Head of a Man, 1885. Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust.
". . . The color [the peasants] are painted now is something like the color of a really dusty potato, unpeeled of course." – Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo, on or about May 2, 1885
Van Gogh employed all of his senses when painting. This study is one of at least forty he made of peasants while living with his parents in the Netherlands. It was important to him that these figures conveyed the harsh reality of country life, so he painted them with the colors of the soil.
Van Gogh was still learning about color theory, and he began to place contrasting colors near one another: a green coat near red lips, an orange face near blue strokes of a cap. He mixed pure colors on his palette before applying them to the canvas, making them appear muddy and earthy.
