contents - Gallatin School of Individualized Study - New York ...

nakeva cookA Letter to van GoghDear Mr. van Gogh,nakeva cook Telling Tales60Wow, I don’t even know where to begin.Let me start by saying that I find your paintings to be beautiful and sad at thesame time. I’m sorry that while you were alive no one saw what I saw the first time Ilooked at one of your paintings. I saw passion, love, hate and sadness all in one.I truly believe that the cruel world to which you were born was notready for you. I think you were definitely before your time. Those people in thenineteenth century weren’t ready for Vincent van Gogh or your paintings.Even though your life may not have been a good one, I think your paintingswere, and are, a gift to this world. I wish that you could have had the chance to seehow much your work has contributed to the art world.I also want to say that I wish you could have had someone in your life otherthan your brother Theo to love you, talk to you, and tell you that your paintingswere beautiful, and that you were special—not troubled or weird. You are one ofGod’s children even though you didn’t receive proper love from your mother andfather. That’s why you turned out the way you did.If I could ask you one question, it would be, “What was the real reason youcut your ear off ?”Your life story, Mr. van Gogh, has affected me in the worst way. I feel yourpain when you were a child, a young man, and an adult. You were never made tofeel special or wanted.For that reason, I am truly, truly sorry that you never knew your trueworth, and that no one said, “I love you, Vincent.”Thanks for the beautiful art,Nakeva CookA native New Yorker, 33-year-old Nakeva Cook says, “Writing has always been an outletfor me. Even as a child, though I could never express myself verbally, writing came verynaturally.” Nakeva Cook studies at Goodwill BEGIN in Brooklyn. Of her teacher, KarenBalliet, she writes, “Ms. Balliet has indeed taught me a lot. She has opened my eyes tonew things.”