Noon: Rest from Work (after Millet)
Painting on canvas • Vincent van Gogh
Style & Movement
Post-Impressionism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, demonstrating heavy impasto, rhythmic linear brushwork, and expressive use of color to define form and light.
Creation Period
January 1890
Dimensions & Format
73 cm x 91 cm (28.7 in x 35.8 in); landscape format.
Subject Description
A rural scene depicting a peasant couple napping in the shadow of a large haystack during the heat of midday. Their sickles are laid aside, and their wooden shoes (sabots) are removed. In the background a wagon and oxen are visible. The work is a reinterpretation of Jean-François Millet's 'La Méridienne.'
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent/Very Good; currently house in a controlled museum environment.
Estimated Market Value
$100 million - $150 million+ (as a masterpiece by Van Gogh, it is considered virtually priceless).
Auction Estimate
$120 million - $180 million (speculative, as the work is in a permanent public collection).
Provenance History
Formerly in the collection of Dr. Paul Gachet, Auvers-sur-Oise; subsequently donated to the French state; currently held by the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
Art Historical Significance
Painted during Van Gogh's stay at the asylum in Saint-Rémy de Provence. It represents his 'translations' of works by artists he admired. It is a key example of his late style, where he replaces Millet’s somber realism with a vibrant, contrasting palette of blues and yellows.
Notable Features
The use of complementary colors (violet-blue and orange-yellow) creates a vibrant intensity. The rhythmic, swirling brushstrokes in the sky and hay represent Van Gogh's unique psychological and stylistic signature.
Condition Issues
Visible surface craquelure consistent with age and the thickness of the impasto application; minor yellowing of aged varnish typical of 19th-century oils.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain strictly controlled humidity (45-55%) and temperature (20-22°C); use UV-filtered lighting at low lux levels; professional stabilization of any lifting impasto if detected.