Sien
Monday, July 22, 2013 at 11:06AM 
Vincent van Gogh - Sien with Cigar Sitting on the Floor near Stove March-April 1882, The Hague - Pencil, pen and brush in black ink, white opaque watercolour on laid paper (two sheets), 452 x 557 mm - Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo (click photo for larger image)Dutch Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) settled in The Hague in late December 1881. At the beginning of 1882, he got to know Clasina Maria ("Sien") Hoornik (1850-1904), a drunken woman who had spent her life in a state of moral and physical misery. Vincent brought Sien and her children to live in his house, and used her as a model.
She drank and smoked cigars while he had to go hungry. Sien initially earned her bread as a prostitute and was already pregnant when she met van Gogh. Vincent was ready to marry her, but his brother, Theo, was against it. The relationship lasted eighteen months. Between March and May 1882, Vincent did a series of large-size drawings of Sien, of which the drawing featured here is probably the first and most impressive piece.
Reader Comments (1)
Thank you for this, Jill.I had not seen this before; it speaks through time.Miss you : ).