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‘Potato Eaters’…Controversial Artwork at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum

Iconic 19th-century artist Vincent Van Gogh's painting "The Potato Eaters." (Getty Images)
Iconic 19th-century artist Vincent Van Gogh's painting "The Potato Eaters." (Getty Images)
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‘Potato Eaters’…Controversial Artwork at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum

Iconic 19th-century artist Vincent Van Gogh's painting "The Potato Eaters." (Getty Images)
Iconic 19th-century artist Vincent Van Gogh's painting "The Potato Eaters." (Getty Images)

The Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh is more famous for his cheerful paintings – his bright and light-flooded southern French landscapes. But now for the first time, Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum is devoting an exhibition exclusively to his early depiction of peasant life, full of darkness but also admiration.

"The Potato Eaters" is one of the first masterpieces by Van Gogh and without a doubt the artist's biggest "failure," at least according to its critics at the time. It depicts five people sitting in a cramped kitchen having dinner, their faces tired and distorted – bulbous noses, bony gnarled hands. The scene is dark and gloomy, according to the German News Agency.

About 50 paintings, sketches, drawings and letters will be on display from October 8, telling the story of the painting – a "story of ambition and perseverance," the director of the museum, Emily Gordenker, said. "The painting was never sold and never exhibited during Van Gogh's lifetime. Today, however, it is world-famous and considered a key work in the painter's development," she said.

Vincent Van Gogh painted "De aardappeleters" (potato eaters) in 1885 during a turbulent period he spent with his parents in Nuenen, in the southeast of the Netherlands. He made numerous studies and sketches for it.

It's one of Van Gogh's "most thought-out paintings," said Bregje Gerritse, curator of the museum. The painter himself described it as a "master's test" and, according to the curator, wanted to make his breakthrough with it. But the painting failed. Van Gogh received harsh criticism for this work, especially because of its use of gloomy colors and the distorted depiction of people's faces.

To bring the painting to life, the museum has now recreated the scene with a life-size, walk-in model for its spotlight exhibition.

"The Potato Eaters: Mistake or Masterpiece?" Van Gogh wanted to depict the harsh reality of peasant life, a life he himself admired. He deliberately showed the characters with coarse faces and bony hands worn from labor, Gerritse said. "Van Gogh wanted to show the peasants in all their roughness."

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On Belgian Coast, Fishing on Horseback -- and Saving a Tradition

Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
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On Belgian Coast, Fishing on Horseback -- and Saving a Tradition

Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP

Panniers strapped to their haunches, a team of horses waded collar-deep through North Sea waters -- hauling wide nets along the Belgian coast as cawing seagulls swirl all around.
In the saddle, clad head to toe in yellow oilskins, riders steered them parallel with the beach in Oostduinkerke -- the last place on Earth, they say, where the tradition of shrimp-fishing on horseback lives on, AFP reported.
Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom has all but died out -- but a community of enthusiasts has kept the flame going in this coastal town, earning a spot on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
They do not fish for profit, but the rare spectacle they offer has become a tourist draw for the small town, situated half an hour from the French border.
Back in the day, historians explain, poor farmers used to ride to the coast to fish -- as a way to supplement their diet.
At first they pulled their nets by hand, later using mules then eventually workhorses able to haul much larger, heavier loads. The method was used in Belgium, the Netherlands, northern France and the south of England.
'Unique'
On this sunny day in late October, a group of five headed out at low tide to fish for grey shrimp.
"This is the only place in the world where shrimp-fishing is still practiced with horses," fisherman Gunther Vanbleu told AFP as he sorted his catch on the beach -- surrounded by a curious crowd of smartphone-wielding onlookers.
"You're working with your horse, you're in the sea and the combination of everything at the same time -- the pleasure of catching fish or catching shrimp, all of that together makes it fun," he said.
This time around, some 200 people gathered -- in rubber boots or barefoot -- to watch the afternoon show under crisp blue skies.
"There is always a lot of interest from people, because it is unique," Vanbleu said.
Not for sale
The day's catch -- a few kilograms of shrimp -- is not for sale: it will be cooked up by the dozen families who keep the tradition going and shared among friends.
But the sight alone continues to draw tourists from April to October.
"I think that this will always exist in the municipality," said Vanbleu.
After the custom won UNESCO recognition in 2013, a committee was set up whose purpose is to ensure it is kept alive, he explained.
"I think that it will continue forever," he said.
Asked about the possible impact of climate change, Vanbleu said he has seen some shifts over the years.
"We do notice that something has changed a little, such as the temperature of the water -- it's maybe a little warmer than usual."
"And we are seeing other animal species arrive here," he said. "Maybe if the water gets too warm, the shrimp will move to colder water... in 30 or 40 years."
"If it comes to that, we will see," said Vanbleu -- who for now, come rain or shine, plans to keep riding out to sea.