Artwork
Weaver
Weaver is an oil painting by the Realist artist Vincent van Gogh. It dates from 1884 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Technique & Style
Van Gogh employed the medium to depict a man operating a loom within a weaving factory, focusing on the subject of handicraft.
Created in March 1884 in Nuenen, Weaver is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work measures 62.5 cm in height and 84.4 cm in width. Van Gogh employed the medium to depict a man operating a loom within a weaving factory, focusing on the subject of handicraft.
The composition falls within the genre art classification, capturing a specific moment of industrial labor. The painting is currently held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
History & Provenance
Weaver is an oil painting completed in 1884 by Vincent van Gogh in Nuenen. The work entered the collection of Theo van Gogh and subsequently passed through several owners including Adrianus Schrauwen, Johannis Cornelis Couvreur, Johannes Marinus Couvreur, Kees Mouwen, Mrs. C. Dekker-Fortanier, Nelly Dekker, Mrs. C. Dekker-Weinberg, and Bernard Houthakker before being acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. The painting measures 62.5 cm by 84.4 cm and depicts a man at a loom in a weaving factory. It has been part of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston's holdings since its acquisition.
Weaver, an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh completed in 1884, is held by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (accession number not specified). Its provenance includes ownership by Theo van Gogh, Adrianus Schrauwen, Johannis Cornelis Couvreur, Johannes Marinus Couvreur, Kees Mouwen, Mrs. C. Dekker-Fortanier, Nelly Dekker, Mrs. C. Dekker-Weinberg, Bernard Houthakker, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston before its current custodianship. The work was displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston exhibition in 1921.
Context
The painting Weaver (1884) by Vincent van Gogh portrays a weaver in a factory setting, reflecting the artist's early interest in rural labor and Dutch social realism. It was created during van Gogh's time in Nuenen and initially entered private collections before being acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where it remains on public view. Scholarship on the work emphasizes its role in understanding van Gogh's transition from dark tonalities to more structured compositions, while its exhibition history is limited to institutional displays at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and occasional loans tied to van Gogh retrospectives.
Overview
Vincent van Gogh’s 1884 oil painting titled Weaver presents a quiet interior where a solitary figure operates a wooden loom. The composition is confined to a modest, earth‑toned room illuminated faintly by a small window, emphasizing the laborious atmosphere of textile work.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a man absorbed in the act of weaving, is surrounded by the tools of his trade, a loom bearing a strip of red fabric and a nearby spinning wheel. The work reflects van Gogh’s interest in everyday labor and the dignity of manual craft during his early Dutch period.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.
