Potato Eaters is van Gogh’s first major and ambitious painting which he painted in 1885. The painting is the dynamic portrayal of a peasant family that has gathered around the dining table. He conceived the idea of painting ‘Potato Eaters’ as his tribute to the hard nature of the lives of peasants. It is in the form of a synthesis of his idea about art and society.

The idea of painting ‘The Potato Eaters‘ struck him when he was living with his parents in Nuenen, a rural town in the Netherlands. This town was home to many farmers, laborers, and weavers and he was studying their way of life from close quarters. Hence, he thought that this formed a perfect subject for capturing the peasant life the same way as some of his other contemporaries also thought.

After a few month-long preparations and strenuous work, Van Gogh completed the painting ‘The Potato Eaters’ in 1985. The painting portrays a family of peasants sitting at their dining table. He made extensive studies of the faces of the peasants during the whole of winter. Among the characters painted in the portrait, the picture of one Gordina de Groot was the main subject of Van Gogh’s study. Van Gogh visited Groot’s cottage repeatedly to capture the family’s lifestyle, behavioral pattern and daily life.

The dark setting and the spiritual and social ambience portrayed in this picture remind one of van Gogh’s favourite Dutch artists, Rembrandt. Theo van Gogh, Van Gogh’s brother and his contemporary painter who lived in Paris believed that this painting would not be well-received in the French Capital. However, Van Gogh had believed firmly in the qualitative aspect of his painting. The artist is said to have reflected once that ‘the figures are painted in colors that matched those of the dusty unpeeled potatoes‘. Since Van Gogh had little experience of painting full-length portraits initiallly, he portrayed the characters as sitting around the dining table.

Van Gogh had hoped that the painting would be successful and he believed that it would launch him into the lucrative art market. However, it failed him miserably in gaining public acceptance. Anthon van Rappard, one of his fellow painters and friend suggested to him in his letter that he could do better. However, Van Gogh continued to hold this painting in high regard. Even during his personal financial crisis, he was planning to make another version of the painting.

The distinguishing features of the characters in his paintings, who are hardworking peasants, were that their faces and hands were big, gnarled, earthy and their faces bony. Their supper was simple, yet it appeared as though they got more pleasure from their meal of potatoes and coffee than a wealthy man got from his rich feast. Despite criticisms from his friends and fellow painters, Van Gogh continued to hold his painting in high regard. He even had plans to work on a second version of the painting during a period of his personal crisis.

However, Van Gogh’s ambitious painting ‘The Potato Eaters’ did not find a place in an exhibition during his lifetime. Further, it even became subject to universal disapproval. Van Rappard, who was a master in group compositions, even made a critical remark saying that the painting lacked technical execution and it was done in a cavalier fashion. Van Gogh replied to the criticism saying that ‘what he was trying to get with it was to be able to draw not a hand but the gesture, not a mathematically correct head but the overall expression.’

The sad episode of ‘The Potato Eaters’ lingered in Van Gogh’s mind long after he moved to France. He ‘perfected’ the painting in a different style with bright colors and loose brushwork. The painting now has become ‘iconic’. Following his mental health in 1989, Van Gogh was admitted to an asylum in the south of France. During this time, he made preparatory sketches for the second version of the painting.

Some of the numerous sketches that Van Gogh made preparatory to the second version of the painting featured in the later exhibitions. But Van Gogh could not carry out his plan for the second version of the ‘Potato Eaters’ painting. Experts opine that ‘though there are technical mistakes in the painting, it was not technical perfection that the artist was after; it was the impression that it conveys about peasant life that is much more important. Thus, finally, Van Gogh’s unwavering claim that ‘Potato Eaters’ was his most famous work stood vindicated.

Potato Peeler

This painting with its fewer colors, dark tones was made in 1885. It was painted in Nuenen. This painting, along with his other peasant studies such as the peasant woman cooking, the cottage (1885), is a precursor to his Potato Eaters. The harsh reality of the life of the working class can be felt in the darker tones of the painting. The potato, called Aardappel that translates to “earth apple”, is a common feature among these paintings by Van Gogh.

A few Van Gogh paintings were stolen from the Kroller-Muller Museum in 1988, one of them was an early version of The Potato Eaters. The paintings were recovered in July, 1989.

The final version of the Potato Eaters was stolen in 1991 from Vicent Van Gogh National Museum among 19 other Van Gogh paintings. The paintings were quickly recovered due to an unforeseen mishap suffered by the thieves in the getaway car.

Van Gogh died in Auvers-Sur-Oise, France in 1890 aged 37. Though it was believed that he shot himself, there are also claims that two boys with a malfunctioning gun, whom he knew, accidentally shot him. There are also those who believe that he confessed to having committed suicide keeping the interest of the boys concerned. However, the officials of the Van Gogh Museum say that it is premature to rule out suicide.

During his lifetime, Van Gogh could sell only one painting, ‘The Red Vineyard‘ for 400 francs in Belgium seven months before his death. The portrait of ‘Dr. Gachet‘ was considered his most expensive painting that sold for $148.6 million in 1990, very long after his death in utter financial disaster.