Portrait of an Old Man

Painted in Nuenen in 1885, this portrait of an elderly man belongs to the extended series of peasant and rural studies Van Gogh made in the Dutch province of North Brabant before his departure for Antwerp. He was driven by a conviction that the laborers and common people of the countryside deserved serious artistic attention equal to that given to bourgeois and aristocratic sitters in traditional portraiture. Old age interested him particularly — he was drawn to worn faces, to skin that bore the marks of long physical labor and outdoor exposure. This work predates his mature Post-Impressionist style but shows the powerful directness he maintained throughout his career.

Dark, earthy tones dominate — characteristic of his Nuenen period. The face is modeled with thick, loaded brushstrokes that build up a tactile surface. The darkness of the background serves to concentrate attention entirely on the subject's features.