The artwork, titled “Head of a Woman,” was created by Vincent van Gogh around the year 1885 in Nuenen, Netherlands. Executed with pencil and ink on paper, this piece falls within the Realism art movement and is classified under the genre of portraiture. The artwork is currently housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
In this evocative portrait, Van Gogh captures the somber expression of a woman with profound realism. Her face is rendered with meticulous yet bold strokes, showcasing the artist’s skill in conveying emotional depth and physical texture. The use of pencil and ink lends a raw, unembellished quality to the drawing, which emphasizes the subject’s weathered features and introspective gaze. The dark headscarf and the barely sketched form of her clothing blend into the indistinct background, directing the viewer’s attention entirely to her face, which serves as the focal point of the composition. This portrait exemplifies Van Gogh’s ability to depict human emotion and character with remarkable sensitivity and technical prowess.
