Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it

Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it

Vincent van Gogh, the renowned Dutch painter, is often remembered for his vibrant and emotive works of art. However, what many people may not realize is that van Gogh was also a lover of poetry. He once said, “Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it.” This sentiment speaks to the difficulty of capturing the beauty and essence of poetry in a tangible form, much like the challenge of translating the beauty of the world onto a canvas.

Van Gogh’s own struggles with mental health and his deep connection to nature and the world around him are evident in his paintings. His use of bold colors and expressive brushstrokes convey a sense of emotion and movement that is reminiscent of the lyrical quality of poetry. In many ways, van Gogh’s paintings can be seen as visual poems, capturing the essence of a moment or a feeling in a way that words alone cannot.

Van Gogh’s love of poetry is evident in his letters to his brother Theo, in which he often quotes or references poets such as Shakespeare, Byron, and Keats. He saw poetry as a way to express the ineffable beauty of the world, to capture the fleeting moments of joy and sorrow that make up the human experience. In this sense, van Gogh’s paintings can be seen as a form of visual poetry, a way of translating the beauty and complexity of the world into a language that is universal and timeless.