''Still Life with Straw Hat (''Stillleben mit gelbem Strohhut'')'' also known as ''Still Life with Yellow Straw Hat'' and ''Still Life with Hat and Pipe'' was painted by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
in late November - mid-December 1881
or possibly in 1885 in the town of
Nuenen.
Van Gogh in Nuenen
In November 1884 van Gogh taught some friends from
Eindhoven
Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...
, a large town near Nuenen, to paint inanimate objects in oil. Van Gogh, in his enthusiasm, created a series of still life paintings of bottles, bowls and pots and other objects. ''Still Life with Straw Hat'' was painted at
Nuenen during this period. He wrote that the paintings would be hard to sell, but having deemed the effort valuable he painted still life compositions throughout the winter.
The painting
''Still-Life with Straw Hat'' and another painting of this period, ''Still-life with Earthen Pot and Clogs,'' are regarded by critics and writers for their technical mastery. Both are characterized by smooth, meticulous brushwork and fine shading of colors. During his two-year stay in Nuenen, he completed numerous drawings and watercolors and nearly 200 oil paintings. However, his palette consisted mainly of sombre earth tones, particularly dark brown, and he showed no sign of developing the vivid coloration that distinguishes his later, best known work. When he complained that Theo was not making enough effort to sell his paintings in Paris, Theo replied that they were too dark and not in line with the current style of bright
Impressionist paintings.
The painting is part of the
Kröller-Müller Museum collection in
Otterlo
Otterlo is a village in the municipality of Ede of province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, in or near the Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe.
The Kröller-Müller Museum, named after Helene Kröller-Müller, is situated nearby and has the world ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
Provenance
Helene, wife of Anton Kröller, spent her life and fortune collecting van Gogh paintings. The Kröller's art collection of the 19th and 20th century went to the Dutch state and the Kröller-Müller Museum. It may be that the arrangement was more a means of restitution for the millions of
guilders
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...
paid by the Dutch state in the 1930s to maintain solvency a bank, one of Anton Kröller corporation's largest clients, and in the process shield Kröller.
See also
*
List of works by Vincent van Gogh
*
Still life paintings by Vincent van Gogh (Netherlands)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Still Life with Straw Hat
Paintings by Vincent van Gogh
1881 paintings
1880s paintings
Still life paintings by Vincent van Gogh
Straw objects
Oil paintings