Etten, Netherlands April-December 1881

Vincent moved here to live with his parents again, spent most of his time making figure studies on paper that Theo supplied. In August, his newly-widowed cousin Kee (Kay) Vos came for a visit, and he became smitten and summarily rebuffed in a very final manner. Whether it was because she genuinely was disinterested in him or because of the severe social taboo of becoming romantically involved with one’s cousin is not known, but her response to his interest was swift and certain: “No, never, not ever.” Yet again, he refused to take “no” for an answer, further straining his relationship with his immediate family and damaging his reputation with other relatives and others in the community. His intention was to “keep in good heart and not give up”, thinking that persistence was the key to winning her heart. This approach only alienated Kee and widened the rift between him and his parents, who opposed his actions strongly and vocally.
In the first documented case of his dramatic acting out, he held his hand over a burning lamp and asked to be allowed to see her “for as long as I can stand to have my hand over this fire”.
He chose to believe that his parents and her family were keeping them apart, not her choice. Already disenchanted with the ministry, he was further resentful toward religion because the heads of the two families were both clergymen, and their opposition to his pursuit of his beloved Kee caused him to develop a jaundiced view of religion in general. Again, his devotion to art continued to grow in direct proportion to the dissipation of his own faith and interest in religion.


Barn with Moss-Grown Roof (drawing) April-May 1881