The Potato Eaters Art Analysis
Vincent Van Gogh's The Potato Eaters is another one of my favorite paintings. Can you guess who my favorite artist is? Van Gogh painted this masterpiece in 1885 while living in Nuenen, Netherlands (Art in Context 2022). He spent this period of his life studying the life of peasants. He wanted to display the realness and seriousness of peasant life. Van Gogh even wrote that he wanted people to "get the idea that these folk, who are eating their potatoes by the light of their lamp, have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish, and so it speaks of MANUAL LABOUR and - that they have thus honestly earned their food" (Art in Context 2022).
Van Gogh wanted the meaning of the painting to speak more than the skilled accuracy and he did this through the visual elements of the piece. He used color to shine the faintest light on an overall purposely dark painting. The light is just bright enough to show the worked hands and facial expressions of the peasants. Rather than using white to depict the light emitted from the lighting fixture, he chose to use dull or yellowed colors to instill a sense of desperation. The painting is done intentionally in earthy colors which emit an organic or real appeal. Van Gogh's use of drab or plain colors also signifies the lowly status or "peasantry" of the subjects depicted in the painting, as more colorful or brilliant colors were typically associated with wealthy people of the period. Tone is used to cast shadows in the painting thus displaying where the light is hitting and how far away the subjects are from the light. It also imparts a sense of serenity while indicating the dismal conditions of the subjects. He carefully crafted his use of color and shading to create an overall tone that has very little variation throughout the painting. This further instills a sense that the people in the painting and their surroundings are one of desperation and destitute. Van Gogh related the texture of his brush strokes to the roughness and sincerity of the subject matter. He worked over the painting in layers similar to how worked over the peasants were.
Personally, I feel a sense of exhaustion when looking at the painting. I think this has to do with how successful Van Gogh was at conveying the life of peasants. I can truly feel the tiredness of the peasants as though they had worked all day and are now ready to settle down for the night. The dark colors also give me a gloomy feeling and the single light makes the scene feel intimate. Although the proportions and scale aren't perfect, The Potato Eaters visual elements prove Van Gogh's skill as an artist.
Sources
Art In Context. “‘The Potato Eaters’ Van Gogh - Analyzing ‘The Potato Eaters’ Painting.” Artincontext.org, 29 May 2022, https://artincontext.org/the-potato-eaters-van-gogh/.
“The Potato Eaters.” Van Gogh Museum, https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0005v1962.
Hi, Allison! This is such an emotional piece. I understand what you mean when you say it leaves you with a sense of exhaustion upon examination. I think there's a familiarity there that makes the people in the painting so relatable. The darkness and light--or lack of light--are portrayed so well in this. I caught myself leaning closer to my screen to get a better look, but that's part of the lighting. I almost feel like I should use a light. You've shown two Van Gogh paintings on your blog. Do you mind letting me know your other favorites? I've always been a Monet fan myself.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, thanks for the comment! While traveling around Europe this summer I had the opportunity to see a lot of Van Gogh's paintings in person. One that stood out to me on my trip was Pietà which is displayed in the Vatican Museum almost right before entering the Sistine Chapel. However, my absolute favorites by Van Gogh are all of his flower paintings.
DeleteHi Alli, I agree that Vincent Van Gogh's artwork is vital in the utilization of color. I have never seen this piece by him before, which is quite shocking with my adoration of Van Gogh! Upon first glance of the painting, before I began to read your analysis, I felt a sense of lost hope with the dim, dreary colors. I feel as though the light source works to represent this indefinite amount of hope that the peasants have as they eat their meals. I would have loved to see the presentation of this artwork, but otherwise a very interesting analysis!
DeleteHi Allison!
ReplyDeleteVan Gogh truly is a phenomenal painter. He is also one of my favorite artists because his distinctive painting style and artwork express many emotions. This particular painting also saddens me, although Van Gogh did a good job portraying the peasants in this artwork. He used dark and gloomy colors that gave a depressing feeling. I can also feel the exhaustion and tiredness of the peasants by looking at this painting. It is an influential artwork that conveys a message about the hard life of the poor. Thank you for sharing!
Hello Allison!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this, I have never seen this painting by Van Gogh before. It's an incredible piece and the color really brings out the mood within the painting. With the painting being dark and gloomy, you can really feel what the peasants were going through during this time. This was a great read, thanks for sharing this art piece.