Despite the striking nature of the scene, the painting was not considered successful until after Van Gogh's death.
This early canvas is considered Van Gogh's first masterpiece. During his stay among the farmers and workers in Nuenen in the Netherlands, Van Gogh tried to portray the people and their lives truthfully. By rendering the scene in a somber palette, he reflected the dreary living conditions of the farmers and used ugly models to further illustrate the impact of hard physical labor on these workers. This effect is enhanced by the use of loose brushstrokes to describe the faces and hands of the farmers as they gather around the single, small lantern and eat their meager meal of potatoes. Despite the striking nature of the scene, the painting was not considered successful until after Van Gogh's death. At the time this work was painted, the Impressionists had already dominated the Parisian avant-garde with their bright palette for over a decade. It is therefore not surprising that Van Gogh's brother Theo found it impossible to sell paintings from his brother's period. Nevertheless, this work demonstrates not only Van Gogh's commitment to depicting emotionally and spiritually charged scenes in his art, but also the ideas he followed throughout his career.