Vincent Van Gogh at Zundert 4

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The country was the gateway to Zundert village.Wild fields of heath, swamps and big forests of beeches formed the “Brabant paradise”.An almost wild region. The beauty of nature and tranquility could be found there.
Your parents were fond of nature. Every day, you would go for a walk for an hour togrther through the fields and the gardens surrounding the village...You would learn the names of flowers, of birds, of plants. You knew where to find nests and the beetles that you went hunting in the brook near your house, and that you pinned in boxes with their Latin names written on them....And then you drew...
These drawings made at nine years old show a searching for true expression...Your characters look worried just like you... Even your dog looks sad...A sickly dog, barking to defend itself;;; You, whose dream is to be a peaceful shepherd...
You lived in the centre of the village, near the stagecoaches stop, on the main road which led from Breda to Anvers.
It used to be very busy in front of your door: horses,carts, stagecoaches,travelers on foot, and probably a lot of noise and dust.
ou lived in a beautiful house on the Market square. One of the biggest houses in the village, in front of the Town Hall...
A seven-room house; you shared your bedroom with Theo, on the first floor.
The house looked behind onto a garden full of flowers which went on by a kitchen garden near the graveyard.
Behind the garden, there were big fields, and a brook where you would hunt beeches for your collection.
You were a solitary child. You were looking for answers in nature. Your relatives were strangers to you, but you were your greatest stranger...