“Digger in a Potato Field: February” is a drawing by Vincent van Gogh created in 1885 during his time in Nunen/Nuenen, Netherlands. The artwork, executed with chalk on paper, is associated with the Realism art movement and falls under the genre of genre painting. This work is held in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The artwork depicts a solitary figure, bent over while laboring in a potato field. The farmworker is seen using a spade to dig into the soil, which is conveyed with expressive, bold strokes. Van Gogh’s dynamic and heavy line work emphasizes the physicality and effort of the laborer’s task, and his use of shading adds depth and volume to the composition. The background is roughly sketched, allowing the viewer to focus on the central figure and the toil represented in the drawing. The overall effect is one of raw, unfiltered observation of rural life, in line with both the Realism movement’s goals and van Gogh’s personal artistic interests in the lives of common people.
