First Steps, after Millet. Vincent van Gogh; image: Rawpixel. Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting, digitally enhanced by rawpixel-com 9.jpg (source). CC BY-SA 4.0. Digitally enhanced by Rawpixel. Image adaptations remain available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
First Steps, after Millet
Vincent van Gogh · 1890, January
- Catalog
- F668
- Date
- 1890, January
- Place painted
- Saint-Rémy
- Museum
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
About the painting
First Steps, after Millet is one of Van Gogh's deeply personal interpretations of works by his artistic hero, Jean-François Millet. Painted at the Saint-Rémy asylum, these copies allowed him to engage with masters while developing his own expressive style. This painting depicts a tender domestic scene: a mother guiding her child's first steps towards a waiting father. Van Gogh translates Millet's subdued realism into his own vibrant, emotionally charged language. The figures are robust and almost sculptural, rendered with his characteristic thick outlines and strong blocks of color. The background is imbued with warmth. This painting testifies to Van Gogh's profound admiration for Millet and his ability to infuse existing compositions with his unique emotional and stylistic power.
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Whether it is currently on view should be confirmed with the museum before visiting.
Research note: this entry is based on an evolving catalog. Dates, attribution, location and visitor information should be verified against the institution’s current records.