GOGH, Vincent van
(b. 1853, Groot Zundert, d. 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise)

Three Pairs of Shoes

December 1886, Paris
Oil on canvas, 49 x 72 cm
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge

Catalogue numbers: F 332, JH 1234.

The three pairs of shoes on a yellowish cloth are the trademark of an artist who has traveled a long way. Van Gogh's attention is on the signs of heavy use. The worn leather, the ragged sole, the turned-back upper and the toe of the welt parting from the sole, are all emphatic indications of wear and tear. The shoes are seen without any illusions - a still-life of mimetic fidelity.