Van Gogh, Vincent (1853-1890)
Head of a Peasant Woman
1884
Oil on canvas, 43.8 x 34.6 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
Vincent van Gogh always felt deep sympathy for the peasant classes and here tenderly depicted the full, sunburnt features of a young Dutch peasant woman. Her cap, in subtle shades of white and blue, is pulled around her head, while her eyes are enlivened by white highlights. Van Gogh’s muted tones are very different from his later use of bright color that followed his arrival in France in 1886. (SLAM)