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  Gertler's radical portrait of his mother, Golda, has an impact that belies its small size. The simplification of the figure and bold palette reflect his admiration for the Post-Impressionists, particularly Van Gogh, but also his own personal and artistic journey.
  Born to Jewish, working-class, immigrant parents, but propelled by his talent into a different social sphere, Gertler articulates his deep ambivalence about class and belonging in this transformation of Golda into a peasant with huge, working hands. He called the portrait 'barbaric and symbolic', explaining that it was meant to show 'suffering and a life that has known hardship'.