Sheep Shearer after Millet by Vincent Van Gogh Poster

Sheep Shearer (after Millet) by Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas 1889, is a painting of a farmer and his wife shearing the wool from one of their sheep against a background of thatched cottages and barns, which Van Gogh copied from an earlier painting by the French Barbizon realist Jean-Francois Millet. Van Gogh translates the classical, earthy realism and sculptural modelling of Millet’s painting into the bold contours and flattened, contrasting colours of his mature, Post-Impressionist style. Van Gogh produced many copies of works by his favourite painters in the final years of his life, like a composer playing variations of the works which influenced him. Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionist movement known for bold, expressive drawing, swirling brushstrokes and bold, heightened colours. In early adulthood Van Gogh worked as an art dealer, teacher and pastor before taking up the full time study of drawing and painting in his late twenties. Influenced by Rembrandt, the 19th century Realists and Barbizon school, Van Gogh's early paintings featured studies of workers and peasants in sombre earth tones. Moving to France in 1886, Van Gogh met with the startling innovations of the Impressionist painters and began to apply their approach to colour and subject matter, which continued into the mature style for which the artist is most renowned. Van Gogh produced many hundreds of drawings and paintings including portraits, landscapes, still life and flower paintings, and numerous self-portraits that became a dominating influence on the modern art of the 20th century and made him one of the most popular artists of all time.