Still life with a basket of apples and two pumpkins 1885

Vincent van Gogh made this still life with oil on canvas at some point in his short lifetime. His art emerged during a time of significant social and economic change, as industrialization transformed European societies and prompted artists to explore new ways of representing the world. Still lifes, traditionally associated with themes of mortality and transience, also reflect an exploration of personal identity. Van Gogh was deeply interested in the lives of ordinary people. He found beauty in simple, everyday objects and was interested in art as a form of social commentary. What do you notice about how the pumpkins and apples are arranged? Do they evoke a sense of abundance, or something else? Van Gogh once wrote "I want to paint men and women with that something of the eternal which the halo used to symbolize." Perhaps he saw this 'eternal' quality in the humblest of objects. This painting invites us to contemplate the intersection of the aesthetic and the everyday. In it, we might find a quiet recognition of our shared humanity.