“Head of a Peasant Woman with White Cap,” an oil painting on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, was created in 1885 in Nuenen, Netherlands. This work of art embodies the principles of Realism and belongs to the portrait genre. It is currently housed in the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK. The subject of this realist portrait is a peasant woman adorned with a white cap, a typical headwear for women of that era and region.
The artwork features a middle-aged woman who gazes directly at the viewer with a solemn and contemplative expression. Her face is rendered with meticulous brushstrokes that emphasize the weathered texture of her skin, highlighting the hard life led by peasants. Van Gogh employs a palette of earthy tones, with shades of brown and ochre defining the contours of her face and background. The use of light and shadow adds depth to the woman’s features, highlighting her high cheekbones and the creases around her eyes. The white cap she wears contrasts gently with her brown hair and the dark background, drawing attention to her face as the focal point of the painting. Van Gogh’s use of thick, expressive brushstrokes imparts a tactile quality to the painting, infusing it with a palpable sense of realism and emotional resonance.
