1888 · F422 · JH1470
The Sower
The Sower, 1888. Meaning, analysis, themes, technique, period and related Van Gogh artworks connected from The Sower Motif.
The Sower meaning and analysis
The Sower with Setting Sun reworks a rural labour motif through Arles colour and scale.
Meaning
The sower links work, time and renewal, but remains a figure moving through a specific field.
Visual Analysis
A dark figure crosses the foreground against an enormous yellow sun and violet ground.
Symbolism
Sowing suggests future growth because the gesture places seed beyond the present moment.
Technique
Complementary yellows and violets make the scene intentionally unlike natural light.
Period Context
Painted in Arles in 1888, it transforms a Millet-related motif through southern colour.
Related Letters
Van Gogh repeatedly discussed Millet as an artist whose peasant subjects he could translate rather than copy literally.
FAQ
- What does The Sower mean?
- It connects rural labour, seasons and the future promise of growth.
- Who influenced Van Gogh's Sower?
- Jean-Francois Millet was an important source for the motif.
- When was this version painted?
- This Arles version dates from 1888.
June 1888, Arles. A huge sun haloes the sower's head — yellow dominates the upper canvas. Millet's peasant has become his mythology. Purple ground, yellow sky — complementary colours pushed to extremes.