The siesta (after Millet)

Painted in January 1890 at the Saint-Rémy asylum, this work is one of Van Gogh's most personal tributes to Jean-François Millet, whose prints he had treasured since his early years in Holland. Van Gogh made a series of free translations after Millet's engravings during his confinement, using them as exercises in colour and expression when he could not go outside. He wrote to Theo that he was interpreting Millet 'as a musician might interpret a composer,' transforming black-and-white prints into blazing chromatic statements. The sleeping harvesters, nestled in a haystack under curving golden light, embody the dignity of labour that both artists revered.

Deep impasto in warm yellows, ochres, and blue-greens fills the canvas with rhythmic energy. Van Gogh's swirling contour lines animate the straw and the sleeping figures alike, creating a cocooning sense of warmth. The compressed perspective and bold outlines reflect his adaptation of Japanese print composition.