The Letters of Vincent van Gogh van Gogh had completed his second group of "Sunflower" paintings, amongst his most iconic paintings, two of which decorated Gauguin's room, as well as his famous painting "The Yellow House" depicting the house they shared. The letter is unique in being a joint letter from the two, and can be read in both the original French and an English translation at the website of the Van Gogh Museum's edition of the letters. In it they discuss, amongst other matters, their plans to form an artists' commune, possibly abroad. In reality their relationship was always fraught, and by the end of
Portrait of the Artist's Mother (Van Gogh) stylized of the three" paintings of women picking olives was made for his sister and mother. Van Gogh set out to complete a series of portraits of his family. This portrait was based upon a black-and-white photograph of his mother. In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh wrote, "I am doing a portrait of Mother for myself. I cannot stand the colorless photograph, and I am trying to do one in a harmony of color, as I see her in my memory." Van Gogh's mother appears to be a respectable middle class woman, attentive and proud, against a