I have the patience of an ox

by Van Gogh

in New Amsterdam

28 October

There are two people whose intense struggle between ‘I’m a painter’ and ‘I’m not a painter’ I know. Rappard’s and my own — sometimes a frightening struggle, a struggle that’s precisely the distinction between us and some others who take it less seriously.

One must take it up with assurance, with a conviction that one is doing something reasonable, like the peasant guiding his plough or like our friend in the scratch, who is doing his own harrowing. If one has no horse, one is one’s own horse…

There’s a saying of Gustave Doré’s that I’ve always found exceedingly beautiful — I have the patience of an ox— right away I see something good in it, a certain resolute honesty; in short there’s a lot in that saying, it’s a real artist’s saying.

400_man_pulling_harrow

{ 12 comments }

ALBERT UNITED STATES January 3, 2010 at 1:22 am

I’ve been looking all over for this!

Thanks.

dikke shit NETHERLANDS December 2, 2009 at 11:06 am

ciao

aged beauty FRANCE November 26, 2009 at 10:18 am

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Beatrix NETHERLANDS November 7, 2009 at 10:48 pm

pur a me proprie asssaie

Ellen NETHERLANDS November 7, 2009 at 10:47 pm

me piac

joe NETHERLANDS November 6, 2009 at 12:32 pm

I meant strange picture because it looks like he is dragging an oversized waffle home for his dinner!!! lol!!

Jeannie UNITED STATES November 3, 2009 at 6:07 pm

I know this struggle well. I fight the same battle all of the time. I am glad to know that I take it as serious as the good company that Vincent afforded. I will now take it up with more assurance and conviction, to be sure!

the ozzie NETHERLANDS November 3, 2009 at 3:16 pm

A struggle is a medium for growth and without such pain one can only linger in a middle class boring existence…

Lisa TAIWAN November 2, 2009 at 3:23 am

struggle !struggle! struggle!

maria PORTUGAL November 1, 2009 at 1:10 pm

just as with writing: patience of a cow!

joe NETHERLANDS October 31, 2009 at 11:32 am

strange pictures

osprey UNITED STATES October 29, 2009 at 5:10 pm

You are not alone in this thinking. There are days and weeks when I can’t stop painting, thoughts and ideas run rampant in my brain and then there are days and weeks I wonder how in the world I ever thought I could do this. But one thing I can count on, is that within another day or week I’ll be in that world again alone with my canvas and paint and the world outside does not exist.

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