Sower with Setting Sun

“Le Semeur” (The Sower) is one of the most iconic paintings by the Dutch post-Impressionist artist, Vincent van Gogh. The version featuring a setting sun was painted during the artist’s time in Arles, France in 1888.

This painting illustrates a solitary figure sowing seeds in a field against a backdrop of a deep-orange sunset. The dramatic use of colors and bold lines is highly representative of van Gogh’s individualistic post-Impressionist style, and the painting presents a dynamic blend of realism and symbolism.

**Art Style and Technique**

Van Gogh’s art style in “Sower with Setting Sun” reflects elements of post-Impressionism and symbolism. Post-Impressionism, as an art movement, sought to extend Impressionism while rejecting its limitations. Van Gogh’s unique style in this painting emphasizes vivid colors, distinctive brush strokes, and symbolic elements to convey emotional and subjective responses to the scene.

Van Gogh uses the brushwork effectively to create different textures within the composition. The sky, field, and sower are all distinguishable through their unique textures. The painting is heavily saturated, featuring vivid yellows, blues, and oranges, which heighten the sense of drama in the scene.

The approach towards color was unique and revolutionary at the time. Van Gogh exploited the symbolic potential of color to its maximum: the intense orange of the sun, the yellow wheat field, and the blue-purple of the sky contrast sharply, with each hue intensifying the other.

**Why It’s Special**

“Sower with Setting Sun” is special for several reasons:

1. **Symbolic Significance**: The painting reflects van Gogh’s deep fascination with the theme of a sower. Van Gogh, coming from a family with strong religious affiliations, associated the sower with themes of fertility, creativity, and the cycle of life and death, which he identified with his own role as an artist.

2. **Influence of Japanese Art**: Van Gogh was inspired by Japanese prints, which he had been collecting, and this is evident in the composition and color scheme of “Sower with Setting Sun”. The flat areas of bold colors and the close-up views of the nature are reminiscent of the Ukiyo-e prints that influenced van Gogh and many other Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists.

3. **Emotional Resonance**: The painting demonstrates van Gogh’s talent in depicting the deep emotional resonance of a scene. The vibrant colors and dramatic silhouette of the sower against the sun imbue the painting with an intense feeling of awe and solitude, making it a poignant expression of the artist’s own emotional landscape.

4. **Influence on Modern Art**: Van Gogh’s unique style and use of color had a profound impact on the trajectory of modern art, with “Sower with Setting Sun” serving as a striking example of his revolutionary approach. His expressionistic use of color to convey emotion was a significant departure from traditional painting norms, and paved the way for future artistic movements such as Expressionism and Fauvism.

In conclusion, “Sower with Setting Sun” is a significant work in van Gogh’s oeuvre, reflecting the artist’s mastery of color, his symbolic use of the sower motif, and his unique ability to imbue a scene with emotional resonance. It remains one of the most powerful examples of van Gogh’s contribution to post-Impressionist art.