An exhilarating experience it always is, no matter how many times you have gone through it before, to visit the picturesque village of Auvers by the River Oise, only a short drive away from Paris.

Even after his death here a century-and-quarter ago, Vincent Van Gogh is everywhere in Auvers. When you walk uphill towards the church, its solemn triangular headed tower and straight limestone walls turn into animated, colourful wavy lines in your imagination and the lifeless, grey sky in the background becomes an energetic broth of angry blue winds. Houses, trees and grain-fields breathe life … as in his paintings.

The artist’s 125th death anniversary was commemorated at Auberge Ravoux, the inn where he had lived the last 70 days of his life. The guests of honour at the ceremony were Willem Van Gogh and Machteld Van Laer, his two great-grand-nephews who had come from Holland for the occasion.

In a touching gesture but also as an apt reminder of the generally ignored fact that Van Gogh wrote as copiously (and as furiously) as he painted, one of the descendents read out the last letter from the painter to his brother Theo.

In his short life Van Gogh, who only started painting in his late 20s but nevertheless completed 860 oil works and nearly 1,500 watercolours as well as charcoal sketches and pencil drawings by the time of his death at the age of 37, was also the author of 844 letters, 650 of which were addressed to Theo alone.

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Vincent Van Gogh’s 125th death anniversary was commemorated at Auberge Ravoux, the inn where he had lived the last 70 days of his life in Auvers village, writes Zafar Masud

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The book Letters of Vincent Van Gogh which was published for the first time in 1914, 24 years after his death, is an indispensible read not only for the quality of his writing but also for the details that surrounded the genius’ troubled and brief existence. Many of these letters are in French to painter and friend Paul Gauguin; but Van Gogh also wrote in English.

He started his career in London as representative for an art dealing firm. But his heart was never in business and he soon found himself involved in writing. His earliest experiments included efforts to translate passages from the Dutch Bible into German, English and French languages.

Soon he was working as a missionary in a coal-mining town in Belgium where he started making sketches of the people he lived with. His intimacy with the impoverished local miners was, however, considered ‘undignified’ by church authorities who eventually dismissed him.

His career as a painter was really started in 1886 when Van Gogh came to live with his brother Theo who was already installed in Paris as a successful art negotiator. It is here that he would see for the first time the flamboyant colours of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and also encounter many painters in person.

The shy, hesitant youth was much impressed by Paul Gauguin who encouraged Van Gogh to go to southern France if he really wanted to experience the magic of flowers, trees and landscapes under a bright sun or in the silvery moonlight.

He moved in February 1888 to Arles where, following an intensive exchange of correspondence, Gauguin joined him a few months later. The two worked together, with Gauguin even making a portrait of his young friend painting sunflowers.

However, their friendship did not last long owing to their different characters. Gauguin was an arrogant man, sure of himself and much given to wine and women while Van Gogh struggled till the end of his life with the troubling images of nature that he attempted to transfer to his canvases. They soon had a dispute and Van Gogh, in frustration, tried to cut off his own ear with a razor.

After many months in medical establishments, including a lunatic asylum, Van Gogh finally moved in May 1890 to Auvers-sur-Oise at the insistence of Theo who preferred to have a close watch on his brother.

Van Gogh’s abode here was the inexpensive Auberge Ravoux. He worked now at a furious speed, often completing large paintings like ‘Auvers Church’, ‘Wheat field with crows’ or ‘Houses’ in Auvers in a single day.

His best friend in Auvers turned out to be his physician who loved art and painted in spare time. Van Gogh’s ‘Portrait of Dr Gachet’ is one of his final creations.

In his own way, the artist appeared content. In a letter to Theo he wrote, “I did not have to go out of my way to express my sadness and my extreme loneliness. My canvases will tell you what I myself cannot put in words. How healthy and invigorating I find the Auvers countryside!”

However, his happiness would prove to be short-lived. While working on July 27, 1890 on a large canvas in which he tried to capture a wind-swept pastoral scene, Vincent Van Gogh had an attack of depression and shot himself in the chest. He died two days later in his room in the arms of his brother. Theo Van Gogh also died after six months. Today the two brothers lie side by side in the Auvers-sur-Oise cemetery.

Apart from the ceremony at Auberge Ravoux on July 29, the village is rendering homage to Vincent Van Gogh in a series of exhibitions at the church, the Auvers-sur-Oise chateau and the city hall. These will last till October.

(The writer is a journalist based in Paris: ZafMasud@gmail.com)

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 13th, 2015

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