Japonaiserie and Rubens in Antwerp
In Antwerp he used a phrase from the Goncourts to see the docks, then repeatedly looked at Rubens in the museum and cathedral. Both encounters took precise shape in his letters.
No painting at this knot.
Events
- The Ferocious Reader · Letter 543
Before leaving, he wrote of looking forward to Rubens while expressing reservations about some religious pictures.
- The Translator · Letter 545
He used the Goncourts’ Japonaiserie to describe the docks and pinned Japanese prints to his studio wall.
- The Translator · Letter 547
He studied Rubens’s strokes of pure red in faces and hands and sought a blonde model with Rubens in mind.
- The Ferocious Reader · Letter 552
After seeing Rubens in the cathedral, he compared the expression of sorrow in Rubens, Rembrandt, Delacroix and Millet.
From the Letters
Een van de spreekwoorden van de Goncourt was “Japonaiserie for ever”_– Wel/ die dokken zijn een fameuse Japonaiserie/ grillig/ eigenaardig/ ongehoord – ten minste men kan ’t zoo zien_– One of De Goncourt’s sayings was ‘Japonaiserie for ever’. Well, these docks are one huge Japonaiserie, fantastic, singular, strange — at least, one can see them like that.
Niets navreert me minder dan Rubens wat betreft uitdrukking van menschelijke smart. Nothing moves me less than Rubens when it comes to the expression of human sorrow.
Letter Sources
Van Gogh letter records referenced on this page, linked to the Van Gogh Letters Project. vangoghletters.org