The Potato Eaters, 1885
Van Gogh worked obsessively on this painting to prove to the world that he had mastered figuration – and it's no coincidence that the image's colours evoke a muddy potato.
Duration: 1 min 52s
Van Gogh spent months painting dozens of portraits in preparation for this work, which is the only group portrait he ever made. He wanted to prove to the world that he was on his way to becoming a great figure painter, while also demonstrating his skilled handling of light and darkness. The composition consists of earthy tones, which Van Gogh described as “something like the colour of a really dusty potato, unpeeled of course.”
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