What does the Potato Eaters mean?



What did Van Gogh say about The Potato Eaters?

Writing to his sister Willemina two years later in Paris, Van Gogh still considered The Potato Eaters his most successful painting: “What I think about my own work is that the painting of the peasants eating potatoes that I did in Nuenen is after all the best thing I did”.

What do the dark tones of the painting reflect in The Potato Eaters?

The use of somber tones definitely illustrated how a poor life of a peasant could be. Also, the atmosphere and mood of poverty was well set by the colors used. In this way, it is believable to the viewers that the painting is certainly trying to represent the real lives of the subject matter-the peasants.

What was The Potato Eaters inspired by?





He was also inspired by the endurance of the potato and how it sustained working class families. It is believed that Van Gogh could have been inspired to paint The Potato Eaters after viewing a piece on a similar subject matter, A Peasant Family at the Table by Josef Israëls, while studying at The Hague School.