Musings of the Mad

I just learned today that before Vincent was a full-time artist he was a minister at a coal mine in a job no one wanted but for which he volunteered. He would sketch the coal miners and they nicknamed him Christ of the Coal Mines.

— Dream PhD (@PoisonIceCream1) August 8, 2025

The Evangelical Communities disagreed with Vincent’s bohemian lifestyle (which means what? I do not know) and so they fired him. He volunteered for a job no one wanted and they fired him. Thank you Theo. I say this through tears. If it wasn’t for Theo, we wouldn’t have any of Vincent’s art. None of it. And probably none of his letters to him either. Those were put together by Theo’s wife after his death.

Another thing I want to point out is that I’ve seen many people suggest you can decide to become an artist at any age and pull it off because Vincent started painting at 27-years-old. But clearly Vincent had been making art well before then. I’d wager most of his life. I started scribbling on church bulletins when I was 4. I never stopped. You can’t not do that and just decide at 27 you want to become a full-time artist.