VINCENT VAN GOGH (Zundert 1853-1890 Auvers-Sur-Oise) HEAD of a WOMAN
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VINCENT VAN GOGH (Zundert 1853-1890 Auvers-sur-Oise) HEAD OF A WOMAN Substantive commentary: Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) Head of a Woman, February-March 1885 Oil on canvas on panel 40 x 29.5 cm Het Noordbrabants Museum collection Acquired with support from the BankGiro Lottery, Coen Teulings, John & Patricia Groenewoud, and the JK Art Foundation. 1 Position within Van Gogh’s oeuvre Vincent van Gogh strove to excel at figure painting. This is illustrated by the prominent role played by the human figure in his work, starting from his very first drawings and paintings. After Van Gogh established himself in Nuenen in December 1883, he initially focused on drawing landscapes and portraying weavers working at their looms at home. However, he once again embarked on an in-depth study of human anatomy in October of 1884, after having dedicated himself to a study on the theory of colours in the preceding months. At this point in time, Van Gogh was toying with the idea of taking lessons from the sculptor Theodore Stracké, Head of the Royal School for Applied and Fine Arts in ’s- Hertogenbosch, or at the academy in Antwerp, with a view to improving his ability to draw the human figure. On 25 October 1884, he wrote to his brother Theo: ‘But I’ll be able to benefit more from Antwerp if I first paint another 30 heads here – and I’m starting on those 30 heads now, or rather I’ve already started with a large bust of a shepherd.’ [467]. In the middle of October, his friend and fellow painter Anton van Rappard came to stay with him for two weeks and made several head studies during his visit. It is likely that Van Rappard encouraged Van Gogh to also paint a series. He intended to make 30 but – driven as he was – he ultimately exceeded his goal: a total of 47 head studies were preserved that dated from the end of October 1884 to the end of May 1885. Van Gogh made portraits of various farmers and farm workers from Nuenen and the surrounding area. They were willing to model for him on condition that they were paid, as they were unable to do a great deal of work – if any at all – in the fields during winter. To Van Gogh, his studies were not representations of individuals, but more of certain types. Their weathered faces portrayed the arduous life of a peasant. The farmers, who he saw as being more unrefined and unpolished, were more in touch with nature than ‘civilized’ folk. Van Gogh was particularly interested in peasants with characteristic facial features. The reading of someone’s character based on his or her appearance was a key criterion of the physiognomic theories of the nineteenth century, with which Van Gogh was familiar. Pupils whom he befriended later noted that he chose the ugliest specimens as models’ and that his studio was full of ‘heads of men and women, whose clownish turned-up noses, protruding cheekbones, and large ears were strongly accentuated’.1 Van Gogh was not of the opinion that his representation should be ‘mathematically correct’, but that he was seeking the ‘overall expression. […] Life, in short’ [502]. The countless studies of heads proved an excellent preparation for his figure painting, the progress of which is reflected in his first masterpiece, The Potato Eaters, painted in April and May of 1885. Van Gogh also used these studies to practice his brush technique and to examine the effects that could be created with complimentary colours and subdued hues. 1 Quotes from Van Heugten 1997, pg. 110. 2 Head of a Woman The painting Head of a Woman head was probably part of the series of heads created in the February and March of 1885. The execution of this painting places it closer to the more controlled studies at the beginning of the series than the bolder paintings with their coarser brushwork dating from the next two months. It is around March that Van Gogh also seems to have made greater use of light backgrounds and backlighting effects. Although the identity of the woman – as in most studies of heads – remains unknown, she has been captured by Van Gogh several times. She is also featured on paintings on display in the Cincinnati Art Museum (F135) and the Kröller-Müller Museum (F153), as well as one privately owned work (F153a). For the work in Cincinnati, Van Gogh opted for a dark background, but chose a lighter background for the smaller works that are currently in the Kröller-Müller Museum and in the private collection (F153 and F153a). The latter painting depicts the peasant woman from her other side. As with most studies, Van Gogh painted his model from the side. He concentrated on her striking profile, which gained in eloquence through his choice of a light background. The contours of her face, hair, and her clothing contrast sharply with the bright, greenish-yellow background. Only in a handful of other studies by Van Gogh have a background lighter than the figure, but although facial features are not as clearly distinguishable or subordinate when a backlighting effect is employed in some of these cases, the model’s face is portrayed very clearly here. The combination of a beautifully expressive face and a light, brightly coloured background makes for an attractive whole. It is a relatively colourful work within the series of heads and in Van Gogh’s Brabant oeuvre. The face and neck are set up with subtle brush strokes in various hues, while her clothing is depicted in broader, more impasto brush strokes. Van Gogh painted a black line on the left and right side of the painting. It is likely that he did this to give the portrait a sense of balance and greater depth. Van Gogh held a tremendous fascination for the clothing worn by the rural population; his studies of peasants, peasant women, and farm labourers show them wearing the traditional costume of Oost-Brabant. This woman is probably wearing a blue smock that she would have put on daily. While Van Gogh painted quite a lot of traditional white caps, here he opted for darker headgear. It is likely that the woman is wearing a dark undercap, a common headdress in Brabant at the time; it served to protect the white cap that was placed on it, but was also worn on its own. Women generally wore their short hair parted in the middle and held in place behind the ears. In this painting, you can see the woman’s hair curling up at the back of her neck. Before the museum bought Head of a Woman, it asked experts at the Van Gogh Museum to inspect the work. The painting was examined extensively in Amsterdam, using a UV light, X-ray machine, and microscope. The canvas was also analysed, which revealed that it had come from the same roll as three other works created in Nuenen. 3 Delighted with these positive findings, Het Noordbrabants Museum then started negotiations with the sellers, reaching an agreement in mid-August. Position in the Het Noordbrabants Museum collection The purchase of Head of a Woman makes this the fifth work by Van Gogh owned by Het Noordbrabants Museum. Works previously added to the collection include Peasant Woman Digging, painted in the summer of 1885 (1984), the watercolour The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen, dating from October-November 1885 (2016), Watermill at Kollen painted in May 1884 (2017) and the painting Still life with Bottles and a Cowrie Shell dating from the autumn of 1884 (2018). The addition of Head of a Woman has considerably enhanced the content of the collection. The museum did not have a head study in its possession until now. This painting sheds a great deal of light on a significant phase in the painter’s Brabant period. Given the great campaign Van Gogh undertook and his efforts to capture the characteristics and expression of the rural population, it is a crucial enrichment to the collection. The four other works in the museum’s collection are composed of landscapes and a still life; Peasant Woman Digging shows a woman at work, but taking into consideration the angle at which the figure is portrayed (from the back) and the full view of the landscape, it is of a completely different order. While Van Gogh was practising the representation of volume in the human figure, in Head of a Woman he concentrated on the face and expression of an ordinary woman from the Nuenen area. The painting is not only a significant addition to the works of Van Gogh in the museum’s collection, but also to the entire presentation in this gallery. There is currently one other head study on display in this presentation: the painting Head of a Woman which the museum temporarily has on loan from the Van Gogh Museum. The acquisition of this painting will enable the museum to further support Van Gogh's position as an icon of Brabant. Literature J.B. de la Faille, L'Oeuvre de Vincent van Gogh. Catalogue Raisonné, 1928, no. 133 illus. pl. XXVI; W. Vanbeselaere, De Hollandsche Periode (1880-1885): in het van Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Antwerp 1937, no. 133; J.B. de la Faille, Vincent van Gogh, Paris 1939, no. 160, pg. 136 illus.; J.B. de la Faille, The Complete Works of Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam 1970, no. F133, pg. 87, illus. pg. 86. J. Hulsker, The Complete Van Gogh. Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, Oxford 1977, no. 584, pg.