Still Life with Two Sacks and a Bottle by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh
1853-1890 I Dutch

Still Life with Two Sacks and a Bottle

Oil on canvas laid on panel

This magnificent still life is by Post-Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh. Entitled Still Life with Two Sacks and a Bottle, this oil painting displays his unmatched talent for using everyday items to create compositions of singular beauty. With thick impasto, heavy shadowing, and an intense palette, this exceptional work of art displays all the hallmarks of van Gogh's technique.

By 1883, Vincent van Gogh had reluctantly returned to his family’s home in Nuenen, where, despite strained relationships with his parents and a sense of isolation, he discovered a renewed sense of purpose and direction in his art. Nuenen’s rural environment and its connection to Dutch artistic traditions provided him the freedom to explore new subjects and reconnect with his heritage. This transformative period ultimately culminated in The Potato Eaters (1885), one of his most celebrated works, capturing the lives of rural laborers with an unfiltered realism that reflected his profound empathy.

During this period, Van Gogh studied still life, a foundational genre in classical art. As he taught art to local students to support himself, he found opportunities to reinterpret traditional still lifes, infusing them with his emerging personal style. In one letter to his brother Theo, he expressed excitement about teaching still life to villagers as his technique was improving, hinting at the innovative approach that would later redefine the genre with works like his iconic Sunflowers.

For some artists, still lifes served as mere technical exercises, but for Van Gogh, they reflected his profound artistic ambition, as seen in the present work. During his time in Nuenen—a period marked by hardship—Van Gogh laid the foundation for his distinctive vision, moves the still life tradition into something expressive, bold and ultimately transformative for art history. He was deeply moved by the lives of the hardworking villagers, finding beauty in the connection between people, nature and domestic life. The sacks and bottle in this composition hint at the small comforts that sustained people through the challenges of provincial life.

Painted November, 1884

Canvas: 11 3/4" high x 15 1/2" wide (29.85 x 39.37 cm)
Frame: 19 1/8" high x 23 1/8" wide x 2" deep (45.58 x 58.74 x 5.08 cm)

View the Dossier

Provenance:
C. Mouwen Jr., Breda
Kunstzaal Oldenzeel, Rotterdam
H.P. Bremmer (1871-1956) and his heirs, The Hague
H.P. Bremmer’s Estate
Galerie Klopfer, Zurich, 1983
Galerie Koller, Zurich, Catalogue, 25 May 1984, no. 5111
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Private Collection, Pennsylvania
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Literature:
R. Jacobsen, "Kunstzaal Oldenzeel," Onze Kunst, Tweede Jaargang, 1903, p. 60
R. Jacobsen, "Une Exposition van Gogh a Groningue," L'Art Flamand et Hollandais, 1904, vol. II, pp. 13-20
H. P. Bremmer, Vincent van Gogh...mit zijn Hollandsche perlode, Amsterdam, 1907
H. P. Bremmer, Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1911
Jacob Baart de la Faille, L'Oeuvre de Vincent Van Gogh: Catalogue Raisonné, Paris and Brussels, 1928, vol. I, p. 26, no. 55
Walther Vanbeselaere, De Hollandsche Periode (1880-1885) in het Werk van Vincent van Gogh, Anvers, 1937, p. 286, 414
Jacob Baart de la Faille, Vincent Van Gogh, Paris, 1939, p. 70, no. 59, illustrated
Charles Mattoon Brooks, Jr., ed., Vincent Van Gogh, New York, reprint 1966, pp. 45, part II, pp. 15, 32, 33, 49
Jacob Baart de la Faille, The Works of Vincent Van Gogh; His Paintings and Drawings, Amsterdam, 1970, p. 62, no. F55, illustrated
Paolo Lecaldano, Tout l'oeuvre peint de Van Gogh, 1881-1888, Paris, 1971, pp. 97 and 99, no. 75, illustrated
Jan Hulsker, The Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, 1980, pp. 124-125, no. 532, illustrated
Richard Bionda, ed., The Age of Van Gogh: Dutch Painting, 1880-1895, 1990, p. 11
Giovanni Testori and Luisa Arrigoni, Van Gogh: Catalogue Complete des Peintures, Paris, 1991, p. 44, no. 75, illustrated p. 45
Ingo Walther and Rainer Metzger, Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Paintings, vol. I, Cologne, 1993, p. 61, illustrated
Jan Hulsker, The New Complete Van Gogh, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 1996, p. 124-125, no. 532, illustrated
Louis van Tilborgh and Marije Vellekoop, Vincent van Gogh Paintings, Dutch period 1881-1885, Amsterdam, 1999, p. 78-82
Ingo Walther and Rainer Metzger, Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Paintings, col. I, Cologne, 2006, p. 61, illustrated

Exhibited:
1903, Rotterdam, Kunstzalen Oldenzeel, May
1950, The Hague, Gemeentemuseum, Verzameling H. P. Bremmer, March 9 - April 23, 1950, catalogue introduction by H. E. Van Gelder, no. 33
1955, Antwerp, Zaal Comite voor Artistieke Werking, Tentoonstelling Vincent van Gogh en zijn Hollandse Tijdgenoten, preface by Mark Edo Tralbaut, no. 7
1957, Essen, Villa Hugel, Vincent van Gogh, no. 188
1957, Luxembourg, Musee de l'Etat, Liege, Musee des Beaux Arts, Natures Mortes Hollandaises, 1550-1950, introduction by A. B. de Vries, no. 25, reproduced, p. 41
1960, Paris, Musee Jacquemart Andre, Vincent van Gogh, fevrier-mai, 1960, no. 9
's-Hertogenbosch, Noordbrabants Museum, Van Gogh in Brabant, November 2, 1987-January 10, 1988, p. 230-234