Sower with Setting Sun 1888

Curator: Right in front of us, we have Vincent van Gogh's pen drawing "Sower with Setting Sun," created in 1888. Editor: Oh, wow. It’s all frenetic energy. A stark black ink on paper. You can practically feel the sun beating down and the worker's exhaustion just by looking at the texture. The sun in the background is the size of the sower. I find this hilarious for some reason. Curator: Indeed, Van Gogh was intensely interested in the life and labor of peasants. It reveals his engagement with the realities of rural life and, more subtly, his spiritual beliefs tied to the earth. Editor: It is so scratchy, like the land itself is protesting the disturbance. It seems less like a celebration of labor and more like an echo of how demanding agricultural life actually is. But it also is a statement, right, because everything here has the same weight. Curator: The rapid strokes show the importance of conveying immediacy; it is post-impressionism at its finest. I feel that there is a sense of alienation of labor too. But if you see the inscription at the bottom of the sketch? Editor: Oh yes, something about a violet field. Ah yes. I see where his heart truly is. This hard subject is also a subject he can wax poetically about. Curator: He is playing around with that relationship between subject and process and the conditions surrounding their union. I think this particular piece represents this shift away from pure representation that was the norm with impressionism and towards expressionism. Editor: And what’s interesting, is that we are making observations from the notes that have surrounded the sketch! What do you call that? Para-textual materials? Curator: We sure are! The act of observation can change not only how something is received but also its ontology and interpretation. Editor: Definitely a piece to ruminate over. It hits the spots for someone like me who really loves to mull. Curator: Absolutely, and that tension—between nature, man, labor, and spirit—continues to make Van Gogh resonate with contemporary viewers.