The artwork titled “Swift,” created by Vincent van Gogh in 1887 in Paris, France, is a pencil sketch on paper. Classified under the genre of sketch and study, it belongs to the Post-Impressionism art movement. This piece is housed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The artwork features a swift, a small bird known for its agile and swift flight, rendered with confident, dynamic strokes that capture the essence of its movement. The sketch is minimalist, utilizing sharp and expressive lines to convey the motion and form of the bird against a simple, unembellished background. The deliberate use of pencil on paper highlights van Gogh’s skill in capturing the vitality and character of his subjects with a few deft strokes. The overall composition evokes a sense of freedom and grace characteristic of the swift in flight.
