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Van Gogh Museum Journal 1997-1998 (1998)

Van Gogh Museum Journal 1997-1998

(1998)– [tijdschrift] Van Gogh Museum Journal–rechtenstatus Auteursrechtelijk beschermd

Vorige Volgende


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fig. 1
Theo van Gogh, 1878, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


‘Our crown and our honour and our joy’: Theo van Gogh's early years
Chris Stolwijk+

‘When you were baptised you were adorned with the first May rose to bloom in Zundert. The christening gown which was decorated with the tiny rose no longer fits you and the rose is long since wilted; nevertheless, it remains a symbol of great charm and great affability which may, we pray, be qualities granted to you in life. May you find an abundance of flowers strewn along life's pathway! and make the most of what God gives you to enjoy, so that your heart may be happy and carefree!’ These uplifting words were written by the clergyman Theodorus van Gogh (1822-1885) on 29 April 1876 in a letter to his son Theo (1857-1891) (fig. 1) on the occasion of his 19th birthday.1 Sadly his ardent desire was not to be realised, for on 25 January 1891, at the age of 33, Theo died in the Willem Arntzkliniek in Utrecht where he had been admitted suffering from symptoms of madness in November 1890.2 At the time of his death Theo van Gogh was only well-known among a small group of artists for being Vincent's brother and the enterprising manager of Boussod, Valadon & Cie's (formerly Goupil & Cie), Paris branch at 19, Boulevard Montmartre. It was here that from the 1880s onwards he had dedicated himself to the circulation of the work of popular contemporary artists and artists like Degas, Gauguin, Monet and Pissarro - who were not greatly appreciated at the time.3

Theo's sudden death, less than six months after Vincent's tragic demise, was virtually ignored by the press, but the few lines that were devoted to him invariably highlighted his exceptional merits as an art-dealer. His friend Jan Veth commemorated his early death in De Amsterdammer, referring to him as a ‘courageous young man,’ who ‘[had] worked with selfless and serene perseverance for what to him seemed noble in the art of painting.’4 In the eyes of another friend, the painter-critic J.J. Isaacson, he was even more laudable as he had been ‘one of the boldest champions’ of the Parisian art world, a man, ‘who fought for his artists, suffered alongside them and sacrificed himself for their cause.’5

In the ever expanding literature on Van Gogh, Theo's life and work are, however, almost always viewed solely in the light of Vincent's career.6 Their unrivalled



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fig. 2
Uncle Vincent (‘Cent’) van Gogh, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


correspondence which, due to the loss of the majority of Theo's letters, primarily reflects Vincent's view of events, provides insight into their unique relationship. This was reflected in Theo's unfailing financial and moral support of Vincent in his struggle to make a name for himself as an artist, in their shared interest in the art and literature of the day, and in Theo's various activities as a dealer.

This article will be the first to focus exclusively on Theo's younger years, up to 1880. Based on previously unpublished family correspondence, it will trace the early development of a dealer who was ultimately to play a particularly important role in Parisian artistic life. Theo's career began on 1 January 1873 when his uncle Vincent van Gogh (1820-1888) (fig. 2) mediated in obtaining an appointment for him at a gallery that had previously been in the hands of another uncle, Hendrik Vincent van Gogh (1815-1877). Theo began as the youngest salesman at this Brussels branch of Goupil, situated on the 58, Rue Montagne de la Cour.7 In November of that same year he was transferred to the Hague; eventually, in October 1879, he moved permanently to Paris, where he ran the gallery on the Boulevard Montmartre until his nervous breakdown on 9 October 1890.

‘Glorious Zundert!’

Theo, born on 1 May 1857 in Zundert, spent the greatest part of his youth in this fairly large country community in the province of Brabant. Throughout his life Theo, like Vincent, remembered these carefree days in and around the attractive village parsonage with great fondness. His sister Lies maintained that she and Theo had never again experienced ‘so much pleasure’ as that enjoyed during those ‘pleasant years back in Zundert.’8 The Van Goghs were a close-knit family living in mutual harmony, once described as ‘[a] truly friendly gathering of [...] dear Parents and the dear young ones’ (figs. 3 and 4).9

Theo's parents. Reformed Protestants of the moderate ‘Groninger school,’ gave their children a sound upbringing, emphasising simplicity and charity, a sense of duty and decency, and the acquisition of culture. In their letters to the young Theo his parents constantly reminded him of these honourable middle-class values. This is best illustrated by his father's words when he arrived in Brussels in January 1873: ‘Never lose sight of your goal, namely to become independent and clever and efficient, and always stick to your principles. Happiness is only to be found along the path of propriety and true piousness.’10 Up to this point Theo had not disappointed his parents: for his mother he was, and was to remain, ‘our crown and our honour and our joy.’11

Unlike Vincent, who attended the village school in Zundert, Theo was first educated privately by a governess, Anke Maria Schuil (1850-?), from July 1867 to June 1869, and in all probability by Jeanne Struick as well.12 After the family moved to Helvoirt in 1871 Theo had to brave the elements to walk to school in Oisterwijk every day. He attended the ‘non-subsidised Independent School for more extensive basic education at the Lindeind,’ taking classes in French, German, English and Maths.13 It was not a great success. The poor results, the long distance he had to travel, and probably the fees as well, made Theo's father decide



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fig. 3
Theodorus van Gogh, Theo's father, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


to call an early halt to his school career at the end of 1872, and to subsequently search for a post suitable to his talents. Uncle Cent eventually provided the solution, just as he had done for Vincent in 1869. As a partner in Goupil's, Theo's father's favourite brother - a man of great wealth - was able

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fig. 4
Anna Cornelia Carbentus-van Gogh, Theo's mother, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


to arrange a post in this international firm of art-dealers. And so Theo became the youngest salesman at the Brussels gallery. Vincent, who had been working at another branch for almost four years, was delighted, and sent word to Theo that same month: ‘I am so glad that you are working for the


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fig. 5
Brussels, Rue Montagne de la Cour, photographed by Hugo Maertens (photograph courtesy of Saskia de Bodt)


same firm, too. It is a superb business, the longer you are in it the more ambition you develop. It is perhaps more difficult than other professions at the start, but if you stick to it doggedly you will make a success of it in the end.’14

Brussels

The change from rural Helvoirt to the bustling metropolis of Brussels was a major one. At that time the city was flourishing economically, socially and culturally. The population had grown tempestuously, and by 1873 numbered some 150,000 inhabitants. The city underwent a true metamorphosis when the old architectural structure, with its numerous narrow, dark alleyways, made way for the construction of wide avenues on which majestic public buildings and apartment blocks soon rose. Dealers also profited from these favourable economic conditions. From the early 1860s onwards their number increased steadily in a city which had already harboured a sizeable group of painters since time immemorial. By the time Theo started his new job there were no fewer than 32 galleries. Maison Goupil was situated in the centre of the renowned Brussels dealers' quarter, where major players like Bernheim-Jeune and H. Leroy Fils could also be found (fig. 5).15

The Belgian capital made a great impression on Theo. His parents, who had watched him leave home for good at such a tender age, tried to offer him some guidance in their numerous letters, which were full of good advice and always encouraging: ‘Be brave. You have now taken the first steps which may lead to an independent life, should God give you his blessing.’16 Vincent wrote similar messages, whilst his sister Anna admonished him to follow Vincent's example and advised him to do everything in his power to become a gentleman.17

At first Theo lived in the house of Reverend Van den Brink, with whom he was taking confirmation classes.18 On Sunday he attended church with his housemate Bouwmeester and went for long walks, whilst in the evening hours he followed bookkeeping lessons and tried to master the French language. Both these skills were essential if he were to improve his position in the firm. In order to combat the loneliness of the big city, the 15-year-old joined a youth club, which in his mother's view would not only enable him to

meet people of his own age, but - above all - would act as ‘a safeguard against bad influences.’19 And there was certainly an abundance of bad influences in Brussels: the city was a bustling international trade centre and was widely known to be brimming over with luxury and ‘little pleasures.’20

However, it also had a lot to offer Theo in the field of contemporary art. In addition to his direct contact with pictures at work, he was able to roam around in the Musée Moderne, housed in the Palais Ducal, not to mention visit the exhibitions of the Cercle Artistique, the Société des Artistes, the Société Libre des Beaux-Arts, and the Société Belge des Aquarellistes, all of which enabled him to keep in touch with the latest developments in the field of fine art.21

Considering how young he was and how far away from home, Theo adjusted remarkably quickly.22 He thrived on his work. His parents responded enthusiastically to the steady stream of favourable reports, and constantly encouraged him to continue along the same lines, obeying his manager's orders to the letter: ‘Do your very best to devote yourself to the business and to the interests of Mr Schmidt, so that he will be increasingly convinced that he can rely on you and see that it gives you satisfaction to excel.’23 During this period a lively correspondence developed between Theo and Vincent, in which Vincent asserted himself quite definitely as his younger brother's mentor.24

Working under the guidance of his manager, Mr V. Schmidt, Theo had to carry out the usual tasks performed by a young assistant, such as ‘packing and unpacking’ paintings, ‘covering photos and etchings with tissue paper, helping to box paintings.’25 After having worked hard for a month, he could write to his parents with great pride in February 1873 that he had earned his first wages. His income was a welcome addition to the family's tight budget and his father replied with great pleasure by return of post: ‘How marvellous it is that you are now working towards making yourself a valuable asset and towards independence, I would imagine that it must have been a wonderful feeling to receive your first 30 fr.'s earnings. So you are helping already and now I only need to pay 50 instead of 80 fr. a month.’26

Although still extremely young, Theo rapidly grew into his responsibilities. Around 25 June, the then 16-year-old assistant sold his first work, a momentous occasion on which his father congratulated him: ‘Have another shot at it using the same tactics as you did this week with the Brussels gentlemen, it must feel good to sell something.’27 In the course of 1873 Theo's position in the firm steadily improved. At the beginning of July he was introduced to H.G. Tersteeg (1845-1927) and Ch. Obach, respectively the managers of Goupil's Hague and London branches. From 25 August to 6 September, during Schmidt's absence. Theo was allowed - temporarily - to perform the managerial duties for his branch; this enabled him, among other things, to converse with the Count of Flanders.28

Theo's progress could not fail to be noticed, not least by Mr Schmidt's superiors. Uncle Cent, who would



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The Goupil Gallery in The Hague, 1898, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum


hear ‘not a word spoken against him,’ decided in September, after consulting Theo's parents and Tersteeg, to transfer him in November to the gallery in The Hague. The exact reasons for this move are not known; according to Theo's father, there were ‘many [reasons] that converged.’29 Leaving Brussels caused Theo a great deal of pain, as he had worked there ‘contentedly’ and ‘cheerfully.’30 Schmidt would also have liked to see him stay a little longer, but ultimately agreed to Theo's transfer, which, after all, amounted to a definite promotion. In his letter of reference Schmidt was very complementary about Theo's work: ‘[...] j'ai toute raison d'exprimer ma satisfaction entière, tant sur sa conduite que sur le zèle qu'il a témoigné pendant ce laps de temps.’31 Theo had taken his first real steps towards becoming an art-dealer.

The Hague

On 12 November 1873 Theo began his new job at the Hague gallery, which at the time was located at Plaats 14 (fig. 6). Theo lodged with a family by the name of Roos, who lived at the Lange Beestenmarkt 32, where Vincent had also lived happily for years. He settled in quickly. The ‘largest village’ in the Netherlands was not in the least like Brussels, but during this period The Hague, too, began to emulate a big city style.32 In the early 1870s the city, which already housed the court and government, also developed into an artistic centre. Its rural setting, the presence of a great number of wealthy residents, an art academy, a flourishing artists' association, and a number of important galleries made it an excellent choice for painters like Bernard Blommers, Jozef Israëls, Anton Mauve and Hendrik Willem Mesdag, all of whom settled there permanently. During this era they joined the city's artist population, which had traditionally been quite sizeable, and already included Johannes Bosboom, the brothers Jacob and Willem Maris, and Hendrik Jan Weissenbruch. Together they gave a new, powerful momentum



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fig. 7
Anton Mauve, In the dunes, c. 1878, The Hague, Museum Mesdag


to Dutch genre and landscape painting, soon to be called the Hague School by the critic Van Santen Kolf.

Theo's new place of work, which had opened its doors in The Hague in 1861, played a major role in the circulation of the work of these painters.33 Under the inspiring leadership of H.G. Tersteeg, who became manager in 1868, this branch expanded from the early 1870s onward to become one of the leading galleries in Europe, distributing pictures by the Hague School masters on an international scale. In contrast to the traditional - and less hazardous - commission business, Goupil's adopted the new approach of speculative investment: purchasing the work of a select number of artists for a set price, with the aim of selling it at a large profit some time in the future. The work was subsequently exhibited in a tasteful exhibition space, and was circulated on a large scale among the art-loving public through photographic reproductions. Like no one else, Goupil made successful use of this novel business approach and sales technique.

It was for this rapidly expanding company that Theo went to work. In the 1860s the Hague branch had acted mainly as an intermediary for the work of French Salon painters like Bouguereau and Girardet, but in Theo's period it experienced an explosive growth in the sale of contemporary (Dutch) art.34 At the gallery he could daily peruse paintings by David Artz, Blommers, Bosboom, Israëls, the Maris brothers, Mauve (fig. 7) - whose studio Theo visited regularly - and Philip Sadée, artists who in the 1870s could barely keep up with the demand for their work. Theo was also able to view work produced by the Hague School masters at the triennial Levende Meesters shows, the exhibitions at Pulchri Studio, and at the tasteful presentations organised by the prestigious Hollandsche Teeken-Maatschappij (Dutch Watercolour Society), which were held annually from 1876 in the rooms of the Teeken-Academie on the Princessegracht.35

Theo's career thrived during these years.36 On 14 November 1873 Tersteeg gave him a responsible assignment for a commission in Utrecht which, according to his mother, Tersteeg would never ‘have given to a small-time dealer or someone who didn't already have a good reputation.’37 He also received independent clients in the firms's busy salon and he participated in drawing up the annual inventory. After Goupil's had moved to its new premises at Plaats 20 in November 1875, Theo found that the amount of responsibility Tersteeg delegated to him increased steadily. From 1876 onwards he undertook the annual spring tour to various business relations around the country in order to show the firm's nouveautés. According to Vincent, who was about to leave Goupil's for good, it was a ‘good thing’ that Theo was given this charge. In his view the business tour was a ‘good

exercise,’ which would offer Theo the opportunity to see ‘a great number of beautiful things.’38 His boss, in short, had enough reason to be pleased with Theo, and regularly sent his parents a good ‘progress report.’39

On the road to adulthood

Although Theo's career was developing to everyone's satisfaction, in his personal life he suffered blow upon blow when in 1875 two friends and his first love, Annet Haanebeek, died within six months of one another.40 The sudden demise of his friend and housemate Johannes Weehuizen, with whom Theo had spent many evenings reading from Jules Michelet's L'amour and who died a lonely death on 4 March 1875, moved Theo deeply. In a letter to Vincent dated 7 September, he expressed feelings of guilt: why had he not been able to help his friend in the proper way?41 Similar feeling of inadequacy were to plague him in entirely different circumstances later on.

The death of Annet, only three months later (14 June), threw him even further off balance. Vincent tried to comfort him by sending him a photograph of a painting by Philippe de Champaigne, about which Michelet - whom Vincent adored and Theo was familiar with - had written: ‘Elle m'est restée 30 ans, me revenant sans cesse.’ Vincent did not think that Theo would forget Annet; the memory of her and her death could make him ‘miserable but always happy’.42 However, happiness for Theo was no longer to be found in The Hague. At the beginning of July 1875 he first intimated to Vincent that he wanted to leave the city - which now seemed to have changed into a scene of calamity - and move to Paris or London.43

In this difficult period Theo did not seek so much the comfort of religion as that of poetry, particularly in the work of Friedrich Rückert. But one doubts whether the, in Vincent's view, ‘moving’ and beautiful lines from ‘Aus der Jugendzeit’ and ‘Um Mitternacht’ would have cheered him up. Stanzas like ‘Aus der Jugendzeit, Aus der Jugendzeit / klingt ein Lied mir immerdar; / O wie liegt so weit, o wie liegt so weit, / Was mein einst war,’ and ‘Um Mitternacht / hab' ich gedacht / hinaus in dunkle Schranken / Es hat kein Lichtgedanken / Mir Trost gebracht / Um Mitternacht’ would have been more likely to lead Theo to the painful realisation of the irreversibility of events.44

His father, who had noticed that Theo had become rather despondent as a result of all these dramatic events, took him into his confidence on a number of occasions between July and October 1875. On 8 July he tried to make it clear to Theo that his melancholy mood was potentially damaging, writing: ‘giving in to melancholy is not conducive to the generation of energy.’ In his view young people were to behave in just the opposite way: they should be ‘youthful, happy, and jolly’; he advised Theo not to restrict his social life solely to the Haanebeek family, where, due to the sad circumstances, it was likely that a ‘too melancholy’ atmosphere and the ‘lack of a pleasant’ ambience would dominate.45 After the death of Theo's housemate Kiehl on 22 September, he wrote in a pastoral tone: ‘Dear Theo! You already know, I imagine, the difficulties of life, do not let it make you lose your cheerfulness. There is still much goodness, fight hard for this, and what a fight it is to be good, to be truly good. But there is also help at hand in your fight. And prayer gives strength and support [...] We are old friends!’46

Although they were understandably worried about Theo being so shaken by events, it was primarily Vincent of whom they despaired from late 1875.47 In January 1876, when it had become certain that Vincent would soon leave Goupil's, his parents went so far as to confide their worries to Theo: ‘We feel the need to write to you again, but it is not cheerful news. This business with Vincent continues to worry us terribly. [...] We are bitterly distressed. [...] All of this has caused us a great deal of pain. He has rejected such a lot! What a bitter disappointment for Uncle Cent. What a loss and what a shame.’48 From that moment onwards, all their hopes were placed on Theo and his future. His mother addressed him in April 1877 in the following way: ‘You must and shall be our joy and honour! We cannot do without it!’49 With an even greater tenacity and determination she constantly encouraged him to become independent so that he would ‘later have his own circle in which to live and work.’50 For advice and help he could, as his father had written in March, always rely on him, because ‘you know you have a father, who would also like to be a brother to you.’51

At 18 years of age Theo was thus already been saddled with the heavy burden of fulfilling his parents exaggerated expectations in order to allow them to forget the ‘damage and shame’ of Vincent's unsuccessful stint as an art-dealer. In future he also had to fill the diplomatic role of intermediary between his parents and Vincent, whose relationship was permanently strained by feelings of guilt and disappointment, since the former believed Vincent's career to have taken a disastrous turn.52 Theo hardly had time to get over the events of the summer of 1875; during these years he was forced to become an adult swiftly.

Crossed in love

Theo did indeed need advice in the spring of 1877, but his parents were not the obvious people to turn to in the matter. He had recently met a woman and fallen in love, but unfortunately for him his parents could in no way reconcile themselves to his choice: a woman of lower social standing, who, in addition, had a child to care for. In February he had been forbidden to associate with her. This resolute rejection left Theo ‘sad and so alone.’53 And no matter how much his parents subsequently tried to cheer him up, or his father impress upon him that ‘keeping busy and [reading] good books or history studies’ would make it possible for him to forget her quickly, Theo continued to think about her. In his letters to Vincent he went into ‘the business’ in great detail, but although Vincent sympathised, he ultimately came to the same conclusion as his father. In Vincent's view, Theo was torn between two people and he had to choose between her and his father, to which he immediately added that his father's love was obviously ‘of greater value.’54

In spite of disapproval, and flying in the face of wise empathy and advice, Theo met the woman once again in May. His father then pulled out all the stops, writing to Theo on 21 May in a clearly agitated style that the woman, in view of her background, could never be ‘sincere and honest’: ‘That is why such an attachment is so wretched and abhorrent, because it lacks any moral foundation and is based on material interest, combined with sexual desire. A person, a young person from a good background like yourself, would be throwing away his talents if he were once again tempted to restart a relationship for which he could not expect to receive God's

blessing.’55 He tried to frighten Theo by confronting him with the off-putting example of his uncle Jan Carbentus (1827-1875), who had also opted for a woman of lower rank and in so doing had eventually met with disaster.

The message was clear. After this Theo avoided the woman's company, although for a long time it made him quite unhappy. Once again he blamed himself for what had happened, and wrote that he would like to leave ‘everything’ behind, because: ‘I am the cause of it all and only bring grief to other people, I alone have caused this misery for myself and others.’56 Theo could see only one way out: to leave The Hague as soon as possible. Vincent, with whom he once again discussed the opportunities for a transfer to Paris or London, wrote him the following words, which were later to prove prophetic: ‘There is something greater in the future, my conscience predicts.’57 The future, however, was still a distant prospect. For the time being Theo had simply to remain in The Hague: according to his father, there was no room for him at the other branches of Goupil. He wrote: ‘In your position, I would therefore continue to concentrate on the daily matters, but with ambition and [good spirits] so that people can say: he is a person who is on the alert and pragmatic.’58

Farewell to The Hague

Fortunately Theo was given the opportunity to escape The Hague for a while in October 1877, when Tersteeg sent him on the autumn tour to Goupil's various business relations around the country. His mother felt the trip would offer Theo new perspectives for the future after the events of the previous months: ‘Who knows,’ she wrote ‘on your travels you may just meet the girl meant for you.’59 She was quite obviously mistaken, as it seems unlikely Theo would have been able to think about a new ‘girl’ so soon after his unfortunate affair.

In the winter of 1877-78 Theo slowly but surely returned from the abyss into which he had been precipitated during the summer of 1875. He sent good news to his parents as he had done in the past. His father could thus write to him happily at the end of January: ‘letters like that make one feel better and it makes us happy to be told that you are pleased with your work and that you have a clear view of life.’60 It was obvious, though, that Theo would probably leave The Hague within the foreseeable future. His request to be transferred, made on his part to the ‘Goupil court of appeal’ by his uncle Cent and Tersteeg, was now being followed with interest by the family.61 In March 1878 a piece of good news arrived unexpectedly: the ‘gentlemen from Paris’ had made Theo an offer to go to the French capital for a few months. His parents, despite their worries about Theo's visit to the metropolis, were pleased with this ‘important news,’ and intimated that his stay there could have an ‘important influence’ on his career as a dealer.62

After having once again undertaken the annual spring tour for Tersteeg, Theo left for Paris on 1 May 1878, his 19th birthday. He took a room at 46, Rue de la Tour d'Auvergne, which Vincent considered to be ‘quite a decent neighbourhood,’ reminiscent of the paintings of E. Frère.63 Paris was obviously on quite a different scale from either Brussels or The Hague, and in the summer of 1878 it was particularly overcrowded, mainly with visitors to the Exposition Universelle. According to an anonymous Dutch witness, the city looked ‘cheerful and lively’; he even went so far as to describe it as a ‘sixth continent, where the inhabitants of the other five have gathered together.’64 Theo

was greatly impressed by ‘the chaos of confusion and commotion’ he encountered there. His worried father, who pretended to be a tried and true globe-trotter, advised him to be perpetually on his guard: ‘do not accept every offer of friendship unquestioningly, remember the intrigues that are attributed to that metropolis! [...] watch your step.’65

Theo, who had thought he would be put to work at one of Goupil's galleries, was assigned instead to help with the stand at the Exposition, which opened on the Champs de Mars on 1 May for a period of 6 months. His mother thought he had been given this unique opportunity in order to ‘study [the] representatives from every nation and folk [and] to observe their charms and their defects.’66

Theo did not disappoint his superiors in Paris either.67 His successful stay strengthened him in his resolve to arrange a permanent transfer. His influential uncle Cent, who - according to Father Van Gogh - had ‘fixed part of his hopes on [Theo]’ after Vincent's failed career, was still convinced that the young man should first spend some more time working in The Hague, waiting until a better position became available in Paris.68 After the exhibition closed on 15 November Theo returned to the Netherlands.69

Once back in The Hague, Theo improved his position considerably. He made a favourable financial agreement with Tersteeg whereby from April 1879 he would share in the profits of the gallery, which in those years could easily have risen to quite considerable sums.70

Theo's last year in The Hague was dominated by his forthcoming departure for Paris. Despite the fact that he was so busy (in the spring he once again undertook the customary tour) and despite the renewal of old friendships, he felt out of place in the city. According to his sister Lies, he was imprisoned there like ‘a canary on its perch.’71

His patience was indeed tried to the limit. On 29 May he discussed his future plans with Tersteeg in great detail; the latter, as the spokesman for Goupil and Boussod, was only able to offer him a minor position as an assistant in one of the Parisian branches (fig. 8). Theo was sorely disappointed, but his father saw some advantages in the offer. By taking this ‘most modest post’ - a real ‘starter's position’ - Theo would not ‘incite envy’ among his colleagues and he would also be given every chance to work his way up. On the other hand, the salary could indeed prove to be a problem.72 In consultation with uncle Cent and Tersteeg it was eventually decided that Theo's transfer would be postponed until October.

On 15 August, while awaiting his departure, he visited Vincent in the Borinage, where the later had been living since December 1878. It was to be a memorable meeting. According to Vincent, the hours they spent together had assured him that they were still ‘in the land of the living,’ but it had also become obvious to him that they were slowly growing apart. During their conversation the ambitious Theo, who was about to take a further decisive step in his already so successful career, had, on behalf of his parents and sister Anna, made it painfully clear to Vincent that he must one day take care of himself and cease living off a ‘private income.’73 This resulted in their meeting coming to an abrupt end and a long separation. Vincent found Theo's claim that he was the cause of ‘so much discord, misery and sorrow amongst us and in our house’ unbearable, and thus severed all contact with his brother.74 Ultimately, it was not until July 1880 that the brothers got in touch with one another again.75 By that time, Theo had already



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fig. 8
View of the Goupil Gallery in the Rue Chaptal, 1861, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum


been working in Paris as an assistant at the Boulevard Monmartre gallery for more than eight months.76

Shared interests

Theo's development as a dealer and his interest in (contemporary) art and literature was partly due to Vincent's inspirational role. From 1873 his older brother had regularly encouraged him to send descriptions of works he had seen and to catalogue them, to read certain books and periodicals, and also to visit museums in order to become acquainted with older paintings (fig. 9). In this regard Vincent wrote in January 1873: ‘Above all, you must write to me about what paintings you have seen and what you consider to be good.’77 Or, on 19 November 1873: ‘You must write and tell me some time which painters you like best, both the old and the new [...] You should go to the museum frequently, it is good that you also know old painters and, if it is feasible, read about art and particularly periodicals about art [like] the Gazette des Beaux-Arts etc.’78 Vincent thus stimulated Theo to formulate his judgments on art and literature at a young age. By the end of January 1873, to Vincent's delight, Theo was able to write

favourably about a painting by the Belgian history painter Cluysenaer, a work by Alfred Stevens and one by Rotta, which Vincent knew personally.79

Theo always maintained that his love of, and interest in, art was entirely due to Vincent. On 26 July 1887, in what is presumed to be his first letter to Jo Bonger, who was later to become his wife, he wrote about his brother's role as a cultural mentor: ‘15 years ago now he was in the firm of Goupil, too, and it looked as if he was going to have a promising career with them. When I first started, he took me under his wing, (even though he lived in London and I in The Hague) and I owe my love of art to him.’80 Although Vincent's part in the development of Theo's interests and taste must not be underestimated, Theo's own modesty can also be read between the lines here, for ‘love of art’ cannot be taught, at the very most it can be encouraged. This encouragement from his older brother, who in 1873 had already been working in the art business for a few years and who was well-informed about art, particularly contemporary art, was not wasted. In January 1874 Vincent wrote elatedly: ‘From your letter I can see that art is dear to you, and that is a good thing, my dear fellow.’81

Theo's earliest acquaintance with contemporary art was probably made in Princenhage, where his uncle Cent had taken up residence in March 1871 and where he housed his extensive collection. Here, Theo was in a position to see work by the most important contemporary masters: Corot, Daubigny, Delaroche, Gérôme, Israëls, Von Marcke, Jacob Maris, Meissonier and Schelfhout.82 After joining Goupil's, his knowledge and taste was largely determined by what he saw at work. In addition to paintings, this included drawings, watercolours, and numerous reproductions, which were successfully marketed by Goupil in the form of series entitled Galérie Photographique and Musée Goupil. On Vincent's initiative and with his help, Theo began to collect these straight away. The reproductions enhanced his knowledge, moulded his taste, and eventually formed the foundation of an extensive collection, which the brothers compiled together.83



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fig. 9
Vincent van Gogh, January 1873, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


In the early 1870s Theo's interest was chiefly focused on the work of famous Old Masters such as Hals and Rembrandt, and on the contemporary work sold by Goupil, like that of Jacque, Schreyer, Lambinet and De Cock, who, according to Vincent, was ‘one of the few painters who understood our Brabant intimately.’84 His introduction to Millet's Angelus (fig. 10), which was on view in Brussels in 1873, resulted in a lifelong admiration for the work of this celebrated master, whose painting also had a special significance for Vincent. This can already be seen in the following comment: ‘Yes, that painting of Millet's, L'angélus du soir, that is the real thing - that is rich, that is poetry.’85

In addition to the work of Millet, Theo had a special interest in Barbizon painters like Corot, Daubigny and Rousseau, whose pictures were circulated by Goupil on a grand scale. In this sense, it was only logical that during



illustratie
fig. 10
Jean-François Millet, The angelus, Paris, Musée d'Orsay


his stay in The Hague he developed a fondness for the subdued painting of the Hague School (fig. 11), which he saw daily at the gallery. In contrast to the Salon artists mentioned earlier, on the whole he continued to look upon them favourably even later on. In the paintings of the Hague School masters, and the impressionists and post-impressionists which Theo was later to promote in Paris, there was a personal touch that was missing in the bulk of work by the Salon painters. All the same, as the manager of the gallery on the Boulevard Montmartre, he scarcely sold any work by the Hague School; not only was there relatively little demand for it in France, but also most transactions were executed through the branch on the Place de l'Opéra.

With his definitive departure from The Hague and his move to Paris in November 1879, Theo's young years drew to a close. They had been eventful ones. He had successfully completed his apprenticeship as a dealer, and had steadily risen to a stable position, which had made him financially independent of his parents. In terms of his personal life, however, his stay in The Hague had drawn heavily on his mental reserves. To use Rükert's words, it had made him realise, once and for all, that his youth was over. The dramatic events and his parents' exaggerated expectations had

turned him into a grave melancholy man, who knew his duties. He was, and remained, entirely loyal to his family, but he also felt constantly lonely, as he wrote in his first letter to Jo.86 His leaving for Paris was probably first and foremost a release: he could leave The Hague behind him and could, for the greater part, withdraw from the well meant but stifling attention of his parents.

In the French capital his career prospered. As a result of a reorganisation at Goupil's, he was already appointed manager of the Boulevard Monmartre gallery in January 1881. During the Parisian years his relationship with Vincent improved and deepened, certainly in the time that they lived together (1886-88). His income enabled him to assist his brother financially in his effort to build up a career as a painter. Together, and over a relatively short period of time, they compiled an extensive art collection, which was housed in Theo's apartment. Furthermore, Theo, partly inspired by Vincent, devoted himself to promoting a number of avant-garde artists like Degas, Gauguin, Monet and Pissarro. As he wrote to Jo in July 1887, in those years, art was for a long time ‘the only thing [...] I admired and lived for.’87



illustratie
fig. 11
Jacob Maris, The mill, The Hague, Museum Mesdag



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