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Dear Vincent: A psychologist turned artist writes to van Gogh

Van Gogh was the outsider—the follower of an inner calling. While he had all of the sensitivity and compassion in the world, his emotional difficulties stood in the way of his relationships. He had been hospitalized for his mental storms, psychological attacks of intense emotion, cognitive distortion and even physical collapse that ultimately cut his phenomenal painting career short along with his life. Through all of the conflict and stress caused by strict and unyielding parenting, social strictures, and rural village life in the late 1800s Vincent persevered going on to doggedly pursue his unique and powerful and very spiritual aesthetic. In this he shows us how to live.

In this collection Van Gogh’s words are excerpted from the archives of the Van Gogh
Letter Project, which is maintained by the Van Gogh Museum in Denmark. The Museum
is a wonderful resource for things van Gogh. The majority of the paintings come from
the Van Gogh Museum, and some from other sources as indicated.

Because my relationship with Vincent is important to me, I’ve chosen to present him to
you as a dialogue between myself, through my letters to him about specific works and
events, and Vincent van Gogh.

Kendall Johnson