Letter 03/14/1882 - by Vincent van Gogh

I am decidedly no landscape painter. When I make landscapes there will always be something figurative in them.

And when summer comes and the cold is no longer a problem, I will in some way or another inevitably have to make some nude studies. Not exactly in academic poses. But I would so very much like to have a nude model, for instance for a digger or seamstress. Seen from the front, from behind, from the side. So that I can learn to see and sense the shapes through their clothes, to make the action clear to me. I figure that about twelve studies, six men, six women, would be very illuminating for me. Each study is a day's work. However, the difficulty lies very much in finding models for this purpose, and if I can, I would want to avoid having a nude model at the studio, so as not to frighten off other models.