The Smoker, 1888 Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Vincent van Gogh also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

In case the delivery date needs to be extended in time, or we are overloaded with requests, there will be an email sent to you sharing the new timelines of production and delivery.

TOPofART wants to remind you to keep patient, in order to get you the highest quality, being our mission to fulfill your expectations.

We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting The Smoker is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

We offer free shipping as well as paid express transportation services.

After adding your artwork to the shopping cart, you will be able to check the delivery price using the Estimate Shipping and Tax tool.

The paintings we create are only of museum quality. Our academy graduated artists will never allow a compromise in the quality and detail of the ordered painting. TOPofART do not work, and will never allow ourselves to work with low quality studios from the Far East. We are based in Europe, and quality is our highest priority.

In "The Smoker" (1888), Vincent van Gogh offers a fascinating glimpse into rural life, portraying a local farm worker with a strong sense of realism and a touch of abstraction. Painted during his time in Arles, this portrait evokes the rough-hewn simplicity of the region’s working class, a lifestyle Van Gogh both respected and romanticized. The subject’s ruddy cheeks and sun-worn face speak to long days laboring outdoors, while his weathered coat, painted in loose, earthy strokes, suggests a life of humble perseverance.

The smoker’s pipe is almost an extension of his being, clenched tightly in his lips, while soft wisps of smoke rise from it in just a few deft strokes of Van Gogh’s brush. These subtle, almost impressionistic details - the unblended texture of the ear and the light flicks of white indicating the smoke - add a vibrant dynamism to the painting. The broad strokes and thick layers of paint create a tangible, rugged texture, as if the painter himself were trying to mimic the coarse reality of the sitter’s existence.

Though the piece contains moments of imprecision, such as the hat and coat rendered in broad, muddy patches, Van Gogh never loses sight of the man’s humanity. He captures the quiet dignity of a momentary pause from work - pipe in hand, eyes contemplative. This painting, with its thick impasto and earthy palette, beautifully reflects Van Gogh's deep connection to the people of Arles, his fascination with their daily lives, and his desire to immortalize the mundane in a way that feels both intimate and universal.