For lovers of early modern European art, Vincent van Gogh’s painting is most appealing. This more so because the artist has led a tragic life that becomes almost legendary. Ironically, we find the popular and yet superficial emphasis on the artist’s life seems to debase his achievement instead of appreciate it. The present study propose to emphasize more on the artist’s seriousness in his artistic effort through the study of his numerous letters with contemporary people. The result shows that indeed the artist had a very deep understanding of color and had an amazing ability of self-observation that deserves our respect.