Interior of a Farm with Two Figures 1890

This drawing, Interior of a Farm with Two Figures, was made by Vincent van Gogh sometime in the 1880s. It provides insight into the artist’s relationship with the peasant class in the Netherlands. Van Gogh’s social consciousness led him to create images of working-class people. These were not sentimental depictions, but rather attempts to show the reality of their lives and to give them a sense of dignity. In this drawing, the figures are sitting around a table in a simple interior setting. The scene shows labor, family and domesticity. It's an intimate window into a world that was largely invisible to the urban elite. Art historians can study Van Gogh's letters, sketchbooks, and the cultural context of the Netherlands in the 1880s to understand how his experiences with the social structures of his time may have influenced the creation of this drawing and its cultural meaning.