Elena Rossi
Vincent van Gogh produced no fewer than 35 self-portraits, the majority of which were painted while he was in Paris from 1886 to 1888. Van Gogh's self-portraits are among his best-known and most powerful images, with the artist often presenting himself as restrained and serious, with a look of concentration on his face. Van Gogh's self-portraits were executed because he wanted to practice painting people, and he often lacked the money to pay for models.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of self-portraits | 35 |
| Ear mutilation | Left ear |
| First self-portrait | 1886 |
| Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear | January 1889 |
| Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe | 1889 |
| Self-portrait with Grey Felt Hat | Spring 1887 |
| Self-portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat | Summer 1888 |
| Self-portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin | September 1888 |
| Self-portrait dedicated to Charles Laval | November/December 1888 |
| Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, Easel and Japanese Print | January 1889 |
| Painter on his way to work: Vincent van Gogh on the road to Montmajour | August 1888 |
| Self-portrait without beard | 1889 |
| Self-portrait, 'à l'oreille mutilée' | 1910 |
| Self-portrait with Felt Hat | December 1886-January 1887 |
| Self-portrait | September 1889 |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's self-portraits were painted between 1886 and 1889
Vincent van Gogh's self-portraits were painted between 1886 and 1889. The first self-portrait by van Gogh that survived is dated 1886. One of his earlier works, Self-Portrait with Felt Hat, dates from December 1886 to January 1887. In this portrait, van Gogh is depicted wearing a cravat and smart hat.
In 1887, van Gogh painted another self-portrait, this time with a grey felt hat. This portrait dates from the spring of that year, just a few months after he arrived in Paris from Antwerp and the Netherlands. Van Gogh's palette underwent a transformation during this period, with the drab Dutch tones of his earlier work giving way to strong, vibrant hues.
Van Gogh produced over 25 self-portraits during his time in Paris (1886-1888). He often lacked the money to pay for models, so he turned to self-portraiture as a means of practising painting people. One such example is the Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat, painted in the summer of 1888.
In December 1888, van Gogh suffered a mental breakdown and cut off his left ear. He depicted this act of self-mutilation in two self-portraits, including the famous Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, painted in January 1889. This portrait is a powerful testament to van Gogh's determination to continue painting despite his mental health struggles.
Van Gogh's self-portraits provide valuable insights into his appearance, personality, and inner thoughts. They are among his most well-known and powerful images, with their expressive brushwork and compelling use of colour.
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He painted about 35 self-portraits
Vincent van Gogh is believed to have painted between 35 and 40 self-portraits during his relatively short career as an artist. He produced the majority of these self-portraits—over 25—while living in Paris between 1886 and 1888. At this time, van Gogh was short of money and struggled to find models, so he became his own best sitter. As he wrote in a letter to his brother Theo, "I purposely bought a good enough mirror to work from myself, for want of a model."
Van Gogh's self-portraits span the years 1885 to 1889. The first self-portrait by van Gogh that survived is dated 1886. One of the earliest of van Gogh's self-portraits is "Self-Portrait with Dark Felt Hat", which was discovered late in a family collection and was not exhibited before 1945. Opinions differ about the date and place of its execution, with some art historians believing it was painted in Antwerp before 1886, and others arguing for Paris in spring or autumn of 1886.
Van Gogh's self-portraits reveal something of his personality. He often presented himself as restrained and serious, with a look of concentration on his face. However, in his last self-portrait produced in Paris, van Gogh described himself as "quite unkempt and sad... something like, say, the face of—death". This is how he felt at the time: mentally and physically exhausted.
Van Gogh's self-portraits also reflect the development of his artistic style. Early dark backgrounds gradually become lighter and more colourful, influenced by his move to France and his discovery of the work of the Impressionists.
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He painted them because he couldn't afford models
Vincent van Gogh produced at least 35 self-portraits during his short painting career, which lasted only about ten years from 1880 to 1890. He created the majority of these self-portraits—over 25—while he was in Paris between 1886 and 1888. During this period, van Gogh was short of money and struggled to find models, so he chose to paint himself.
Van Gogh's self-portraits served as a way for him to practice painting people. To save money, he sometimes painted self-portraits on the back of other paintings, thereby avoiding the cost of a model and an expensive canvas. For example, he painted his 1887 self-portrait on the back of a study for "The Potato Eaters", which he had made earlier in Nuenen.
Van Gogh's self-portraits also reveal something of his personality. He often presented himself as restrained and serious, with a look of concentration on his face. In his letters to his brother, Theo, van Gogh wrote:
> People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it – that it’s difficult to know oneself – but it’s not easy to paint oneself either.
In addition to being a cost-saving measure, van Gogh's self-portraits were a way for him to express his artistic power and personal struggles. For instance, he reported" on his mental breakdowns in two self-portraits, including the famous "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear" from 1889. This painting was created a week after van Gogh left the hospital, where he had received treatment for cutting off most of his left ear.
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His self-portraits reveal his mental state
Vincent van Gogh produced at least 35 self-portraits, and they offer a window into his mental state. Van Gogh himself wrote: "People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it – that it’s difficult to know oneself – but it’s not easy to paint oneself either."
Van Gogh's self-portraits often depicted him as restrained and serious, with a look of concentration on his face. However, each portrait reveals something of his personality. For example, he described his last self-portrait in Paris as "quite unkempt and sad [...] something like, say, the face of – death". He felt mentally and physically exhausted at the time.
Van Gogh's self-portraits also provide a record of his appearance, as only one portrait photograph of him is known to have survived. From the self-portraits, we learn that he had red hair, green eyes, and an angular face.
The self-portraits are especially revealing of Van Gogh's mental state following his self-mutilation of cutting off his left ear in December 1888. He "reported" on this incident in two self-portraits, one of which was painted a week after leaving the hospital. In these portraits, Van Gogh's face is bandaged, and they are thus powerful proof of his determination to continue painting despite his mental struggles.
One of Van Gogh's self-portraits, painted in an asylum in Saint-Rémy in 1889, has been described by experts as "a cry of anguish". The painting depicts someone who is mentally ill, with a timid, sideways glance often found in patients suffering from depression and psychosis. This portrait was painted after Van Gogh admitted that he was still ""disturbed" but felt able to paint again. It is a powerful expression of his mental health struggles and his attempt to reconcile himself with his illness.
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They were painted in Paris, Arles, and Saint-Rémy
Vincent van Gogh painted self-portraits in Paris, Arles, and Saint-Rémy between 1886 and 1890.
Van Gogh's self-portraits were often painted to practice painting people, as he frequently lacked the money to pay for models. He also believed that portraiture could reveal more about a person than photography, which he disliked. Van Gogh's self-portraits were, therefore, an attempt to capture a deeper likeness than a photograph could.
Van Gogh's self-portraits were painted in Paris between 1886 and 1888. During this time, his palette transformed from the drab Dutch tones he had used in the Netherlands to strong, vibrant hues. His self-portrait with a grey felt hat, painted in the spring of 1887, is an example of this transformation. Another self-portrait, painted in the summer of 1888, depicts Van Gogh with a wide-brimmed straw hat.
In Arles, Van Gogh painted a self-portrait dedicated to Charles Laval in November or December 1888. After a mental attack on 23 December 1888, Van Gogh mutilated his left ear. He painted several self-portraits with a bandaged ear in January 1889, including one with an easel and a Japanese print, which is now exhibited at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
Van Gogh's self-portraits painted in Saint-Rémy include one that he gave to his mother as a birthday gift. This self-portrait, known as "Self-Portrait without Beard," was painted after Van Gogh had shaved himself and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Another self-portrait, often called the Oslo self-portrait, was painted in the asylum in Saint-Rémy and is currently owned by the Nasjonalmuseet in Norway.
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Frequently asked questions
The first self-portrait by van Gogh that survived is dated 1886.
Vincent van Gogh painted at least 32 self-portraits over a 10-year period. However, some sources state that he painted 35 self-portraits.
Vincent van Gogh painted his self-portrait with a bandaged ear in January 1889, a week after leaving the hospital.
It is believed that Vincent van Gogh's last self-portrait was painted in September 1889. However, some sources state that his last self-portrait was painted without a beard just after he had shaved himself while in the hospital.
