As promised…
The back of the house, with Vincent’s studio in the foreground.
I like to imagine this is the door Vincent snuck out of when he couldn’t take his parents anymore.
Corner of his studio. I touched the brick here, it’s as close as I got.
Now, the first statue of Vincent I saw on my trip. I approached from behind, and already I liked it. At this point I was also looking for a place to sit inside and get a cup of coffee, and there was a cafe right next across the street from him called Comigo. At the time, I read it as Conmigo, “with me” in Spanish, and took it as a sign since I am half Spanish. However, it’s actually Portuguese. Nonetheless, I still find it strange that there is a Portuguese restaurant in a small town in the southern Netherlands… Oh, never mind. Back to the man.
Made by Klaas van Rosmalen, in 1984.
Ready to draw.
I liked that leaf, and his foot.
I liked that he leaned forward, ready to engage.
Also fitting is the rock he stands on: “The pedestal, originally from the Southern Ardennes, is a 2 ton heavy carbonic limestone, which is at least 300 million years old.” That’s from the little map they gave me. I think the rock is wildly appropriate. A man of the earth, of the ages. This was my first and still my favorite statue of him.
I sat at Comigo, put down the leaky umbrella, took off the poncho, relaxed a bit, and enjoyed my view.
Last but not least (for today, there are still more photos of Nuenen to come!), I want to leave you with some signs from the town. I found it really striking to see so many things named after Vincent, and maybe you’ll find it quirky too. Don’t forget to click on the photos for more!
Later this week I’ll be putting up some videos from Nuenen, so keep an eye out!
Tags: europe, life, memorial, Nuenen, rain, Travel, walking
Nuenen: I spent several hours of a very rainy day in this beautiful small town where Vincent lived with his parents for two years. It was the longest time he lived in one place during his artistic career (alongside Paris), and it was the real foundation of all his work. I discovered too many things there, so I am going to do this one in parts. Firstly, I wanted to share the beauty of Southern Netherlands with you, it was where he was born and raised.
Now, to Nuenen.
The Van Gogh Documentatiecentrum. (Documentation center) It used to be a weaving house (1837) which is quite appropriate given Vincent’s love of weavers.
Vincent’s father’s church. A place he painted, a place he occupied often, a place he resisted.
Nuenen in the rain… At this point, it was raining so hard, my photos came out quite blurry. I translated this into the soft glow you’ll see in the next few photos… So I’m not just romanticizing things! ;)
This is the house inside of which Vincent painted his studies for The Potato Eaters, his first masterpiece.
For those who remember the post I made on this day, I spoke of a muddy back road often traveled by Vincent: this is it. I also spoke of four horses who stared at me, ran swiftly away, and then turned around, as if waiting for me to follow…
I still feel it was Vincent.
This flour mill was built in 1884, the first year Vincent van Gogh lived in Nuenen. It is featured in several of his drawings. It is of the moment.
This local church I believe is the one that caused Vincent some trouble (as there is no other in town I could see): The priest here often interfered with Vincent’s work, obsessed with the idea that his mixing with the lower classes (read: his models) was dangerous. At one point, the priest even offered money to the townspeople to not pose for him.
(cough cough bastard cough cough)
This is the old parsonage where Vincent lived with his parents. In the next post, I’ll share my photos from the back where you can see his studio area, and the door I imagine he used often to avoid his family. (just a guess! they didn’t get along very well)
This monument to Vincent was built in 1932 by Hildo Krop. It was the first monument erected for Van Gogh in the Netherlands. I think it’s positively perfect. The sun is about hand-sized.
It felt like the sun, and it felt like your heart.
Tags: church, heart, horses, landscape, memorial, nature, Nuenen, rain, Travel, walking, YellowEurope
