The artwork, titled “Head of a Woman,” was created by Vincent van Gogh around 1883 in The Hague, Netherlands. This portrait, rendered with crayon and pencil on paper, belongs to the Realism art movement. It is currently housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with a detailed and somber depiction of a woman. The medium meticulously captures the texture and character of her visage, highlighting the depth of her expressions. The nuances in the application of crayon and pencil reflect Van Gogh’s early exploration of realism, focusing on the stark representation of human emotion and age. The woman’s downcast eyes and faintly pursed lips convey a sense of quiet introspection, set against a dark, muted backdrop that accentuates her form. The detailed lines and shading techniques employed by the artist bring forth an impression of the woman’s lived experiences, encapsulated in a moment of reflective stillness.