Jennifer Morgan
Mrs. Lawrence
Art Appreciation
November 7, 2015
“The Potato Eaters” In Van Gogh’s work of art titled “The Potato Eaters,” it is a small room that is quiet dark, only being lit by a single oil burning lantern hanging from the ceiling. The room has a small square table which five people are sitting around, three of them are females and two of them are males, and they seem to be having a discussion of some sort. Most of them look to be eating potatoes out of a tray in the middle of the table and the woman on the far right of the painting is pouring what seems to be either coffee or tea from a teapot. It looks as if it may be winter time because they all have something on their heads whether it be a cap or a handkerchief and…show more content… The more you look at this artwork the more you wonder what they are up to. They all have different looks on their faces and one seems to be concerned, another looks annoyed while another just looks rather depressed and it really makes you wonder what kind of expression the one that you cannot see looks like is she crying, praying, laughing, or just simply starring off into space thinking about something else? We will never know because you cannot see her face, it really makes me wonder what she is doing because none of the other women are looking at her they are all looking at someone else, there seems to be some tension in the room, none of them look happy they all have serious looks bestowed upon their…show more content… “Chiaroscuro is also used, adding value and depth to the forms within the painting, allowing them to stand out more independently from the background.”
This painting was one of Van Gogh’s first in hopes of making it big, however this one did not make him the famous artist he wanted to be. He picked some not so model type models for this piece, with their clothes tethered and wrinkled, their hands rugged and over worked this piece symbolizes the hard work of these people. It shows us that though we may be different we all have to work for what we want and need in life, it may not come right away, but it will come. This piece tells us so many things that most people do not realize. Just because we aren’t in magazines does not mean that we are any less of a person than the person in the magazine, you have to work and show people what you are worth and show them that you are important, this showed me a lot more than just five people sitting around a table it showed me that they value of life comes in all shapes and sizes, it doesn’t matter who people see you to be, it’s who you see yourself to be and you must prove that for
