Still life with a bearded-man jar

Students
Van Gogh learns the basics of painting from his cousin by marriage Anton Mauve. Mauve has him paint still lifes, as this is the easiest genre to begin with. A few years later, when Van Gogh has four students of his own – the goldsmith Antoon Hermans, the tanner Anton Kerssemakers, the telegraph operator Willem van de Wakker and Dimmen Gestel – he reverts to this tried and tested approach.

Hermans’ collection
Antoon Hermans has a collection of jars, pots, bowls, vases and bottles that the painters use for their still lifes. His role as a teacher encourages Van Gogh to take up still life painting again himself and he paints enthusiastically with his students. The tobacco pot and bearded-man jar shown here are probably from Hermans’ collection.

Tubes of paint
Initially, Van Gogh receives nothing for his work as a teacher, but he intends to ‘gradually get people to pay something – not in money, however, but by telling them you must give me tubes of paint. Because I want to paint a lot – continually, and I want to get to a position where I no longer have to work at half speed – but can paint from morning till night’.