Jan Mankes

".. a crow, a quick, tame animal with immaculate feathering walks around here at home; I hope to be able to benefit a lot of it, because I love crows so much. The surroundings here [of ] are very different than around Delft; more forest, sometimes even heath, often overgrown with beautiful, white birch trees. I have not yet come to work outside however, because, when I think of my crow I walk home again, but may be it change, who knows. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"..drivers, docker and skippers.. ..at the canal the whole day they are loading peat and every horse stands still for half an hour [his time for sketching]. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"Besides, the entire impressionism usually presented merely the things from the outside. And sometimes they did it so perfectly that a seventeen[the] century painting looks clumsy, as far as seeing is concerned."

"However, I gradually start to appreciate the Japanese print art [in wood prints] as a whole less than a small year ago. We can discuss it later, sometimes. For the time being I can say that the external elegance and skills are often not supported by a deep inner empathy with the depicted things. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"..the distressing aspect of [[w:Vincent van Gogh|Vincent [van Gogh],]] who often presents things so tightly and so painfully, you can not find in my work (character), and I dont search for it. The spiritual aspect is the essence in Vincents work, and the pictorial is subordinate to that.. .Now I feel myself most comfortable (unfortunately or happily) with an extreme refinement of colors and form; it always (although I sometimes want it differently) ends with that: to give [present] what I feel as my greatest happiness. Now it might be possible that this will remain the highest goal for me, not so bad; every little bird sings its own song.. .Following Vincent and being no Vincent in the mind (may be this is desirable for nobody) would be absurd and criminal."

"They say that he [ Floris Verster ] has made beautiful impressionist things in the past, afterwards he suddenly has achieved a tender drawing; in this time for example he painted dead rooks, so intimately pure and at the same time monumental, that it seemed to me the best what was made here [in the Netherlands] about that time. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"..[that] the landscape will become directly or indirectly an object of study for me.. (a month later:) ..So I have planned the project – already my intention for some years, as you know - I (almost) finished the painting of Woudsterweg.. .There you have it already.. .a landscape, Amice. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"For example, in recent times I was looking to avoid in my works the greasy parts, which in the dark places [of the painting] are obstructing the material expression so heavily to appear. Rubbing with pumice and (the use of a lot of) oil I dispensed and then, look... like in my older works all details seem to appear much better, like in all the feathers of the crow; The job now has become much bigger, but no problem. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"My surprise and thanks are great.. ..and what a package. What attracts me most of all, yes, really gives me great joy [is] that little book [Wild birds at home, by photographer Charles Kirk, London. 1906] with birds, really something to look forward to. There are pictures in [of birds] which arouse more wonderful thoughts than all real art. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"While holding a keen eye on all the yelling at the markets, lets prefer to stay away from many of those things that attract at times other painters - if necessary, unknown - to be able to continue the work quietly at times. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"the nearness of the forest and the wideness of the fields.. ..long-lasting marches.. .Behind and next to the house a large old garden with a chicken coop, a ditch for the geese and a barn for the goats, because father would become a farmer. This presented Jan the most precious objects to paint. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"

"It [an owl] is like coming from a fairy-tale, something royal fragile, something that you would never want to touch, Yes to me it has become fully absolute because of that silver breast. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)"