“亲爱的提奥－梵高书信集”读后感

读高中时，我在一天之内像读悬念小说一样读完了欧文·斯通的“渴望生活”，但却花了很长的时间读完“亲爱的提奥　－梵高书信集”。记得我每次翻了一页都听见自己说：慢下来，不要着急，慢慢消化每一个字，每一句话。似乎，我越早读完此书，就会越早地失去和梵高同在的喜悦。 

梵高以他的画猛击这个世界，他以他的语言深深打动我的内心。如果我们承认语言是思想的媒介，梵高应该当之无愧地是一个伟大的思想家。通过他的语言，我看到的是一个沉思的灵魂，一个和自然生生相息的灵魂　－　树木，山，天空，以及每一寸农田。 

如果梵高把他的热情注入在他的所有艺术作品中，他的思想便记录他的这些书信中。在他的画上我们看到的是狂热的色彩，但在他的书信中我们却会看到一个清醒的头脑。梵高没有疯，像许多他的同时代人相信的那样，他只不过是一个比较“特殊”的人，有着一份这个世界不能给以他的一些非常简单的需要。换句话说，疯了的，是这个世界，而不是梵高。然而，凡高却给这个世界创造了一笔巨大的精神财富。世界给他的是悲伤，他还回给世界的，却是阳光的灿烂与灼热。 

读这本书已经是25多年的事了。“亲爱的提奥”是我最珍贵的收藏之一，它更塑造了我对艺术和生活的看法：一个艺术家在“伟大”之前，首先要真实。我认为，梵高可能不是历史上最有才华的艺术家，但他却是第一个真实地描绘自己的艺术家，他的作品没有任何“装饰” - 如技巧，概念等等。也就是说，凡高在他的画中是完全赤裸的一个人。 
我相信，如果这个世上的人都想凡高一样的真实，这个世界会变得美好一些。

I finished reading Irvine Stone'sLust for Life within one day like finishing a page turner, but I finished reading Dear Theo - letters of Van Gogh after a long time reading - each time I turned the page, I heard myself saying: slow down, take time, and digest every word slowly, as if the sooner I finished reading, the quicker the joy of being with him would vanish.

Van Gogh struck the world with his paintings, he also touched my heart with his words. If we take language as a vehicle of thoughts, Van Gogh deserved to be remembered as a great thinker. Through his words, I saw a man with deep contemplation, a soul that had a close connection with nature by every visible detail: trees, mountains, sky, and every inch of crop field.

If Van Gogh instilled his passion in all his art works, he recorded his thoughts in his words. We see frenzy colors in his paintings, but we will meet a lucid mind in his writings. He was not crazy, like many his contemporaries believed, he was just a special being with some simple needs that the world failed to give. In other words, the world was/is sick, not Van Gogh. Yet he offered to the world a tremendous amount of treasure. The world gave him grief, but he returned with the brilliance of Sunshine.

It has been over 25 years when I read this book. Dear Theo was one of my precious collection, and it shaped my view on art and life: an artist has to be true to him/herself before to be "great". By my opinion, Van Gogh may not be the most talented artist in history, but he was the first one who depicted himself without any "decoration" - such as techniques or concepts. He was completely naked in his works.

And I believe, the world would be different if we all naked like he was.