Comparing Vincent Van Gogh And Jean-François Millet's Two Man

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From 1887 to 1890, the post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh admitted himself into Saint-Paul asylum after fearing another breakdown, hoping to be “reinvigorated artistically” (Daubigny’s Voetsporen, 2016). During this period of time, he painted more than thirty versions of works by some of his favourite artists. The works of Jean-François Millet inspired precisely twenty-one of the paintings in this series. Van Gogh’s aim to reinterpret these pieces was via translation and interpretation of the subjects, composition, perspective, colour and technique. Through the difference between the application of each of these methods, Van Gogh and Millet’s art works appear to be similar, but when examined contextually, the two versions of the landscape also differ in the meaning. It is the fact that Van Gogh, although he may be paying homage to Millet, is actually not replicating but rather re-interpreting the works here. He is adding his personality angst, and understandings of the world with imagery that is appropriated, …show more content…

Both titles aim to foreshadow what is prominent in the picture, for Van Gough has obviously interpreted the Two Men Turning over the Soil as depicting not only peasants, as opposed to the average man, but also refers to the activity as digging, which has a much more negative connotation, illustrating slave like labour. Which, as opposed to "turning over soil" makes the activity seem more methodical activity. The men in Millet’s work have a darker skin tone than those featured in Van Gogh’s, so it is possible to conclude that Millet was trying to convey a message in regards to racism or slave like labour. This meaning however, has been lost in Van Gogh’s translation. Despite the original meaning of the painting, Van Gogh is seen to have displayed his own view clearly, differing from