1885, Vincent van Gogh, The Potato Eaters -- Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam)
From the museum label: A true peasant painting, according to Van Gogh, ought to smell of bacon, smoke, and steaming potatoes, and that is just what The Potato Eaters appears to do. Steam rises from the platter of potatoes, the simple meal shared by the entire family. Van Gogh saw the very essence and primarily also the tragedy - of life in these poor peasants. He wanted to render them in their roughness and gave them coarse features and bony calloused hands. For his colour scheme he chose dark ashen tones that matched the dusty land. He prepared his final composition with many studies. Still, with no less than five figures the picture proved to be a 'formidable fight. In the end, however, Van Gogh was very pleased with the final result. He hoped that his brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris, would exhibit the painting, but he found it much too sombre.
1885, Vincent van Gogh, The Potato Eaters -- Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam)
From the museum label: A true peasant painting, according to Van Gogh, ought to smell of bacon, smoke, and steaming potatoes, and that is just what The Potato Eaters appears to do. Steam rises from the platter of potatoes, the simple meal shared by the entire family. Van Gogh saw the very essence and primarily also the tragedy - of life in these poor peasants. He wanted to render them in their roughness and gave them coarse features and bony calloused hands. For his colour scheme he chose dark ashen tones that matched the dusty land. He prepared his final composition with many studies. Still, with no less than five figures the picture proved to be a 'formidable fight. In the end, however, Van Gogh was very pleased with the final result. He hoped that his brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris, would exhibit the painting, but he found it much too sombre.