Van Gogh First Steps after Millet Ceramic Tree Decoration

First Steps (after Millet) by Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas, 1890, is a painting of a farmer and his wife teaching their young toddler child how to walk in the garden behind their humble farm house. Van Gogh copied the composition from a work by the French Barbizon realist painter Jean-Francois Millet, whose portrayals of the nobility of peasants, farmers and workers influenced Van Gogh greatly. Van Gogh painted numerous copies after the artists he admired, especially Millet, in the final years of his life. Van Gogh translates the earthy realism, sculptural form and classical, earth-toned palette into the manner of his mature, Post-Impressionist style, like a composer playing variations of a previous artist's work.