spirits, but he is cautious, as he is fearful of a relapse. In a passing letter he writes to Theo “I hope that I have had no more than a perfectly ordinary attack of artistic temperament, followed by high fever as a consequence of the loss of a very great deal of blood because an artery had been severed.”

So what does he do? …He resumes painting. He paints his iconic sunflower paintings, the same ones you see immortalized on cheap posters, he finishes two versions of the Augustine Roulin portrait, a few still life paintings, and a portrait of his attending doctor, Dr. Felix Rey.

It’s also around this time, in January 1889, that he paints two loveably odd self portraits. One is titled Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and the other is Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe.

Both show Vincent with an oversized fur hat, and a bandage covering his left ear. He wears an unplaceable expression in ‘Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear,’ like his bright green eyes are looking into some far distance. Behind him you can see a poster of a Japanese woodblock print, a style which Vincent especially loved, and which influenced his art style during his Paris years.

‘The Self Portrait with a Bandaged Ear and Pipe’ shows Vincent with a concerned look on his face, as puffs of tobacco smoke rise into the air. It’s quirky enough to be a character poster for a Wes Anderson film. One noteworthy detail of this painting is the startling and evenly applied blood red on the wall behind Vincent that fills the frame, which is cut by a shade of blood orange, right at his eye level, filling up the upper half of the space behind him.

This is the only portrait in all of Vincent’s 900 paintings that uses such a thoroughly applied pure red. Without his characteristic brushstrokes.

The line that separates the red and blood orange is also strategically positioned at Vincent’s exact eye level… or perhaps the intention was to show it at the level of the wound on his ear. Simulating a cut across the canvas, at the level of his ear.

Personally, these aren’t my favorite portraits of Vincent. But it doesn’t matter. Because he may have never intended for us to see them anyway.

On looking at Vincent’s strange predicament in these self portraits, I can’t help but ruminate: Who is he painting for? Does he have an intended audience for these two ‘self portraits with bandaged ear?’ Does he really think anyone will be interesting in buying these on the market?

I think we are asking the wrong questions… Here are the right questions:

Who is his intended audience? Is he painting these self portraits… for himself? Almost like a visual journal. A snapshot of a moment in time… sublimated into art.

These paintings remind me of Frida Kahlo, who we covered in Episode 3, painting herself while in the hospital, recovering from her many surgeries. And like her… at this moment, I don’t think Vincent is painting for us — he is painting for himself. He is the intended audience.

The work of art serves as a form of therapy.

The question is not ‘What is the purpose of this painting?’ because ‘The painting is the purpose.’

He is a ‘High Creative.’ And as such, the satisfaction that creating a meaningful work of art provides him is self sufficient. Asking a High Creative ‘Why do you make art?’ Is like asking a bird ‘Why do you flap your wings?’ The bird will say ‘because I’m a bird…’ And the artist will say ‘because I’m an artist.’

[music break]

It seems things are going well for Vincent, Theo continues to send his support, in letters and funds. But by mid February, he has another crisis, some form of a relapse. Perhaps it’s because he is drinking absinthe again, perhaps the catalyst event opened up some late onset illness which had been dormant in him for years, perhaps it is the knowledge that Theo is now engaged to his girlfriend, Johanna, and that the brothers will begin to grow apart, perhaps it is all of the above combined with the reality of the Yellow House dream falling through.

Whatever it is, he seems to be behaving irrationally. The neighbors and locals become concerned enough that they write a letter to the Mayor of Arles, to have Vincent committed to an asylum.

[typewriter clacking…]

February 26th, 1889

“Dear Mayor Tardieu,

We the undersigned, residents of Place Lamartine in the city of Arles, have the honor to inform you that for some time and on several occasions the man named Vincent, a landscape painter and a Dutch subject, living in the above square, has demonstrated that he is not in full possession of his mental faculties, and that he over-indulges in drink, after which he is in a state of over-excitement such that he no longer knows what he is doing or what he is saying, and very unpredictable towards the public, a cause for fear to all the residents of the neighborhood, and especially to women and children.

In view of this, the undersigned have the honor of requesting, in the name of public safety, that the man named Vincent return forthwith to his family, or that they complete the formalities required in order to have him admitted to an asylum, so as to prevent any such unfortunate occurrence as is bound to take place one of these days if strong measures are not taken in his regard.

We venture to hope, Mayor Tardieu, that, taking into consideration the serious interest which we demonstrate here, you will have the great courtesy to give our request the response that it deserves.

We have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, Mr Mayor, your devoted constituents.”

This is followed by 30 signatures of those citizens in support of this petition. Important to note, Vincent’s friend, the Postman, named Joseph Roulin is not among them, and neither is his wife Augustine Roulin, who famously posed for both Vincent and Gauguin only a few months prior.

As they personally knew Vincent, there is no doubt they were approached to sign it. Either they did not support such a petition on principle, or they did not think he posed a danger. Perhaps the townsfolk did not really see him as a danger either, but rather saw this as a means to rid themselves of a strange ‘artist type’, whom they did not care to understand.

Whatever the case. The Chief of Police, Joseph D’Ornano is summoned by the Mayor to investigate.

[typing]

‘The year: eighteen hundred and eighty-nine and the twenty-seventh of February;

[reset typewriter sound]

I, Joseph d’Ornano, Chief Inspector of Police in the city of Arles, officer of the criminal police, assistant to the Public Prosecutor;

[reset typewriter sound]

Concerning the enclosed petition of the residents of place de Lamartine, concerning the behavior of Mr. Vincent van Gogh, a Dutch subject, suffering from mental disturbance;

[reset typewriter sound]

Concerning the attached report by Doctor Delon dated the 7th of this month and the instructions of the Mayor of Arles, ordering that van Gogh’s degree of madness be established;

[reset typewriter sound w/ding]

Have opened an inquiry and interviewed those named below:

[start typing]

1st Inquiry:
[reset typewriter sound]

Mr Bernard Soulè, aged 63, landlord, of 53 avenue Montmajour, who made the following declaration to me:
[possibly resume typing or enter with typewriter sonata, or typewriter supported music piece!]

As the managing agent of the house occupied by Mr Vincent van Gogh, I had occasion to speak with him yesterday and to observe that he is suffering from mental disturbance, because his conversation is incoherent and his mind wandering. Furthermore, I have heard it said that this man is prone to inappropriate touching of women living in the neighborhood; I have even been assured that they actually no longer feel at ease in their homes, because he enters their residences.

In short, it is a matter of urgency that this insane man be confined in a special asylum, especially in view of the fact that Van Gogh’s presence in our neighborhood compromises public safety.

Read, agreed and signed,
Mr Soule.
[reset typewriter sound w/ding]

2nd Inquiry:
Mrs Marguerite Favier, married name Crévoulin, aged 32, provision merchant of place de Lamartine, who told us the following:

[possibly resume typing or enter with typewriter sonata, or typewriter supported music piece!]

I occupy the same house as Mr Vincent van Gogh, who is truly insane. This individual comes into my shop and makes a nuisance of himself. He insults my customers and is prone to inappropriate touching of women from the neighborhood, whom he follows into their residences.

In fact, everyone in the neighborhood is frightened on account of the presence of the said Van Gogh, who will certainly become a threat to public safety.

Read, agreed and signed,
Mrs Crévoulin
[typewriter reset w/ding]

3rd Inquiry:

Mrs Jeanne Corrias, married name Coulomb, aged 42, dressmaker, of 24 place de Lamartine, who made the following declaration:

Mr Van Gogh, who lives in the same neighborhood as myself, has become increasingly mad in the past few days, and everyone in the vicinity is frightened. The women, especially, no longer feel comfortable, because he is prone to touching them inappropriately, and makes obscene remarks in their presence.

In my own case, I was seized round the waist outside Mr Crévoulin’s shop by this individual the day before yesterday, Monday, and lifted off my feet. In short, this madman is becoming a threat to public safety, and everyone is demanding that he be confined in a special establishment.

Read, agreed and signed
Mrs Coulomb
[typewriter reset w/ding]

Findings:
Mr. Vincent van Gogh is truly suffering from mental disturbance; however, we have noted on several occasions that this madman has moments of lucidity. Van Gogh is not yet a threat to public safety, but there are fears that he may become so.

All his neighbors are frightened, and with good cause, because a few weeks ago, the madman concerned cut off an ear in a fit of insanity, a crisis that could be repeated and be harmful to somebody in his vicinity.

Chief of Police
D’Ornano

Conclusions:

Given that the foregoing inquiries and our personal observations show that Mr. Vincent Van Gogh is suffering from mental disturbance, and that he could become a threat to public safety; we are of the opinion that there are grounds for detaining this patient in a special asylum.

Chief of Police
D’Ornano
March 3rd, 1889

[music / soundscape stop]

Whatever had caused so much concern in February in Vincent’s disposition seems to subside in March. He resumes painting. Although, in his letters to Theo, he mentions that he is still feeling moments of confusion and disorientation, and so he is behaving very cautiously.

Because of this, with presence of mind, he is the one who proposes to Theo that he could stay in St. Paul’s Mental Asylum, in the province of St. Remy, for a few months, and that it could do him some good.

And so, it is not through some dramatic arrest or forced imprisonment that Vincent will be brought to St. Paul’s, but rather, through his own clarity of mind.

But still, despite all of this… the psychotic event, the clear indication that Vincent is likely to have relapses in the months to come, the obvious fact that he presents challenges to anyone attempting to care for him… Theo does not abandon him. It may seem that way at first, because he had to leave Arles, he is engaged, and because he has to balance everything with a steady and demanding job. But let the record state… In a letter no one mentions in any of the biographies or books, on April 24th, Theo writes to Vincent with yet another proposition.

He starts the letter with a response to Vincent’s gratitude that Theo supported him for all these years, and that Vincent promises to pay him back.

[cue music]

My dear Vincent,
I was very touched by your letter, which we received yesterday, you really say too many kind things about a thing that’s just entirely natural, not taking into account that you’ve given it back to me several times over, both by your work and by a brotherly affection which is worth more than all the money I’ll ever possess.

It pains me to know that you’re still in a state of incomplete health. Although nothing in your letter betrays weakness of mind, on the contrary, the fact that you judge it necessary to enter an asylum is quite serious in itself. Let’s hope that this will be merely a preventive measure. As I know you well enough to believe you capable of all the sacrifices imaginable, I’ve thought that there’s a possibility that you may have thought of this solution to encumber less those who know you. If that’s the case, I beg you not to do it, for certainly life in there can’t be agreeable. So be well aware of what you’re doing, and if perhaps you wouldn’t make another try first.

Either by coming back here for a while, or by going to Pont-Aven during the summer, or by trying to board with people who would take care of you.”

[end music]

Yes… after all that’s happened. Despite all that’s happened. Let the record state… Theo offered Vincent the option to come stay with him. Yes. Or an alternative place of lodging near him in Paris… I mean… the compassion and moral obligation in this man. Fuck the Oscars, Theo van Gogh deserves an award. Honestly, I don’t know if I would even do that. I mean… knowing what we know… Would you?

There is a passing phrase in another letter that Theo writes around this time, this one is to his fiancé, Jo. It is a very candid letter concerning Vincent and the hardships they are facing. Theo states:

“It’s distressing to be so powerless to do anything for him, but exceptional people need exceptional remedies and I only hope they will yet be found where ordinary people would not look.”

Wow. What a beautiful statement, articulated so perfectly. It’s clear that they aren’t just brothers. Whether they have put a label on it or not, they are best friends.

On the same day, April 24th, Theo also writes another letter, this one to the director of St. Paul’s mental asylum. Dr. Peyron. He writes:

“Dear Director,
With the agreement of the person involved, who is my brother, I am writing to request the admission into your institution of: Vincent Willem van Gogh, painter aged 36, born at Groot Zundert (Holland) and at present living in Arles. I ask you to admit him with your 3rd-class residents.

Since his confinement is requested primarily in order to prevent a recurrence of past crises, and not because his mental state is compromised at present, I hope you will have no objection to allowing him the freedom to paint outside the institution when he wishes to do so.

Further, without elaborating on the attention that he will require, but which I assume is given with the same care to all your residents, I ask you to be so kind as to allow him to have at least a 1/2 litre of wine with his meals.

Sincerely,
Theo van Gogh”

On May 1st, 1889, seven days before being admitted to the asylum, Vincent writers to his sister, Wil. It is a long and caring letter, filled with many thoughtful passages, and reassurances to his concerned sister, who had just sent him a letter.

There is a passage… which is especially noteworthy… in which Vincent again displays a stunning self awareness.

[music]

“…As for me, I’m going for at least 3 months into an asylum at St-Rémy, not far from here.

In all I’ve had 4 big crises in which I hadn’t the slightest idea of what I said, wanted, or did.

Not counting that, I fainted 3 times previously without plausible reason, and not retaining the least memory of what I felt then.

Ah well, that’s quite serious, although I’m much calmer since then, and physically, I’m perfectly well. But I still feel incapable of taking a studio again. I’m working though, and have just done two paintings of the hospital.

I can’t precisely describe what the thing I have is like, there are terrible fits of anxiety sometimes – without any apparent cause – or then again a feeling of emptiness and fatigue in the mind.

I consider the whole rather as a simple accident, no doubt a large part of it is my fault, and from time to time I have fits of melancholy, atrocious remorse, but you see, when that’s going to discourage me completely and make me gloomy, … I take the remedy that the incomparable Dickens prescribes against suicide. It consists of a daily glass of wine, a piece of bread and cheese and a pipe of tobacco.

It isn’t complicated, you’ll tell me, and you don’t think that my melancholy comes close to that place, however at moments – ah but…

Anyway, it isn’t always pleasant, but I try not to forget completely how to jest, I try to avoid everything that might relate to heroism and martyrdom, in short I try not to take lugubrious things lugubriously.

Now I wish you good-night…

Ever yours,
Vincent”

[cue music]

On the next episode of Creative Codex… Vincent is admitted to St. Paul’s Mental Asylum. And what begins as a three month stay, extends into a full year in the asylum. But contrary to anyone’s expectations, in between periods of psychotic attacks, Vincent produces his greatest masterpieces yet. The culmination of his life’s work…

[extended music break]

 

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