Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
The Siesta (after Millet), December 1889-January 1890 - Oil on canvas. H. 73; W. 91 cm; musée d'Orsay
The siesta was painted while Van Gogh was interned in a mental asylum in Saint-Rémy de Provence. The composition is taken from a drawing by Millet for Four Moments in the Day. To justify his act, Vincent told his brother Theo: "I am using another language, that of colours, to translate the impressions of light and dark into black and white". Van Gogh often copied the works of Millet, whom he considered to be "a more modern painter than Manet".