Harvest 1925

Constant Permeke made this painting, called ‘Harvest’, sometime in his career, with what looks like oil on canvas. It’s got this great earthy palette, all browns and ochres, which gives it a real sense of weight and substance. The way he's handled the paint, it's not about being neat or precise. It’s like he’s wrestling with the material. Look at those thick, almost sculptural strokes in the haystacks at the front. You can practically feel the weight and texture of the straw. And then, notice how the figures in the background are kind of swallowed up by the landscape. It's like he's saying something about our relationship to the land, and how we’re just one small part of a bigger picture. There's a touch of Van Gogh in the way Permeke uses those heavy strokes to build up the image. Ultimately, this piece feels honest and raw. There is something about the painting that tells the truth about the beauty, and the effort, of harvesting.