Still Life with Apples, Meat and a Roll 1886

Vincent van Gogh made this still life painting with oil on canvas, featuring apples, meat, and a roll. Van Gogh, painting in France in the late 1800s, challenges the traditional genre of still life. Instead of luxurious objects that demonstrate wealth, he painted everyday food, which emphasizes the humble aspects of working-class life. You can see his signature impasto technique, the thick application of paint, which adds texture and vibrancy to the ordinary objects. The dark background and stark lighting create a sense of isolation, maybe reflecting Van Gogh's own struggles and empathy for the working class. This composition breaks from academic norms by highlighting the simplicity and stark realities of daily existence. To understand Van Gogh's vision more fully, we can look at letters, and the art criticism of the period, to appreciate how his work both reflected and challenged the social norms of his time.