Vincent van Gogh, letter to Paul Gauguin, Arles, 17 October 1888, page 3
Thaw Collection, given in honor of Charles E. Pierce, Jr., 2007
what I'm doing, working almost like a sleepwalker.
It's beginning to get cold, especially on the days when the mistral blows.
I've had gas put in the studio, so that we'll have good light in winter.
Perhaps you'll be disillusioned with Arles if you come at a time when the mistral's blowing, but
wait. . . . It's in the long term that the poetry down here soaks in.
You won't find the house as comfortable yet as we'll gradually try to make it. There are so many
expenses, and it can't be done in one go. Anyway, I believe that once here, like me, you'll be seized
with a fury to paint the autumn effects, in between spells of the mistral. And that you will understand
that I've insisted that you come now that there are some very beautiful days. Au revoir, then.
Ever yours,
Vincent
© 2007 Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam