"The potato eaters' shows a peasant family partaking of their evening meal by the scanty light of an oil lamp. The painting is built up of wide, coarse brushstrokes. While paying little attention to detail, Van Gogh emphasises the light-dark effects all the more. The outer surrounding area of the painting, which is built up of darker tints, contrasts sharply with the areas lit by the oil lamp, the only light source in the work.