Artwork
Enclosed Field with Ploughman
Enclosed Field with Ploughman is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Vincent van Gogh painted Enclosed Field with Ploughman in 1889 using oil on canvas. The work presents a rural landscape dominated by a broad, arid field, a ploughman guiding oxen, and a distant windmill perched on a low rise. The painting belongs to the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a solitary agricultural laborer and his oxen working a cracked, sun‑baked field, suggesting the perseverance of rural life. A modest hill with a windmill and a thin line of trees mark the horizon, framing the scene and hinting at the relationship between human effort and the surrounding environment.
Technique & Style
Van Gogh applied the paint thickly, employing impasto that leaves the brushstrokes prominent and textured. The surface is marked by vigorous, sweeping strokes that convey the dry, fissured earth and the fleeting quality of the pale blue sky, creating a tactile sense of movement within the static landscape.
History & Provenance
Created during the artist’s prolific period in 1889, the canvas later entered the holdings of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to representing van Gogh’s late‑career explorations of rural subjects.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.
