Landscape with Cottages and a Mill 1885

Vincent van Gogh created this evocative drawing with pencil on paper to produce "Landscape with Cottages and a Mill." Van Gogh was deeply interested in the lives of rural laborers and the working class. This interest developed from a sense of religious mission to serve others which was instilled by his father. His early work aimed to capture the hardship and dignity of peasant life, a subject very prevalent in 19th-century European art. The cottages and mill might seem like a quaint scene, but consider them in the context of the Industrial Revolution, which was dramatically changing the social and economic structures of rural communities. Van Gogh focuses on a traditional way of life that was beginning to disappear. He draws with a sensitive, close attention to the landscape, which gives it an emotional depth, creating a personal connection to the world around him.