IDENTITY
Letter 613 — Exaggerating the essential
Arles, 1888
Content Summary
Van Gogh formulates a principle of artistic selection: exaggerating what is essential while deliberately leaving commonplace elements vague.
CONTEXT
Topics
Working Method, Artistic Intention, Exaggeration, Simplification, Drawing, Arles Practice
Materials & Pigments
Related People
Vincent van Gogh, Theo van Gogh, Honoré Daumier
Paintings
RESEARCH
Quotation
I’m trying now to exaggerate the essence of things, and to deliberately leave vague what’s commonplace.
Research Focus
The statement gives unusually concise evidence for Van Gogh’s belief that fidelity to a subject could involve selective exaggeration rather than literal transcription.
Related Work / Relevance
Contextual
SOURCES & EVIDENCE
Source Type
Letter
Source
Source Edition
Vincent van Gogh — The Letters, scholarly online edition (Van Gogh Museum / Huygens ING; website version December 2024)
Source URL
Evidence Type
Primary Source
Related Readings