The Three-Language Print Experiment
By 1883 he was already doing three-language translation — four years before the Japanese month in Arles.
No painting at this knot — only a letter.
Events
- The Translator · Letter 308
Arranged English, French, and Dutch prints side by side on his desk — the beginning of comparative visual studies
- The Translator · Letter 310
'Every nation sees the worker in its own way.' The core manifesto of the translator
- The Ferocious Reader · Letter 306
Reading Dickens (English), Hugo (French), Michelet (French) at the same time — three literatures matched to three traditions of prints
- The Translator · Letter 309
Continuing debate with Van Rappard in letters: Herkomer's worker vs Daumier's worker — same object, two grammars
From the Letters
Ik heb nu engelsche, fransche en hollandsche prenten — drie tradities naast elkaar. I now have English, French, and Dutch prints — three traditions side by side.
Iedere natie ziet den arbeider op haar eigen manier. Every nation sees the worker in its own way.
Het vergelijken van die drie scholen is als het lezen van drie vertalingen van hetzelfde gedicht. Comparing those three schools is like reading three translations of the same poem.
De Fransche prent is eleganter, de Engelsche ernstiger, de Hollandsche eerlijker. The French print is more elegant, the English more serious, the Dutch more honest.
Ik wil van alle drie iets nemen — en er mijn eigen taal van maken. I want to take something from all three — and make my own language from it.
Het is als een vertaler die drie talen kent en er een vierde van maakt. It is like a translator who knows three languages and makes a fourth from them.
Letter Sources
Van Gogh letter records referenced on this page, linked to the Van Gogh Letters Project. vangoghletters.org