The sower - Vincent van Gogh in Etten the gateway to a career

The title already infers that this publication does not only limit itself to an historical description of the nine months Vincent van Gogh spent in Etten. The significance of his sojourn in this village in Brabant, shortly after the moment he decided to become an artist, goes beyond that. The choices he makes here, at the beginning of his career, determined to a large degree the further course of his artistic calling.
The first essay deals, more or less chronologically, with Vincent's sojourn in Etten, with the study methods he used, with his subject matter and his models. It makes clear by what and by whom he let himself be inspired. The second essay is a further exploration of this, and is concerned with the significance of the Etten period for Van Gogh's later work. Numerous examples show that the themes and his drawing style from this period return again and again in the works he made afterwards.
The two main essays are followed by an annotated catalogue of all known works of the Etten period, in accordance with the most recent scholarly insights.