The artwork titled “Pollard Willow,” created by Vincent van Gogh in 1882 in The Hague, Netherlands, is a landscape painting executed with gouache, ink, watercolor, and paper. It is representative of the Realism movement and measures 38 by 56 cm. Currently, it resides in a private collection.
In this landscape, a lone, leafless willow tree stands prominently in the foreground on the left side of a dirt path that curves into the distance, where a solitary figure can be seen walking. The tree appears weathered and bare, its branches reaching out in stark contrast to the muted tones of the surrounding countryside. The scene depicts a rural setting with a body of water and expansive fields, under a sky with heavy, rolling clouds that suggest an overcast or stormy day. Buildings are visible in the middle ground, suggesting a village or farmstead, and there is a windmill in the distance, an element often associated with Dutch landscapes. The overall atmosphere conveyed is one of solitude and calm, with a hint of the rustic and pastoral life prevalent in 19th-century Netherlands.
