Prized Possession (New!)

Twenty years ago I found a copy of "Artist's Bedroom" within a large portfolio of posters, published in 1937.

The damnedest thing, this two foot by one and a half foot spiral book with six Van Gogh pictures, perforated for removal and framing. Some were already removed, and missing, others were still attached.

This one was loose enough. In 1985 I put it on the wall over my bed (I believe I was playing Jeeves in the Zigfield and Frannie Show).

I've kept it all these years, thumb-tacked to the wall where ever I've lived. Every move I've made, it's gained an emotional patina while fading from exposure to smoke and the elements. It was faded to begin with, of course, but I have always loved it and even modeled some of my bedrooms after it.

Well, today I recieved a gift. A slightly different version of the painting (it's his bedroom in an asylum, so apparently he painted it more than once). This is from the woman "who's comb I stole" at the long term residential treatment center where we lived last summer.

It is smaller and beautifully framed behind GLASS, gosh! I mean this is no dorm room poster!! And the color just leaps. This above doesn't do it justice at all (in fact I'm tempted to use Paint to make it look as I see it).

Anyway, I haven't had a new prized possession in years probably. This really means something, and it's special not only because it's from Her (ferlinghetti 'Her') but it's still associated with my life before.

Indescribable. How can I explain this is two sentences? 1937 print of an 1889 masterpiece, bought at a 1980 flea market, now replaced but not actually replaced you see...Enhanced is the word.

Anyway if you are a fellow recovering drunk, you'll understand my reaction, which is, "What is this feeling?"


my 1937 poster


my present today

An interesting story about the paintings is here. There were three versions.