Van Gogh:In His Own Words
梵高的告白
The life of Van Gogh is often overshadowed by the incidents that fill it. But look a little deeper, on beneath the sad events, an exceptional character shines out. A person whose days were filled with beauty, passion and love. This is an account of his life in his own words and through his own pictures.
梵高的一生被充斥其中的許多事件遮蔽而變得黯然失色。但是更深入的探究,在悲傷的事件之上,卓越的品格散發出耀眼的光芒。一個生活里充滿了美、熱情和愛的人。這是一段用他自己的語言以及畫作來描繪其一生的闡述。
Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me.
雖然我常常身處于極端的不幸之中,在我心靈中仍有平靜安寧、單純和諧以及音樂。
Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands. He began his career as an art dealer, but later chose to become a missionary. In this capacity, he was sent to a mining village in Belgium. But his compassion for the poor, led him to give away all his possessions, for which the church dismissed him. He stayed on in the village, and decided to become an artist at 27 years old. His abundant enthusiasm helped him learn quickly.
梵高出生于荷蘭。他的事業啟始于藝術掮客,但是之后他選擇當個傳教士。在這職位之時,他被派到一個比利時的礦村。但由于對窮人的同情心,使得他散盡家產,為此教會還開除了他。他留在村子里,并在二十七歲的時候,決定當個藝術家。他豐富的熱情幫助了他快速的學習。
If you hear a voice within you say, "You cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.
如果你聽到內心深處有個聲音在說“你不能畫畫”,就想盡辦法一定要畫,然后那聲音就會消失無蹤。

I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful.
在大自然如此美麗的時刻,我體驗到了一段驚人的清澈時光。
I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.
我陷入迷茫,大自然的畫宛如躍然入夢。
Love many things, for therein lies the true strength.
珍愛很多事物,因為其中存有真實的力量。
And whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much,
而不論是誰,愛越多則表現越好,也可成就更多,
and what is done in love is done well.
況且在愛中完成的事情總是完美的。
I want to paint men and women with that certain eternal touch.
我要畫有著某種永恒感動的男人和女人。
During his life, this was the only painting Van Gogh managed to sell. As an artist, he was extremely poor, with seldom enough money to buy food, let alone paying some brushes.
在他的生命之中,這是梵高設法成功賣出的唯一一幅畫。身為一個藝術家,他極端窮困,只有僅供購買食物的少許金錢,更別提買一些筆刷了。
What am I in the eyes of most people? A nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person, somebody who has no position in society and will never have...
我在大多數人眼中到底是什么?什么都不是,一個怪人,或一個討厭的人,還是某個在社會上沒有地位,也永遠不會有...
Even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart.
即使那絕對是真的,有一天我應該會樂意借由我的作品展示如此的一個怪人,一個無名小卒,在他心里藏著什么?
That is my ambition, based less on resentment than on love in spite of everything.
那是我的抱負,盡管歷盡滄桑,它是基于愛而不是怨恨。
I can't change the fact that my paintings don't sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.
我不能改變我的畫作不賣的事實。但是有一天人們會了解到,他們的價值比起畫作里用到的油彩要高得多。
When Vincent moved to Southern France, his skill further developed, and the paintings he did here are some of his most accomplished. It was during this time that he began to suffer from illness. It will lead to depression, and an inability to paint. But once he recovered, he would return to his art with renewed passion.
當Vincent搬到南法,他的技術更進一步,他在這里完成的畫作,有一些是他最有造詣的作品。也就在這段時間,他開始遭受病魔的侵犯。它導致憂鬱癥,還會無力作畫。但是一旦康復,他會帶著嶄新的熱情回歸他的藝術。
As we advance in life, it becomes more and more difficult.
當我們在人生的進程中,道路會變得越來越崎嶇坎坷。
But in fighting the difficulties, the inmost strength of the heart is developed.
但是在對抗那些困難的過程中,心底最深處的力量因而產生。
I am no friend of present-day Christianity, though its Founder was sublime...
我不是現今基督教的朋友,雖然它的創始者是崇高的...
That God of the clergymen, He is for me as dead as a doornail.
那神職人員的上帝,對我來說他逝去了。
To believe in God for me is to feel that there is a God. Not a dead one or a stuffed one, but a living one.
對我來說信仰上帝就是要感覺到上帝的存在。不是一個逝去的或是一個假冒的,而是一個活生生的。
When I have a terrible need of, dare I say the word, religion, then I go out and paint the stars.
當我很需要,請原諒我用這個字,宗教,那么我出去畫星空。
For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars make me dream.
對我而言,我不確定理解了任何事情,但是星空美景讓我做夢。
There is something inside of me. What can it be?
在我身體里面有某種東西。到底是什么呢?
After another about to illness, Van Gogh took his life. His career as an artist had lasted only 10 years, but he produced an astonishing eight hundred paintings. "When a human being has found their work," he said, "I consider it such a great blessing that no one should ever count me among the unfortunate."
在另一次快要病發之時,梵高結束了他的生命。他身為藝術家的事業生涯僅持續了十年,但是他生產了驚人的八百幅畫作。“當一個人找到他要做的事,”他說到:“我認為它是如此美好的祝福,沒有任何人應該把我歸類為不幸的人。”
I don't care much whether I live a long or short time.
我不在乎我活得長久或是短暫。
The world concerns me only insofar as I feel a certain indebtedness toward it...
只有當我在某些程度上,感受到確切的恩惠,世界才會與我有關。
Because I have walked this earth for 30 years, and out of gratitude, want to leave some souvenir.
因為我已經走過這地球三十年了,而基于感恩之心,想要留下一些紀念品。