Village Street, Sketch 1890

Vincent van Gogh rendered this sketch of a village street using graphite on paper. Graphite, in its raw form, is a relatively soft, readily available material, often associated with preliminary studies rather than finished works. Here, the artist’s hand is immediately evident. Van Gogh captures the scene with rapid strokes, building tone and shadow through dense concentrations of graphite. The textures of the buildings and the rough ground are evoked with a directness that speaks to the immediacy of the sketching process. This contrasts sharply with the labor-intensive methods of academic painting. Van Gogh’s choice of such an accessible medium underscores a democratic approach to art-making, one that emphasizes the artist’s vision and skill over the inherent value of the materials themselves. By engaging with everyday scenes and materials, Van Gogh elevates the ordinary, challenging traditional distinctions between high art and the working world.