An old woman stares out of the canvas and past the viewer. She wears a blank expression; the lines on her face echo the folds of her dress.

Here, in what was perhaps one of his first portraits, Van Gogh described a resident of Arles in the South of France. He had moved there only a short time previously but already this rural place had made a considerable impression upon him.

Van Gogh went on to stay in Arles for more than a year and throughout, he used the locals as his models. The emphasis on the face - and the evident interest in its imperfections - is typical of his approach to such subjects. The use of blue and green in this canvas, however, is particularly distinctive. He employed these cool tones in all areas of the composition; even the whites of the sitter''''''''s eyes are jade in colour.