À propos de l’œuvre
Tête de femme, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · November 1884 - January 1885 · Nuenen, Netherlands
Woman's head, F156Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
A woman from Nuenen looks straight ahead, her face caught in a dull light. The pink ocher flesh, the almost black hair and the gray-green background are placed in thick touches, without seeking idealization.
Look at the work
A frontal face constructed by masses of color
The head fills the canvas and leaves very little space around it. The central part organizes the hair, then the broad cheeks, nose and chin descend along an almost symmetrical axis.
This symmetry remains deliberately alive: one eye is more open, both cheeks do not receive the same light and the mouth shifts slightly. The white collar cuts the base of the portrait with a clear note.
Tête de femme F156/JH569 is an oil on canvas measuring 42 × 33.3 cm painted in Nuenen between November 1884 and January 1885. It is kept at the Van Gogh Museum under number s0072V1962.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
Van Gogh shapes the face like a relief. The touches never disappear: they follow the volumes of the forehead, cheekbones and neck while leaving eye corrections visible.
The eyes refuse perfect symmetry
The gaze seems direct but slightly unstable. In one of the eyes, a black touch intended for the pupil slides over the eyelid, a material detail noted by the museum.
The flesh mixes hot and cold
Ochres, extinct pinks and browns build the cheeks. Small greenish and gray touches cool the shadows around the eyes, nose and jaw.
Background pushes face forward
The uniform gray-green does not describe any interior. Its tonal proximity to the hair brings out the lit areas of the forehead and the off-white of the collar.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
The Van Gogh Museum notice places this painting among the studies of heads carried out in Nuenen, when Van Gogh was preparing his work as a figure painter.
Become a figure painter
Van Gogh wanted to master the human body and face. In Nuenen, he increased his studies with peasants and workers in order to learn proportions, volumes and expressions.
A figure rather than a worldly portrait
The model is not presented as an identifiable personality. The artist seeks a robust human type, observed directly and painted without flattering accessories.
A pupil moved over the eyelid
The museum notes that a black touch intended for the pupil ended up on the eyelid. This small accident remains visible in the material and reinforces the intensity of the gaze.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must respect the tight scale of the face, the asymmetry of the eyes, the central part of the hair, the passages of ocher and pink in the skin and the gray-green background without decoration.
- The frontal gaze and his two different eyes
- The black touch moved to an eyelid
- Cheeks modeled in ocher, pink and brown
- The dark mass of hair separated in the center
- The little white triangle of the collar
Work sheet
| Title | Woman's head, F156 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | November 1884 - January 1885 |
| Place of creation | Nuenen, Netherlands |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 42 × 33.3 cm |
| Inventory | F156· JH569· s0072V1962 |
| Conservation | Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A portrait of earth, muted pink and smoky green
Brown ocher, earthy pink, bluish black, off-white and gray green give this head a strong presence for an office, library, hallway or portrait wall.
Frequently asked questions
Before ordering
Is this a canvas print?
No. Each reproduction is manually painted in oil on canvas. Brushstrokes and material variations belong to the final result.
How is the visual reference chosen?
The Van Gogh Museum image of 5,213 × 6,511 px was prepared in 2,402 × 3,000 px and then converted into a real WebP, without artificial enlargement.
Can I check the result before shipping?
Yes. Photographs of the finished painting are sent to you; you can request alterations before validating the shipment.
Are custom formats possible?
Yes. The format can be adapted to your wall while maintaining the proportions and balance of the original composition.
