Landscape with Plougman by Vincent van Gough
Oil on canvas
September 1889
It has been a while since I shared a seasonal painting with you. I think Autumn is a lovely time to explore art galleries. The weather is a little chilly outside and losing yourself in colour and texture and beautiful images is the perfect way to spend an hour or two. Even better if you can combine it with a visit to a gallery shop and cafe.
Landscape with Ploughman was painted by Vincent Van Gough in the Autumn of 1889. It was a view from his window at the asylum in Saint-Rémy where he had been admitted after a violent epileptic seizure. He wrote to his mother at this time ‘I am ploughing on my canvases as they do in their fields’.
Watching the birds following the plough as the fields are ploughed and seeds are scattered is an autumnal scene I associate with living in the country.When I lived in rural Norfolk seeing fields being ploughed was normal, having now lived in London for 28 years it is something I rarely see.
Although the blues and purples make up a muted colour scheme, the yellows and oranges give it a vibrancy and the position of sun illuminates the scene adding real vibrancy. There is clear movement as the farmer toils the field and methodically makes his way back and forth and the texture is very much that of a ploughed field.
This painting can be viewed at The National Portrait Gallery in London in room 43 as part of the main collection.
Previous Seasonal paintings:
July – Water-Lilies by Claude Monet
November – John Keats by Joseph Severn
