Jessica
Bentz
Professor
Robert Bomboy
Humanities
101
30
September 2015
Painting
Critique: Road in Etten
During his
residency in Etten, Netherlands, Vincent Van Gogh created a series of drawings
that portrayed the daily lives of peasants and laborers. One of the most
recognized drawings in this series is the “Road in Etten” which acts as a
narrative portrayal of a worker sweeping a willow lined street. This painting
was created during the post-impressionist movement, which focuses on emotion
over visual impressions. Post-impressionist artists used simplified color and
definitive form to create aestheticism. (Metropolitan Museum)
Van Gogh created
“Road in Etten” using a variety of mediums, including, chalk, pencil, pastel
and water color. The first noticeable aspect of the painting is the lack of
color. The overall tone of the piece is washed out and muted. Upon first look,
it almost appears as though the painting is black and white. However, when
further studied, it becomes apparent that there is light use of color
throughout the painting. The primary colors are blacks, grays and browns. The
only use of vibrant color is in the individuals walking down the street and
some elements of the background. The use of value creates a dark overcast view
and draws focus on the subjects (people walking down the street). In addition
to the use of color, Van Gogh uses texture throughout the painting. The overall
image feels “raw” and sketched. No elements in the painting are smooth or
overly embellished. Van Gogh does not use straight lines in any aspects of “Road
in Etten”. From the texture on the pavement to the bold lines on the bare
willow trees, the piece creates an overall dramatic tone. In addition to bold
lines, Van Gogh uses texture in the clouds, which adds to the sense of overcast
and bleakness.
Another important principle
to discuss in the composition of this work is the use of repeating elements to
create a sense of rhythm and movement throughout the piece. The tree-line is repeated through the center
of the painting. The trees progressively become smaller throughout the
painting, which gives the viewer a sense of looking down the road. This creates
depth and also acts as a way to direct the eye to the subjects in the
piece. In addition, the use of shadows
and repeating lines on the road show how the worker is cleaning the street. The
area behind the worker is void of these lines and shadows, while the rest of
the painting shows the “work” left to be done. The piece creates a unified
example of a day in the life of residents in Etten during the early 1900s.
“Road in Etten”
allows Van Gogh to portray what life was like for the working and lower classes
in Etten during his time as a resident. Van Gogh shows how these individuals
performed mundane and routine tasks that were critical in ensuring an overall
quality of life that all citizens were able to enjoy. It depicts the role of
this working class in society during the early 1900s, and the importance of
their services. While Van Gogh was not
known for being an activist, his accurate and non-romanticized work during this
time allows historians and critics to use his work from this period to show
issues such as class roles and societal conditions.
While Van Gogh’s
primary focus of his work was to act as a portrayal of his life experiences,
his realistic and non-bias work can be studied against the Marxist view, which
was prevalent during this period. In the
painting Van Gogh depicts a proletariat, which is a collective term describing
industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their
labor to live. (Fiero 285) This relates to the Marxist view, which focuses on
capitalism and the division of power between societal classes. Marxists
believed that the working class was robbed of the ability to enjoy the fruits
of their labor. In Van Gogh’s “Road in Etten” the street sweeper is the only
individual that is clearly defined. He is also the only individual performing a
menial task. While Van Gogh may have depicted this scene as a snapshot to his
daily life, it is important to the Marxist view as it shows the importance of
the working class; yet also depicts how this individual is not able to enjoy a
leisurely stroll like the rest of the individuals in the painting. The overall
tone of the painting gives a sense of oppression to the working class.
In critiquing “Road
in Etten” I was first drawn to the use of muted colors. Van Gogh creates an image
that provokes an emotional response. When looking at this painting you can
picture yourself walking down this road on a cold, winter day. Upon learning
more about the piece, I was interested in how the Marxist approach could be
easily identified in this work. Van Gogh’s subject (the street sweeper) is an
innocuous subject, yet when studying the societal landscape during this time it
proves to be a thought provoking depiction.
Works Cited
Fiero,
Gloria K. "The Move Toward Modernism” The Humanistic Tradition. 7th
ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2015. 346. Print.
"Vincent
Van Gogh | Road in Etten." Vincent Van Gogh. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 29
Oct. 2015.
