Humanities Report 1 - Van Gogh

Report #1: Museum Experience

For my report, I chose to take a virtual tour of the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, which is hosted online through the National Gallery of Art. The painting that I chose to analyze is Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters (1885).

My first impression of this painting is that it is saddening to look at; it is very dark and dreary and it seems to tug at your spirit. It is a painting of what appears to be peasants eating potatoes at a rustic old dinner table under the light of an old lantern. This leads me to imagine that this must be what poor people lived like during the time that this painting was created. I also noticed that, despite being depicted as very poor people who can only afford to eat the food that they grow, they do not seem to be as sad as one would think; they appear content with their situation and happy amongst themselves. I imagine that, despite being poor, these people probably led simple, honest lives and were simply reaping the product of an honest day’s work.

Immediately upon looking at the painting, I feel that Van Gogh’s use of line in this painting draws my eyes first towards the lantern, then towards the people and the expressions on their faces, and then on towards the shack itself in the background.

Van Gogh’s use of oil on canvas is world-renowned, and this painting is no exception. I think the use of oil on canvas gives this painting an earthly, weathered look; a look that resembles the people portrayed in this painting. The color palate used seems basic: dark colors contrasting with green hues, combined with an earthy, tan-colored background. Their faces are illuminated by the light of the old lantern, and the people’s clothes seem dull and worn. It is exactly what would be expected of a poor person’s residence under the implied circumstances.

As for repetition, I notice a lot of squares and circles being used in this painting, as one would expect of a painting depicting an...