Daprés Van Gogh (XX) - The return home

After Vincent van Gogh — European School, Second Half of the 20th Century

Technical sheet

The Return Home
Artist: Anonymous, after Vincent van Gogh
Chronology: Second half of the 20th century
Technique: oil on canvas
Measurements: 28 × 46 cm (unframed) — 38 × 56 cm (framed)
Support: Canvas coated with a material
Beautiful wooden framed frame carved in wood, patinated in ivory and pearl gray tones, with raised vegetal details that add elegance and aesthetic coherence to the overall piece.
Style: Neo-postimpressionism; expressive reinterpretation of Van Gogh's pictorial universe.
Company: visible in the lower right corner.
Condition: Good

2. Compositional and iconographic description

The work reinterprets Van Gogh's rural universe with warmth and vibrant color, using energetic, thick, and nervous brushstrokes that directly evoke the style of the Dutch master. The composition depicts a domestic scene: a peasant kneeling with arms outstretched toward his young son, guided by the maternal figure, in a gesture of tenderness that humanizes the landscape.

The scene opens before a house with white walls and a thatched roof, surrounded by vibrant vegetation applied in dense layers of yellow, green, and blue. The short, rhythmic, and multidirectional brushstroke recalls both Ruen's White House and Van Gogh's Gardens of Arles, while the human expressiveness connects with the peasant scenes of The Potato Eaters.

The treatment of light enhances the warm and familiar atmosphere, accentuated by small touches of pure color. The space, slightly tilted and dynamic, responds to the emotional and subjective character inherited from Van Gogh.

3. STYLE, CONTEXT AND EVALUATION

The painting clearly belongs to the lineage of modern reinterpretations of Van Gogh carried out during the second half of the 20th century, a period in which numerous artists adopted his vibrant style and peasant-themed subject matter. The work relates to neo-postimpressionism and to the decorative market's interest in recovering the master's affective and popular iconography.

Compared to the studies after Van Gogh conducted by artists such as Émile Schuffenecker or Jacob Baart de la Faille, as well as highly valued contemporary reinterpretations in the European market.

Its expressive strength, luminous color, and emotional family narrative give it aesthetic value and commercial appeal, especially enhanced by the elegant carved frame that highlights the scene as a decorative and collectible piece.