The period beginning with Vincent's stay in Etten gives us some of his earliest paintings. Often flat in appearance and sometimes dreary, they reflect his poverty and difficulties with friends, family, and finding his place in the world. Common themes were farmers, cottages, and local landscapes. While living in The Hague he learned painting techniques from his cousin, the artist Anton Mauve, who initially thought Vincent a dullard but then saw potential in him. Finally he spent time in the Dutch province of Drenthe, at that time a rural area popular with artists as a subject. Theo van Gogh supported Vincent financially even in these early days, but hard times and loneliness caused Vincent to return to his parent's home in Nuenen. Despite the challenges, which included unrequited love with a cousin and an affair with a pregnant prostitute, both of which caused family strife, Vincent persevered in his study of art Though these early pieces sometimes lack the power of later works, this early collection reveals the development of artistic genius.
 | Still Life With Cabbage and Clogs Etten November, December 1881 F 1, JH 81 |
 | Still Life With Beer Mug and Fruit No longer considered to be painted by Vincent van Gogh F 1a, JH 82 |
 | Beach at Scheveningen in Calm Weather The Hague August 1882 F 2, JH 173 |
 | Dunes The Hague August 1882 F 2a, JH 176 |
 | Women Mending Nets in the Dunes The Hague August 1882 F 7, JH 178 |
 | A Girl in the Street, Two Coaches in the Background The Hague August 1882 F 13, JH 179 |
 | Girl in the Woods The Hague August 1882 F 8a, JH 180 |
 | Two Women in a Wood The Hague August 1882 F 1665, JH 181 |
 | Girl in White in the Woods The Hague August 1882 F 8, JH 182 |
 | Edge of a Wood The Hague August 1882 F 192, JH 184 |
 | Man Stooping with Stick or Spade The Hague August 1882 F 12, JH 185 |
 | Dunes With Figures The Hague August 1882 F 3, JH 186 |
 | View of the Sea at Scheveningen The Hague 21 or 22 August 1882 F 4, JH 187 |
 | Fisherman on the Beach The Hague August 1882 F 5, JH 188 |
 | Scheveningen Woman The Hague August 1882 F 6, JH 189 |
 | Cluster of Old Houses With the New Church in The Hague The Hague August 1882 F 204, JH 190 |
 | Bulb Fields The Hague April 1883 F 186, JH 361 |
 | Three Figures Near a Canal With Windmill The Hague August 1883, tentatively F 1666, JH 383 |
 | A Wind Beaten Tree The Hague August 1883 F 10, JH 384 |
 | Potato Digging (Five Figures) The Hague August 1883 F 9, JH 385 |
 | Footbridge Across a Ditch The Hague August-September 1883 F 189, JH 386 |
 | Cows in the Meadow The Hague August 1883 F 15, JH 387 |
 | Lying Cow F 1b, JH 388 The Hague August 1883 F 1b, JH 388 |
 | Lying Cow F 1c, JH 389 The Hague August 1883 F 1c, JH 389 |
 | Farmhouses in Loosduinen near The Hague at Twilight The Hague August 1883 F 16, JH 391 |
 | The Sower, Study The Hague August 1883 F 11, JH 392 |
 | In the Dunes The Hague September 1883 F 15a, JH 393 |
 | Marshy Landscape The Hague August - September 1883 No F Number Assigned, JH 394 |
 | Cottages Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe Painted October - November 1883 F 17, JH 395 |
 | Farmhouse Among Trees The Hague Painted September 1883 F 18, JH 397 |
 | Two Women In The Moor Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe Painted October 1883 F 19, JH 409 |
 | Landscape With a Church at Twilight Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe Painted October 1883 F 188, JH 413 |
 | Peat Boat With Two Figures Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe Painted October 1883 F 21, JH 415 |
 | Peasant Burning Weeds Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe Painted October 1883 F 20, JH 417 |
 | Farmhouse With Stacks of Peat Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe Painted November 1883 F 22, JH 421 |
| Vincent's Next Period Was In Nuenen and Antwerp. |
