Vincent van Gogh made this drawing in varied hues of golden
brown ink as a study of a painting. The vertical composition,
whereby forms grow smaller and denser as the eye moves up, leads
the eye across the stubble of a newly cut wheat field framed by
gathered stacks of wheat. In the center, a man scythes a section
of the field while a woman bundles cut wheat under her arm. The
background shifts to the cityscape of Arles, where churches and
densely packed houses stretch across the horizon. A railroad
train and factories churning smoke into the sky signal the dawn
of the machine world and its effect on traditional ways of life.
This drawing embodies many of the characteristic features of van
Gogh's work: remarkably varied graphic strokes, a subject matter
that comments on the human condition, a golden glow that
suggests the warm light of southern France, and a balanced yet
dynamic composition.