I-Self-Portrait ngeNdlebe eboshiweyo (1889). Emva kwengxabano kunye nomculi uPaul Gauguin eArles, uVan Gogh wanqumla inxalenye yendlebe yakhe.(Ifoto: Imidiya yobuGcisa / uPrinta uMqokeleli / imifanekiso kaGetty) Emva kweminyaka engama-130 yokuqagela nokuqikelela, ngoku siyamazi umntu oza kuxhamla kwindlebe kaVincent Van Gogh, awayinqumza ngesitshetshe ngo-1888 kwindawo yoonongogo. Umamkeli yayingumfazi oselula ogama linguGabrielle Berlatier, ekwakubonakala ukuba uVan Gogh wayeqhelene naye, hayi ihenyukazi, njengoko kwakukhe kwacingwa ngaphambili kwezinye iindawo.
Wayeyintombi yomfama owayehlala emantla e-Arles, e-France, kwaye wafumana indlebe xa wayesebenza njengesicakakazi kwindawo yoonongogo apho kwenzeka khona isiganeko sokuchithwa. Iphephandaba ixelwe. Oku mhlawumbi yenye yezona zinto zigcinwe zisemagqabini kwimbali yobugcisa.
Umntu oneminyaka eyi-18 wakhankanywa kwiBernadette Murphy Indlebe kaVan Gogh: Ibali Eliyinyani, ebipapashwe kwiveki ephelileyo nguChatto & Windus. Esebenzisa i-database yabantu abangaphezu kwe-15,000 ababehlala e-Arles kwiminyaka ye-1880 kunye nesimo sengqondo esifana nesomcuphi kuphando, uMurphy wachonga le ntombazana, yaziwa njengoRachel kuphela, owathi uVan Gogh waqinisekisa indlebe yakhe eyayihluliwe ngobusuku bukaDisemba 23, 1888. UMurphy uhlala ethembekile kwisithembiso awayesenzile kwinzala kaGabrielle, ebhala ukuba Ndide ndinikwe imvume lusapho lokuveza ifani yakhe, ndiza kuyihlonipha iminqweno yabo kwaye ndiyigcine iyimfihlo.
Enkosi ngokuluka olwenziwe ngu Iphephandaba iArt , nangona kunjalo, ubunikazi bomfazi ngoku buye kwafunyanwa. Igama lakhe lafunyanwa kwiirekhodi ze-Institut Pasteur eParis, apho wayethunyelwe khona kwityala elibulalayo lomgada. Ingalo yakhe yasekhohlo eyonzakaliswe yinja ngoJanuwari 8, 1888, uBerlatier wayephantsi kwenkqubo etshisayo yokutshabalalisa kunye nentsimbi ebomvu. Emva kwexesha, eParis, wafumana iyeza lokugonya elisandula ukwenziwa elalisindise ubomi bakhe.
Unyango luka-Berlatier lonyango lwalunokuxabisa isixa esikhulu semali, i Iphephandaba iingxelo zengxelo-isixa esikhulu kakhulu kwintombi yomfama, oko kunokuthetha ukuba kufuneka athathe umsebenzi naphina apho kunokwenzeka. Oku kuhamba ngendlela yokuba achaze ukuba kutheni esebenza kwindlu yoonongogo e-1 Rue du Bout d'Arles, njengesicakakazi, indawo apho uVan Gogh wafunyanwa enendlebe ethile.
Kutheni le nto angayinika intombazana eneminyaka elishumi elinesibhozo, esele inesabelo esifanelekileyo sokubandezeleka kunye nomothuko?
Kukho olunye ulwazi olukhomba ku-Berlatier ekusenokwenzeka ukuba usebenze njengendawo yokucoca kwi-Café de la Gare, eyezihlobo zika-Van Gogh uJoseph no-Marie Ginoux. Igcisa lalinegumbi kwaye lahlala apho phantse isiqingatha sonyaka ngo-1888. Inyaniso yokuba uVan Gogh noBerlatier badibana bodwa ngezihlandlo ezininzi kubonisa ukuba mhlawumbi uBerlatier wayengaphezulu kokwazi nje igcisa, iphepha utshilo, nangona uhlobo lobudlelwane babo lungacaci.
Ukutyhala kudlule ubuninzi bemibuzo ngaphezulu nje ngoba UVan Gogh wamnqumla indlebe kwasekuqaleni, siyazibuza ukuba kutheni angamnika intombazana eneminyaka elishumi elinesibhozo, esele inesabelo esifanelekileyo sokubandezeleka kunye nokwenzakala? Ngoku siyamazi umntu, sinokufumana okungakumbi malunga nexesha elizayo ngesiganeko, i Iphephandaba Umbhali, isifundiswa sikaVan Gogh, uyacacisa.
Ekugqibeleni, uBerlatier waphila ubomi obude-kwaye wayigcina le mfihlakalo ikhathazayo, eyandisa ubumnandi obujikeleze imfihlakalo.
