挖地的农妇

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), 纽恩南, 1885年7月-9月

纸上粉笔, 55.7 cm x 41.0 cm
Credits: 凡高美术馆，阿姆斯特丹（文森特·凡高基金会）

Van Gogh struggled for a long time to represent figures convincingly: they tended to look too flat. He realised in 1885 that he needed to build them up from large round forms rather than contours. This burly peasant woman is a successful example. The proportions may not be accurate, but this was deliberate: Van Gogh wanted to make the drawing more expressive.

In a letter to his brother Theo, Vincent described his drawings of farm workers as 'the start of a whole series about all kinds of work in the fields'. He hoped that scenes of this kind would establish his reputation as an artist of peasant life.