The artwork, titled “Woman with Kettle, Seen from the Back,” was created by Vincent van Gogh in 1882 in The Hague, Netherlands. Rendered with pencil on paper, this piece is part of the Realism art movement and belongs to the portrait genre. It is currently housed at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.
The artwork depicts a woman viewed from behind, holding a kettle in her right hand. She is adorned in a long, pleated skirt and a jacket with visible folds and creases, capturing the texture and weight of the fabric. Her attire is practical and modest, typical of the period and possibly indicative of her working-class status. The woman’s posture is slightly forward-leaning, perhaps suggesting movement or the completion of a task. The simplicity and precision of Van Gogh’s pencil strokes emphasize the realism and convey a sense of everyday life. The minimalistic background ensures that the focus remains solely on the figure, drawing attention to her form and the detailed rendering of her clothing.
