One of Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces, “The Potato Eaters” serves as a gritty snapshot of a peasant family struggling to survive in the Netherlands during the late 19th century. In letters to his brother, Theo, Vincent brings attention to the little lamp illuminating the dinner table and the rough hands that prepare their meals from scratch. Van Gogh wanted to capture a natural, unspoiled perspective of people whose voices are often never heard, and, in taking an honest look at the family unit, he is able to express the weight of poverty that is still felt by many people today. Before his death, he would call it one of his best works and to this day many would whole-heartedly agree.

Image Credits:
Feature: Eddie van W. at Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved
Body: Vincent van Gogh atWikimedia Commons, Public Domain