The Potato Peeler (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat)

Considered his first important painting, The Potato Peeler was painted in 1885. Van Gogh's poverty is omnipresent in much of his work during this time. Finding models that would sit for free and cutting corners on supplies, Van Gogh kept painting even at times when he couldn't afford to feed himself properly. The rough, blocky execution and darkness of The Potato Peeler is typical of his peasant studies, painted just before he would leave Holland for the more comfortable climate of France. Once there, Van Gogh's palette would brighten, as evidenced by Self-portrait with a Straw Hat, painted two years later on the reverse side of the above painting.