1. There are over 35 sel-
f-portraits by Vincent but
just one portrait photo of him.
There are over 35 self-portraits by Vin-
cent but just one portrait photo of him
3. The self-portraits tell
us something about his
personality.
There are over 35 self-portraits by Vin-
cent but just one portrait photo of him
2. Vincent didn’t paint
self-portraits because
he was vain.
There are over 35 self-portraits by Vin-
cent but just one portrait photo of him
4. Three self-portraits hint
at Vincent’s illness.
There are over 35 self-portraits by Vin-
cent but just one portrait photo of him
Only one portrait photo of Vincent has survived.
It shows him at the age of 19 with a slightly
gruff expression. Almost everything else we
know about his appearance comes from the
many self-portraits he painted.
No fewer than 35 of them are known.
They tell us that he had red hair, green eyes
and an angular face. Yet each of those faces
is diff erent. Vincent himself wrote:
‘People say – and I’m quite willing to believe
it – that it’s diffi cult to know oneself – but it’s
not easy to paint oneself either.’
Only one portrait photo of Vincent has survived.
It shows him at the age of 19 with a slightly gruff
expression. Almost everything else we know
about his appearance comes from the many
self-portraits he painted.
No fewer than 35 of them are known. They
tell us that he had red hair, green eyes and an
angular face. Yet each of those faces is diff erent.
Vincent himself wrote:
‘People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it
– that it’s diffi cult to know oneself – but it’s not
easy to paint oneself either.’
Vincent often presented himself as restrained
and serious in his self-portraits, with a look of
concentration on his face..
All the same, something of Vincent’s personality
can be found in each self-portrait. He described
the last one he did in Paris as ‘quite unkempt
and sad’ [...] something like, say, the face of –
death’. That’s how he felt at the time: mentally
and physically exhausted.
Only one portrait photo of Vincent has survived.
It shows him at the age of 19 with a slightly gruff
expression. Almost everything else we know
about his appearance comes from the many
self-portraits he painted.
No fewer than 35 of them are known. They
tell us that he had red hair, green eyes and an
angular face. Yet each of those faces is diff erent.
Vincent himself wrote:
‘People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it
– that it’s diffi cult to know oneself – but it’s not
easy to paint oneself either.’
Vincent produced his self-portraits because
he wanted to practise painting people.
The majority of them – over 25 – were done
while he was in Paris (1886–88). He was short
of money in that period and struggled
to fi nd models. So the artist chose
the simplest solution and painted himself.
Vincent produced his self-portraits because
he wanted to practise painting people.
The majority of them – over 25 – were done
while he was in Paris (1886–88). He was short
of money in that period and struggled to fi nd
models. So the artist chose the simplest solution
and painted himself.
On 23 December 1888, Vincent cut off his left
ear in a state of total confusion. It would be the
fi rst of a series of mental breakdowns. He was
reluctant to discuss the incident in his letters,
but he did ‘report’ on it in two self-portraits.
Vincent did not portray himself as a sick, broken
man for the sake of eff ect or to arouse pity. He
was convinced that painting would help him to
heal. ‘I retain all good hope’, he wrote to Theo.
Vincent produced his self-portraits because
he wanted to practise painting people.
The majority of them – over 25 – were done
while he was in Paris (1886–88). He was short
of money in that period and struggled to fi nd
models. So the artist chose the simplest solution
and painted himself.
Zoe — Van Gogh
Cangini&Tucci
