Two Hours in a Cafe in Arles

Two Hours in a Cafe in Arles

by | Jul 18, 2026 | Journal

Arles, November 1888I was introduced to Vincent van Gogh this evening by a mutual acquaintance from Paris. We sat in a cafe near the Place du Forum for two hours. He talked about color and light with a precision that was almost scientific and a passion that was...
The Speed at Which He Worked

The Speed at Which He Worked

by | Jul 15, 2026 | Journal

Vienna, autumn 1783I met Wolfgang Mozart through a salon on the Herrengasse last week. He is twenty-seven years old and composing at a rate that suggests he is working against a deadline he has not been told about but can feel. I recognized this quality immediately. I...
The City Mourned an Artist

The City Mourned an Artist

by | Jun 13, 2026 | Journal

Rome, April 7, 1520Raphael Sanzio died yesterday. Thirty-seven years old, on his birthday, of a fever. Rome has gone into a mourning I have not seen extended to an artist before and do not expect to see again in my lifetime, which is a more complicated statement than...