The artwork titled “Workman beside a Mound of Peat, and a Peat Boat with Two Figures” was created by the renowned artist Vincent van Gogh in 1883 while he was in the Netherlands. This piece, executed with ink on paper, belongs to the Realism movement and falls under the genre of sketch and study. It is currently housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The artwork illustrates a scene featuring a workman standing next to a large mound of peat, with the backdrop of a humble structure, possibly a barn or shed. The scene is captured in a monochromatic palette, using fine lines to depict textures and shadows. In the lower half of the artwork, a peat boat with two figures is depicted. One of the figures is seen bending over, possibly engaging in work related to the peat, while the other figure stands by. The foreground and background are suggested through meticulous cross-hatching and line work, creating depth and contrast. Furthermore, handwritten notes by the artist can be observed on the artwork, adding a personal and contextual dimension to the sketch.
