Haymaking
Currently on view
Léon-Augustin Lhermitte (1844 - 1925), 1887
oil on canvas, 215.9 cm x 265.8 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (purchased with support from the Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
In this painting, Lhermitte depicted a farmer family taking a break during haymaking. The scene is romanticised; there is no trace of the hard labour the resting workmen have just performed. Additionally, subtle symbolism is incorporated into the painting. It portrays various stages of life: youth, adulthood, and old age. The older man in the front holds a scythe, a traditional reference to the transience of life.
Like Lhermitte, Van Gogh hoped to establish himself as a painter of rural life. According to Van Gogh, the secret to the French artist’s success was that he knew ‘the sturdy, severe workman’s figure – through and through.’
- Object number
- s0424M1991
- Dimensions
- 215.9 cm x 265.8 cm, 252.3 cm x 303.2 cm, 13.5 cm
- artist
- Léon-Augustin Lhermitte
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (purchased with support from the Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
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