Snow-Covered Field with a Harrow (after Millet)
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, January 1890
oil on canvas,
72.1 cm x 92.0 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
After a long period of psychological crisis, Van Gogh had lost his confidence in himself, as a person and as a painter. For a long time, he felt useless and did not even dare to go outside. To build up his self-confidence again, he started copying prints – a common exercise for beginning painters.
This painting is a copy of a print by Jean-François Millet (1814-1875). Over the years, the colours have changed dramatically. The contrasts were originally much greater. It is now a bluish-green landscape, against which the black birds (crows or rooks) stand out strongly.