Illustration
An 1889 oil on canvas painting, Wheatfield with a Reaper, by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), the Dutch post-impressionist artist. Painted in September in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in southern France, plein air, and part of a series of the same scenes but with variations in colour. The method of the impressionists of painting in the open air as opposed to in the studio was sometimes a challenge, especially when the mistral blew, as Vincent here notes in a letter to his fellow artist Émile Bernard (1868-1941):
My easel was fixed in the ground with iron pegs, a method I recommend to you. You push the legs of the easel deep into the ground, then drive iron pegs fifty centimetres long into the ground beside them. You tie the whole lot together with rope. This way you can work in the wind. (LB 7F)
(Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)
Cite This Work
APA Style
Amsterdam, V. G. M. (2022, March 18). Wheatfield with a Reaper by van Gogh. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15487/wheatfield-with-a-reaper-by-van-gogh/
Chicago Style
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum,. "Wheatfield with a Reaper by van Gogh." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 18, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15487/wheatfield-with-a-reaper-by-van-gogh/.
MLA Style
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum,. "Wheatfield with a Reaper by van Gogh." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 18 Mar 2022. Web. 22 Feb 2025.