Head of a Peasant Woman with Green Shawl

Painted in Nuenen in 1885, this head study — one of many Van Gogh made of local peasant women — shows a woman wearing a green shawl, a detail of rural dress that grounds the image in the everyday life of Brabant. Like his other Nuenen heads, this work was made in preparation for or in parallel with The Potato Eaters, and reflects Van Gogh's determination to represent working people truthfully, without academic gloss. The green shawl adds an unusual color note to his otherwise earth-toned peasant studies, suggesting a more direct observation of this particular sitter.

Dark, blunt brushwork dominates the painting, with the green shawl providing the only distinct color accent against a brown and ochre ground. The face is modeled with direct, unrefined strokes, and the painting's rough, physical surface has the quality of a rapid but committed observation rather than a polished portrait.