PORTRAIT OF JOZEF BLOK

Talk about crazy weather.  Yesterday's temperature reached the 60s, and by 10 o'clock at night snowflakes were falling.  Don't know if a measurable amount fell, but our deck is white.  Did Mother Nature get hold of some wacky weed and temporarily lose her common sense?  

Well, the monkey is gone.  She was picked up at about 2:30 yesterday afternoon.  I packed her toys, water and food dishes, food and treats into her pink flowered backpack.  Gave her a few smooches and snuggles and then relinquished custody to her parents.  We feel her absence.....she's not flying from one lap to the other and biting on her squeaky toy begging to play retrieve.  Now we appreciate our two-of-us time.

In November of 1882, in a letter to his brother Theo, Vincent wrote that he had drawn a portrait of Jozef Blok, a street bookseller who was known as "Binnenhof's outdoor librarian."  (Binnenhof, the historic center of Dutch politics.)  Jozef Blok sold books to politicians, writers and artists in The Hague.  He sold books to Vincent and his brother Theo.  Van Gogh called him, "Bookseller Blok."

Blok's portrait was detailed in pencil with watercolor and chalk.  During this time, Vincent rarely used color, as he found it difficult to work with.

Portrait of Jozef Blok, Bookseller - 1882

It appears that Jozef Blok is deep in thought.  From this early portrait, we can see that Vincent's keen eye captured Blok's intense concentration.  One's immediate thought is....what is this man thinking about?  It's more than a portrait...it's a picture of deep human thought.  The portrait invites the viewer's opinion on what that deep thought might be.  Van Gogh has captured a human soul and an alluring human secret.  Take  time to look how he masterfully structured the ear, the eyes, the creases between the eyes, the nose, the lips, the chin, the short hair cut and beard. 

Vincent sometimes traded his paintings for food and art supplies.  In 1883, he paid 21 guilders (the basic monetary unit of the Netherlands until the introduction of the euro, equal to 100 cents) and made 4 portraits of the Jewish bookseller Jozef Blok's parents to get 1870-1880 editions of the British weekly illustrated newspaper.🖌