The Old Tower 1884

Curator: Van Gogh's "The Old Tower," painted in 1884 using oil paint, depicts a somber architectural scene. The application of paint looks quite thick. What strikes you about it? Editor: It definitely has a weighty feel. It almost feels like the painting itself is made from the same material as the tower. I’m also intrigued by the cemetery next to it and the crows, what is it saying about labor, materials, and consumption, beyond the face value? Curator: Good eye. Consider the societal value placed on materials versus labor. The cost of producing that oil paint and canvas versus the human labor involved in farming this land. Or, constructing and then abandoning that tower. It shows us something about priorities, doesn't it? Think of what kind of labor produced the red earth underneath as well: that is where laborers could potentially produce food for consumption and livelihood. How might van Gogh be pointing to issues of rural poverty? Editor: I see your point. Van Gogh wasn’t just representing the tower. He’s contrasting the permanent (but now useless) structure with both the natural, unyielding land and the community cemetery. Is the labor, material and, ultimately, human “consumption” becoming one, rendered through the brushstrokes themselves? Curator: Exactly! And by making the paint itself so present, so physical, he’s making us aware of the very *stuff* of representation and the complex web of resources it embodies, reflecting its culture. Is van Gogh critiquing the state of affairs with his focus on materiality? Editor: He might be. It all certainly adds layers of complexity and critical thought that go beyond the obvious landscape. Curator: Indeed. We started by noticing how weighty it looked, and ended up with something far more weighty on the level of society and representation itself.