Vincent Van Gogh 95 - I Want To Paint Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

After two years of stay in Montmartre with Theo,
Vincent wanted to move out of Paris, even though,
He was well looked after and taken care of by his brother Theo.
Vincent had a space and a studio for himself in Theo's house.
He could paint to his heart's content with ease and freedom.
Theo bought him paints and canvas in wholesale and took
Every step to see that his brother was comfortable and healthy.
Living with Theo was a joy, as he was taken to restaurants
And treated with good food, wine and cigars. Vincent made friends and got acquainted with many famed artistes in Paris.

Vincent confessed to Theo; ‘Theo, I want to paint. I haven't put
In this seven years of labour just to be a house manager
For other painters. I tell you I am hungry for my brushes. Theo,
So hungry I could almost run away from Paris on the next train….'‘I am heartily sick of the sight of other painters.
I am tired of their talk, of their theories, of their interminable quarrels……' 'When I was in Brabant and the Hague, I thought of myself as an important person. I was one lone man, battling the whole world.I was an artiste, the only artiste living. Everything I painted was valuable.I knew that I had great ability, and that eventually, the world would say, He is a splendid painter! '

Vincent recognized himself so well.
He was born to draw and paint not in any ordinary way,
He was destined to be an extraordinary artiste par excellence.
Vincent was a man with a crystal- clear conscience,
No more did he want to imitate other artistes or impressionists.
He realized he was in constant search and quest of a realm
That was purely his own. He was in the process of an innate,
Individual technique. It was an ‘eureka' moment for Vincent.
He was on the verge of creating an unbeatable technique in art.
When Vincent made his ‘Self Portrait' with his deft brush strokes,
He saw through his deep penetrating blue green eyes,
The meaning and rhythm of life through his pulsating brush strokes.

A Biographical Poem