Sorrow
Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853–1890
1882
A lithograph by Vincent van Gogh showing a nude woman curled forward with her face hidden, an attempt to capture private grief and honest human feeling through direct, economical drawing.
What hits you first is the blunt, urgent line—the hair swept forward and limbs folded tightly—and the minimal, rough shading and the handwritten title “Sorrow” that make the body read as a contained, physical emotion.
Made in Van Gogh’s early years as a draughtsman, this print bridges nineteenth‑century realist figure study and a new emphasis on emotional truth, anticipating the expressive intensity of modern art.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
composition: 15 3/8 × 11 3/4" (39.1 × 29.9 cm); sheet: 18 3/8 × 14 5/8" (46.7 × 37.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
332.1951
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
