Writer at his Table

For Van Gogh, the drawing designated the final and completed work. In The Hague, where he lived from 1881 to 1883, he drew scenes from the city surroundings, fields, and public places. He considered it exceptionally important that in presenting everyday, ordinary people and situations, one should not strive for anecdotal but higher, universal values. During this period, Van Gogh, to better process the form and achieve a wide range of dark effects, mostly worked with different softness pencils. In addition to pencils, he also used ink. In the drawing "Writer at his table", most of the composition, especially the background, is elaborated in sepia ink. Wide, short strokes are achieved by using a blunt, thicker or second-hand metal pen. Van Gogh did not like thin, expensive feathers, which reminded him of the civic wealth that disgusted him.