Vincent van Gogh

Dutch, 1853–1890

Head of a Fisherman, 1883

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Medium: Prints and multiples, Pencil and black lithographic crayon on paper
Size: 23.63 x 17.38 x 1.25 in. (60 x 44.1 x 3.2 cm.)

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M.S. Rau

New Orleans / Aspen

About this Artwork

Size Notes: Paper: 17“ high x 10 3/4” wide
Frame: 23 5/8“ high x 17 3/8” wide x 1 1/4" deep
Movement: Modern Art
Catalogue Raisonné: Head of a Fisherman is illustrated in several books, including the premier catalogues raisonnés edited by J.-B. de la Faille and J. Hulsker.
Provenance: Provenance:
H.P. Bremmer, The Hague (until 1956)
Private collection, The Hague
E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam
The Norton Simon Foundation, Pasadena
Sale, Sotheby Parke Bernet, Inc., New York, 2 May 1973, lot 30
Stanford Z. Rothschild, Jr., Baltimore
Private collection
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Private Collection, New York
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Exhibitions: Exhibitions:
London, Lefevre Gallery (Alex. Reid & Lefevre, Ltd.), “XIX and XX Century French Paintings and Drawings,” November-December 1963, p. 34, no. 39 (illustrated, p. 36).
Literature: Literature:
H.P. Bremmer, ed., Moderne Kunstwerken, 1907, no. 4 (illustrated on the cover).
W. Vanbeselaere, De Hollandsche Periode (1880-1885) in het Werk van Vincent van Gogh, Antwerp, 1937, pp. 101, 200 and 409, no. 1012.
V.W. van Gogh and J. van Gogh-Bonger, eds., The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh, London, 1958, vol. I, pp. 527-528, 542-544, letter nos. 261 and 267; vol. III, pp. 354-355, letter no. R22.
J.-B. de la Faille, The Works of Vincent van Gogh, His Paintings and Drawings, New York, 1970, p. 374, no. F 1012 (illustrated).
J. Hulsker, The Complete Van Gogh, Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, New York, 1977, p. 76, no. 308 (illustrated, p. 77). J.-B. de la Faille, Vincent Van Gogh, The Complete Works on Paper, Catalogue Raisonné, San Francisco, 1992, vol. I, p. 261, no. 1012 (illustrated, vol. II, pl. XLVII).
J. Hulsker, The New Complete Van Gogh, Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, Amsterdam, 1996, p. 76, no. 308 (illustrated, p. 77).
L. Jansen, H. Luijten and N. Bakker, The Letters, The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition, London, 2009, vol. 2, pp. 88-90, 233-236 and 274-275, letter nos. 235, 301, 302 and 316.

Description

Vincent van Gogh
1853-1890 | Dutch

Head of a Fisherman

Pencil and black lithographic crayon on paper

An exquisite masterpiece by the legendary Vincent van Gogh, this drawing entitled Head of a Fisherman was executed in 1883. The captivating artwork is part of a distinguished series of drawings dedicated to the poignant figure of the fisherman, revealing van Gogh's profound ability to render the working class with dignity and sensitivity.

During the early 1880s, van Gogh embarked on one of the most formative periods of his career, driven by a desire to render the rural working-class Dutch. In his pursuit of this aim, however, the artist faced challenges in persuading models to pose as he desired. He lamented in a letter to his brother Theo: "Folks are desperately obstinate about it, and it is hard to make them yield on this point: they only want to pose in their Sunday best, with impossible folds in which neither their knees, elbows, shoulder blades nor any other part of the body have left their characteristic dents or bumps."

Undeterred, van Gogh began collecting secondhand clothes to help him achieve his goal of rendering the common man. “Drawing the model with the necessary costumes is the only true way to succeed,” he wrote to Theo. Van Gogh's meticulous approach to his craft is evident in Head of a Fisherman, portraying a fisherman in three-quarter profile, clad in the traditional garb of his trade – a jacket with a stand-up collar and the iconic sou'wester hat. Van Gogh's use of lithographic crayon adds extraordinary depth to the work, a technique he referred to as "painting in black." This method allowed him to achieve rich gradations of tone, a skillful manipulation of materials evident in the expressive lines of his compassionate portrayal of the fisherman's harsh life. His subject is rendered with empathy, revealing the artist's sensitive soul and showcasing the culmination of the artist's journey to capture the essence of his subjects.

Further distinguished by prestigious provenance, Head of a Fisherman was once in the esteemed collection of Henk Bremmer, the iconic Dutch painter and art dealer. Known as the “Art Pope” for his immense influence on Dutch art of the early 20th century, Bremmer was an avid collector of van Gogh. He encouraged many of his clients to acquire van Gogh’s works and illustrated Head of a Fisherman on the cover of his 1907 publication Modern Kunstwerken — a testament to the high esteem to which he held the drawing. The artwork subsequently passed down through private hands, including the premier collections of the Norton Simon Foundation in Pasadena and Stanford Rothschild, the famed philanthropist.

Head of a Fisherman is illustrated in several books, including the premier catalogues raisonnés edited by J.-B. de la Faille and J. Hulsker. It was exhibited in 1963 at the Lefevre Gallery in London. Similar works on paper by van Gogh are housed in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Kroller-Muller Museum and the Van Gogh Museum.

Completed 1883