Richelle Ann A.

Datlag

BSHM 202

1. Formalism (What are the forms that can be found in the painting above? Briefly describe
each.)
 In this painting, the pride of place does not go to the abbey which can be seen in the
background. The painting is all about the yellow and green patchwork quilt fields of La
Crau which lay between Montmajour and Arles. The fields are interspersed with small
farm buildings with their red-topped roofs, the colour of which not only acts as a
contrast to but seems to enhance the colour of the surrounding fields. In the middle
ground we can see a blue cart which is often cited as a secondary title to the painting.
He painted the scene in June 1888 and he believed it to be his best work to date. It was
at a time when the summer heat was beginning to intensify and the life-restoring
radiance of the Mediterranean sun was his constant companion. He once described this
light in a letter to his brother:

“….a light that for want of a better word I shall call yellow, pale sulphur yellow, pale
golden citron! How lovely yellow is! And how much better I shall see the North!….”

2. Expressionism (How do you think the artist was feeling when he created the artwork?)
 Van Gogh wanted to show peasant life and work on the land – a recurring theme in his
art – and painted several stages of the harvest. We see a half mowed wheatfield,
ladders and several carts. A reaper works in the background, which is why he titled the
work La moisson or 'The Harvest'. Van Gogh considered it one of his most successful
paintings, writing to his brother Theo that the ‘canvas absolutely kills all the rest’.