Portrait of a Prostitute

Van Gogh's portraits of women during his Hague period (1882–1883) were closely tied to his relationship with the former prostitute Clasina Maria Hoornik, known as Sien, with whom he lived and whose social circle he depicted. He saw these women not as moral subjects but as human beings ground down by poverty, and he wrote passionate defences of his decision to paint them. This direct, unflinching portrait strips away sentimentality, presenting the sitter with the same gravity he brought to peasant labourers. The work belongs to a series in which Van Gogh consciously positioned himself against the polite academic tradition of female portraiture.

Worked in dark, chalky tones with spare highlights on the face. The figure is close to the picture plane with minimal background elaboration. Brushwork is careful and deliberate, reflecting Van Gogh's still-developing technique in his early Hague years.