Vincent Van Gogh 87 - The Love Of Countryside Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Brabant was Vincent's home and he loved the countryside.
The trees. the woods, the fields and the peasants,
He wished to capture the rustic elements on his canvas.
He loved all seasons, the summer with its ripe corn,
The spring with flowers, the autumn with its yellow leaves,
The sky and the horizon with its varied shades of blue,
He wished he could live in Brabant forever.
But that was not to be. He had to move on!

Vincent found a place near the Catholic church,
Wherein a kind couple rented him a room.
He converted the drawing room into a studio,
While he slept upstairs in the beamed attic.
Vincent hung his drawings of weavers and peasants,
Paintings of workers in action and at work.
Brother Theo invited him to Paris but he needed
Some more time to complete his paintings of rural life.

To his brother Theo, Vincent wrote:
" The country is splendid, splendid;
Everything calls to you: Paint!
It is so typical and varied. Look here, lad,
Is it not true, however things go, there are always
Financial obstacles, and, where or how on earth can
A time of struggle lead to a more definite peace -
To a great peace which nothing on earth can disturb? "

"For myself, I have a simple plan:
I go out and paint what strikes me,
Steep myself, in the fragrant air of the heath,
And believe that in time, I shall become fresher,
Newer, better. So lad, do come and paint with me on the heath,
In the potato field, come and walk with me behind the plough
And the shepherd, come and sit with me by the fire,
Let the storm that blows across the heath blow through you."

A Biographical Poem