Sheaves of Wheat 1890

Van Gogh created 'Sheaves of Wheat' with oil paint, applied with visible brushstrokes. These are not the refined strokes of academic painting, but raw, impassioned marks, as visceral as the labour of the harvesters themselves. Look at the texture. The thick application of paint gives the sheaves a sculptural quality. The material of the paint itself echoes the roughness and density of the wheat. Van Gogh’s distinctive style captures the heavy, sun-drenched fields, reflecting the physical exertion involved in agriculture. He engages with a long tradition of agrarian painting but does so with a modern sensibility, emphasizing the materiality of the medium. The painting process mirrors the harvesting process; both involve a hands-on engagement with the material world. Here, Van Gogh elevates a common subject to the realm of fine art, blurring the lines between high art and the everyday. It is through attention to material and process that we can fully appreciate the painting’s significance.