04/13/2025
Feeling ‘old and broken’ 👴 Towards the end of his two-year stay in Paris, Van Gogh increasingly feared that his place on the fringes of society might be permanent, leaving him feeling ‘old and broken’. He was only thirty-five years old.
However, Vincent was convinced that he could overcome his growing physical and mental struggles. He believed that by continuing to create, he could shape a more ‘humane’ and meaningful world through his art. He headed to Provence in Southern France, where he hoped the rich, vibrant and colourful landscape would help him keep his art youthful and optimistic ‘by doing brilliant colour, well arranged, resplendent.’
‘Three White Cottages in Saintes-Maries’, 1888 © Kunsthaus Zürich
