Rudjene L. Estelloso BSBA FM3A
Activity 3_2
1. Formalism (What are the forms that can be found in the painting above? Briefly describe
each.)
The painting shows a farm life in the countryside during the harvest season. The painting is divided
into three, the foreground, the fields and the workers in the middle ground and the mountains and
skies in the background. The foreground shows a fence and the start of the wheat field. The pattern
of the fence is effective because of the mixture of colors used. You can see hot reds against cold
blues. A hint of vitae against browns with a line of black to make it more realistic. This part of the
painting is textured with thick paint showing the texture of the long dry grass and corn stubble.
The middle part shows the rest of the Wheat field and the workers. The Wheat fields filled Van
Gogh's mind in the autumn, and reminded him about his spring visit to Sainted- Maries-De laMere. Even though the workers were poor, they appear happy and also show what is appending in
everyday life for the peasants, who are farming. To the left of the painting there is a large haystack,
with ladders and a man working hard with a pitchfork. Van Gogh also uses a lot of black to outline
the trees and the buildings which make them appear more 3D. The fruit trees look healthy and
good. There is a cart next to the haystack and you can see how Van Gogh thought of tone through
this cart because you can see light reflecting off the wheel. A plough follows beside the cart. The
hot red orange color contrasts well because it stands out tromp the background. These signing the
stages to harvest. Van Gogh wows the meaning of farm work and the life of a peasant. The tones
of yellow contrasts with the violet cold colors of the Alpines Mountains and the green, unusual
sky think that this painting is quite impressionist in style. It captures the warm, end of summer
light on the landscape and Van Gogh probably sat outside with his easel painting what he saw in
front of him. The background is the sky and the mountains. I have noticed that the back ground is
smoother than the rough brush strokes in the rest of painting. The brushstrokes used for the
background are small and I think this adds effect to the sky by making it more interesting, and it
appears further away. Van Gogh highlighted the mountains with black lines, which is surprising
because it makes the mountains look closer, and I would have expected him to make them look
fainter as they are further away. Maybe he wanted to bring our attention to the mountains because
he thought they were beautiful.
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’.
I think that the artist was feeling peaceful and relaxed while painting this artwork. Considering
that he is really proud to proclaim to his brother that it is his best, he may have had a great moment
while doing the piece. He may be reminded of the beauty of nature and the silent yet simple life in
the mountains where labor is mostly about farming and harvesting.