Burning Weeds 1883

Vincent van Gogh made this etching, "Burning Weeds," at the Hague in 1883. The image presents rural laborers in the fields. One figure is actively working, while another sits wearily in a wheelbarrow. In the background a third bends over her work. The Netherlands in the 1880s was a deeply class-stratified society. Van Gogh here is making a comment on the dignity of labor, but perhaps also on its hardship. In his day, the institutions of art were only just beginning to recognize the artistic merit of images of working-class life. But Van Gogh was determined to capture the experiences of those who toiled in the fields. Here, he is making reference to social and economic structures of his own time, and making a progressive case for a change in attitudes. To understand an image like this, art historians consult archives, letters, and historical accounts. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional contexts.