Vincent Van Gogh 52 - Nature And Artiste Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Theo returned to Paris for his work
While, Vincent remained with his family in Etten.
Vincent bought a workman's suit of black velvet,
And drawing papers for sketching,
That's all that he needed to start his work!

After a few days of being pampered by his mother,
When he was back to his old healthy, glowing self.
He told his mother that he was ready for work,
All set to pursue his passion
Of drawing & painting!

When the warm breath of summer arrived,
Vincent took his drawing material and easel,
Began walking outdoors, exploring the countryside.
There was much for him in nature's splendorous beauty,
The heath, the swamp, the trees and the pond with water lilies!

As he went about in his velvet suit into the open fields,
With his thick cluster of red hair carrying his drawing brush,
People thought him rather weird, quirky and peculiar.
They wondered, why in the world he sat for hours in the fields,
Staring into the horizon without a single penny earned in his pocket.

Vincent wrote to his brother Theo:
"I do not stand helpless before nature any longer,
as I used to. Nature always begins by resisting the artist,
but he who really takes it seriously does not allow himself
To be led astray by that resistance, on the contrary,
it is the stimulus the more to fight for the victory.
At bottom, nature and a true artiste agree."

A Biographical Poem