In the context of this artwork, discuss the Artistic development and influences of the Background.
In 1880, when he was 27 years old, Van Gogh decided to become an artist.  In October of that year he moved to Brussels and began a beginner's course of study.Van Gogh returned to Etten in April 1881 to live with his parents and studied art on his own.  His younger brother Theo, an art dealer at the main branch of Goupil & Cie, encouraged him and started covering Van Gogh's expenses.Van Gogh used images from illustrated magazines to teach himself how to draw. Charles Bargue, a French artist, wrote two books on drawing that were a significant source of study for Van Gogh.  Both written in 1871, one is "Cours de dessin" and the other "Exercises au fusain pour préparer à l’étude de l’académie d’après nature," Van Gogh created copies of the drawings or adapted nude images for clothed depictions.In January 1882, he settled in The Hague where he called on his cousin-in-law, the painter Anton Mauve (1838–88).  Mauve introduced him to painting in both oil and watercolor and lent him money to set up a studio.Van Gogh began drawing people from the working poor, including the prostitute Clasina Maria "Sien" Hoornik (1850–1904), with whom he would become involved.  Van Gogh dreamed his studio would one day become a form of respite for the poor where they could receive food, shelter and money for posing.  His work was not well received; Mauve and H.G. Tersteeg, manager of Goupil & Cie, considered the drawings coarse and lacking charm.  Van Gogh likened the "unrefined" characteristics of his drawings to harsh "yellow soap" made of lye.Van Gogh's relationship with Sien changed as they lived together with Maria, her five-year-old daughter, to the great disappointment of his family.Mauve appears to have suddenly gone cold towards Van Gogh and did not return a number of his letters. Van Gogh supposed that Mauve did not approve of his domestic arrangement with Sien and her young daughter.  Van Gogh created a number of drawings of Sien and her daughter.  Having ended his relationship with Sien, Van Gogh moved to Drenthe in September 1883 and painted landscapes.  Three months later, he moved back in with his parents, who were at that point living in Nuenen.In 1884, Van Gogh created the weaver series, works of rural life and landscapes. For a brief period of time, he gave painting lessons in Eindhoven.  Near the end of the year, Van Gogh began experimenting with complementary colors, influenced by the color theories of Charles Blanc.Vincent made many studies of peasants in 1885, culminating in his first major painting, The Potato Eaters.  In his works, Van Gogh used particularly somber colors and colors mixed with black, which he felt was like that of 17th-century masters, such as Frans Hals.  His brother, Theo van Gogh (art dealer) had asked him often to lighten up his work, referring to the work of the Impressionists.  Once Van Gogh went to Paris, he did open up his palette to color and light and admitted that his works from this period were old-fashioned.Theodorus van Gogh, Vincent's father, died March 26, 1885.  In November, Vincent moved to Antwerp.
Charles Bargue Potato Eaters Theo Anton Mauve prostitute Clasina Maria "Sien" Hoornik Impressionists peasant The Potato Eaters working poor The Hague Nuenen oil watercolor Eindhoven Drenthe studio Frans Hals Theo van Gogh (art dealer) Charles Blanc