About Van Gogh

Why Vincent van Gogh? Henri Nouwen was deeply moved and inspired by the life and work of van Gogh. Of van Gogh he said, “That was [van Gogh’s] vocation: to touch people by tenderly expressing his solidarity with the human condition - not motivated by anger but by love.” Nouwen wrote and taught a course at Yale Divinity School in 1977 entitled “The Ministry of Vincent van Gogh”.

Look at Rembrandt and van Gogh. They trusted their vocations and did not allow anyone to lead them astray. With true Dutch stubbornness, they followed their vocations from the moment they recognized them. They didn't bend over backward to please their friends or enemies. Both ended their lives in poverty, but both left humanity with gifts that could heal the minds and hearts of many generations of people. Think of these two men and trust that you too have a unique vocation that is worth claiming and living out faithfully. - Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love