
These prints were only made available in the West in the mid-19 th century. While in Paris, Van Gogh was exposed to a myriad of artistic styles, including the Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Oil on canvas - The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam However, this work not only demonstrates Van Gogh's commitment to rendering emotionally and spiritually laden scenes in his art, but also established ideas that Van Gogh followed throughout his career. It is not surprising that Van Gogh's brother, Theo, found it impossible to sell paintings from this period in his brother's career. At the time this work was painted, the Impressionists had dominated the Parisian avant-garde for over a decade with their light palettes. Despite the evocative nature of the scene, the painting was not considered successful until after Van Gogh's death. This effect is heightened by his use of loose brushstrokes to describe the faces and hands of the peasants as they huddle around the singular, small lantern, eating their meager meal of potatoes.
ABSTRACT ART BY VINCENT VAN GOGH MANUAL
Rendering the scene in a dull palette, he echoed the drab living conditions of the peasants and used ugly models to further iterate the effects manual labor had upon these workers. Painted while living among the peasants and laborers in Nuenen in the Netherlands, Van Gogh strove to depict the people and their lives truthfully. This early canvas is considered Van Gogh's first masterpiece. These methods and practice came to define many subsequent modern movements from Fauvism to Abstract Expressionism. Van Gogh used an impulsive, gestural application of paint and symbolic colors to express subjective emotions.His self-destructive talent was echoed in the lives of many artists in the 20 th century. Van Gogh's unstable personal temperament became synonymous with the romantic image of the tortured artist.Although the source of much upset during his life, Van Gogh's mental instability provided the frenzied source for the emotional renderings of his surroundings and imbued each image with a deeper psychological reflection and resonance.Van Gogh's dedication to articulating the inner spirituality of man and nature led to a fusion of style and content that resulted in dramatic, imaginative, rhythmic, and emotional canvases that convey far more than the mere appearance of the subject.This radically idiosyncratic, emotionally evocative style has continued to affect artists and movements throughout the 20 th century and up to the present day, guaranteeing Van Gogh's importance far into the future. Each painting provides a direct sense of how the artist viewed each scene, interpreted through his eyes, mind, and heart. His canvases with densely laden, visible brushstrokes rendered in a bright, opulent palette emphasize Van Gogh's personal expression brought to life in paint. Although he sold only one painting during his lifetime, Van Gogh is now one of the most popular artists of all time. The iconic tortured artist, Vincent Van Gogh strove to convey his emotional and spiritual state in each of his artworks.
