Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1890. Early in the year, Vincent had written to his brother Theo, "Let me go quietly on with my work; if it is that of a madman, well, so much the worse, I can't help it." Vincent van Gogh only painted when his condition was stable, and he was well aware that his seizures could return at any time, but he resolved to continue his pursuit of consolation through his art. Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) reflects not just van Gogh's condition, but his sense that all humanity lived with uncertainty.