Head of a Peasant Woman with White Cap

Catalogue numbers: F 81, JH 695.

In December 1884 van Gogh set himself the task of painting and drawing a large series of portraits of the peasants in Brabant. In this group of works he did not want to portray individuals but sought to characterize a type: the peasant. Rather than seeking beauty, he was looking for models that had rough, flat faces with low foreheads and thick lips. He depicted the careworn peasants with mistrust in their eyes against a gloomy background, with dark colours and wide brushstrokes. By the coarse features, he wanted to express peasant life being at one with nature.

The present painting stands out from the series because of its relatively bright colours.