Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who was very influential on 20th century art. He was born in Groot-Zundert ,Netherlands, 1853. In contrast to the impressionists, Van Gogh’s works were known for portraying symbolic content, formal order, and structure. Post-impressionists believed that color should be independent from the composition’s form and structure to portray emotion and to narrate a story. Post-impressionist continued to use vivid color, thick application of paint, and proper geometric form, but distorted all aspects to express effect. Vincent van Gogh and his family were middle class and struggled financially their entire lives. His father was a country minister, and his mother was a devoted artist. Though …show more content…
After a pain inflicted love life, unappreciated art, and unnoticed mental illness, Vincent van Gogh suffered a self-inflicted gun shot to the head at the age of 37. The Potato Eaters was completed in the year of 1855. The work is oil on canvas, and is now showcased in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. The canvas is 32.3 inches by 44.9 inches. The Potato Eaters was considered Van Gogh’s first masterpiece. Van Gogh moved to France with his brother with hopes of influencing impressionists to broaden their techniques. In this work he emphasized on harsh reality by exaggerating it. He used flawed figures and dull colors to emphasize on the dark and harsh lives people endured. His work portrays five peasants sitting around a table eating potatoes they tilled for, and a brew similar to coffee. Closely examining the large platter of plain potatoes, you see the bony and thin stretched out fingers. He emphasizes on the frailness of the hands due to a lack of nutrition and wealth. The table appears to be very simple and decrepit. The house comes off as small, poorly lit, and unfit to bed a family of five. On the left wall there’s a small photograph with the faint view of the crucifixion of Jesus symbolizing their faith during tough times. The painting is