Head of a Peasant Woman with Greenish Lace Cap 1885

Vincent van Gogh painted this oil on canvas, "Head of a Peasant Woman with Greenish Lace Cap," at an unknown date. It's tempting to see this painting simply as a study of an individual, but let's consider its place in the broader context of 19th-century European art. Van Gogh, though known for his later expressionistic style, was initially interested in social realism. This portrait echoes the then-popular trend of depicting rural life, but it avoids idealization. Instead, we see a raw, unvarnished portrayal of a working-class woman, her face etched with the hardships of rural life. In the Netherlands, at this time, the art world was beginning to grapple with representing the lives of ordinary people and the question of how art could serve a social purpose. Through studying the letters that he exchanged with his brother Theo, we can understand how Van Gogh was challenging the art institutions of his time, pushing for a more honest and compassionate representation of the human condition.