In the final year of his life, Vincent van Gogh turned to the work of another artist for inspiration, creating The Woodcutter (after Millet) while confined at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. This painting is one of several that Van Gogh made as “translations” of Jean-François Millet’s celebrated images of rural laborers, a practice he described in his letters as a way to “refresh myself by working on something entirely different.” These reinterpretations were not mere copies; Van Gogh used them to experiment with color, brushwork, and emotional intensity, transforming the originals into something unmistakably his own. At the center of The Woodcutter (after Millet) stands a solitary figure, axe raised mid-swing, caught in the act of splitting wood. The moment Van Gogh chose is one of tension and concentration: the woodcutter’s body bends forward, muscles taut, eyes fixed on the log.

Around him, the landscape is rendered in bold, rhythmic strokes, the earth and trees almost pulsing with energy. Unlike Millet’s more subdued palette, Van Gogh’s version is alive with contrasting colors—deep greens, ochres, and flashes of blue—turning a scene of humble labor into a vivid drama. Where Millet’s woodcutter is stoic and monumental, Van Gogh’s is restless, the brushwork itself echoing the physical effort of the task. The precise early history of this painting is not fully documented, but it is known that Van Gogh made it as part of a series of works after Millet during his time in Saint-Rémy in 1889.

These paintings were not commissioned, but rather created for Van Gogh’s own study and solace, as he sought structure and meaning during his stay at the asylum. Today, The Woodcutter (after Millet) stands as a testament to Van Gogh’s admiration for Millet and his ability to find kinship with the rural poor. The painting remains a vivid example of how Van Gogh’s late period was shaped by both personal struggle and a deep engagement with the art of the past.