Peasant Lifting Beet 1885

Vincent van Gogh drew "Peasant Lifting Beet" using pencil and ink on paper. The image is an earth-toned sketch, centered on the hunched posture of labor. The worker’s body is thick with the effort of pulling a heavy root vegetable from the soil. Note the economy of Van Gogh’s marks. The worker's worn clothing is suggested through a few deftly placed lines, and the texture of the earth rendered through a series of parallel strokes. Van Gogh was deeply interested in the lives of working people, particularly those engaged in agriculture. He found dignity and even nobility in their labor, and sought to capture that in his art. This drawing is a study of posture, clothing, and tools, the bare minimum necessary for survival. By using his artistic skill to depict the hard work of manual laborers, Van Gogh elevates their status and challenges the traditional hierarchy between fine art and the everyday realities of work, class, and toil.