First Steps after Millet by Vincent Van Gogh Light Switch Cover

First Steps (after Millet) by Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas 1890, is a painting of a farmer and his wife teaching their young toddler child how to walk in the garden behind their humble farm house. Van Gogh copied the composition from a work by the French Barbizon realist painter Jean-Francois Millet, whose portrayals of the nobility of peasants, farmers and workers influenced Van Gogh greatly. Van Gogh painted numerous copies after the artists he admired, especially Millet, in the final years of his life. Van Gogh translates the earthy realism, sculptural form and classical, earth-toned palette into the manner of his mature, Post-Impressionist style, like a composer playing variations of a previous artist’s work. Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionist movement known for bold, expressive drawing, swirling brushstrokes and bold, heightened colors. 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 somber 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 color 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.