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The Potato Eaters by van Gogh
An 1885 oil on canvas painting, The Potato Eaters, by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), the Dutch post-impressionist artist. Painted in Neunen, Netherlands. Van Gogh created this work by combining various earlier studies of individuals, hence their rather isolated nature. The artist has given the figures contoured faces and hands – picked out by the light from the single lamp – which remind of the bowl of potatoes they are eating from. The work was not well-received by dealers or fellow artists, but van Gogh thought highly of it, even producing a reworking of it in the last year of his life. He described his purpose in the painting in a letter to his brother Theo:
I have tried to emphasize that those people, eating their potatoes in the lamplight, have dug the earth with those very hands they put in the dish, and so it speaks of manual labour, and how they have honestly earned their food. (LT 370)
(Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)
Bibliography
- Bouruet-Aubertot, Veronique. The Complete Book of Impressionism . Ji Mu Wen Hua, 2020.
- Howard, Michael. Encyclopedia of Impressionism. Thunder Bay Pr, 1997.
- Rubin, James H & Lablanche, Dominique & Manss, Thomas. Impressionism A&I . Phaidon Press, 1999.
- Thomson, Belinda. Impressionism. Thames & Hudson, 2022.
Questions & Answers
How did Impressionism change the art world?
- Impressionism changed the art world because it changed the focus to everyday subjects rather than religious and mythological ones. Impressionist painters also used brighter colours and focussed on capturing momentary scenes of light or human activity.
What is the most famous Impressionist painting?
- Today, probably the most famous impressionist painting is Water Lilies by Claude Monet.
Which Impressionist went blind?
- Claude Monet was an impressionist painter who almost went blind. His sight deteriorated so much he could not distinguish colours or shapes for his work without special glasses and, eventually, an operation.
What changes did post impressionist paintings show?
- Post-Impressionist paintings made changes to impressionism, chiefly adding more symbolism and the more dramatic use of contrasting colours,
License & Copyright
Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.
Original image by Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 16 March 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
