Variations of Van Gogh's Self-Portraits

    Although he is one of the most commonly known artists to this day, Vincent Van Gogh was not always as widely appreciated or recognized. This was especially true in his lifetime, as he spent most of his years very poor and suffering from psychotic episodes and delusions.

    Van Gogh had a brief stay in Paris between the years of 1886-1888. During his stay, he worked to develop his skill as a artist, producing over 25 self-portraits. This was not because he had an excessive amount of self interest or pride, but because its as the best way to practice his skills on a limited budget. With that information in mind, it is easy to understand why all of his self-portraits are distinguishable despite capturing the same subject in each one. He was not always looking to necessarily portray himself in the most accurate light, but to practice different approaches to the same subject in order to strengthen his skills. Van Gogh uses similar brush strokes and a fairly similar color palette throughout all of the portraits but each one has their own sense of identity.

    This exhibition displays six of Van Gogh's self-portraits from throughout his stay in Paris, specifically in 1887, and highlights his ability to not only display the same subject uniquely every time to advance his abilities as an artist, but also his determination to do so with limited funding.

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat

Vincent Van Gogh

1887

Oil on canvas

40.6 cm x 31.8 cm

New York, Metropolitan Museum - 67.187.70a

This energetic piece was done on the backside of another one of Van Gogh's works, The Potato Peeler. The fact that he does this displays his desperation to practice his painting on whatever surface or canvas that he has available to him. This piece also does well to highlight each individual and separate color used to create movement across the canvas. While he sticks to his theme concerning brushstroke and colors palette in this painting, he varies in the way that his facial features are more developed in this piece as opposed to others. This reveals an effort to challenge his style and develop his painting skills more precisely. 

Self-Portrait with Straw Hat

Vincent Van Gogh

July-August 1887

oil on canvas

41.8 cm x 31.5 cm

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh paints this piece in a dominantly dark blue color, making it a bit difficult to determine where his coat ends and the background begins, but drawing great attention to his face and hat because of the contrast. Additionally, while his brush strokes are still noticeable throughout the painting, they are much less distinct, particularly in his face, than the majority of his self-portraits. In addition to the subtle brush strokes, his face is also less detailed and somewhat sunken in compared to the others.

Self-Portrait with Straw Hat and Pipe

Vincent Van Gogh

July-August 1887

Oil on canvas

42.5 cm x 32.1 cm

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum

In this piece, Van Gogh again uses a heavily blue palette but here the background is more distinguishable from his coat. With the heavily blue palette, darker skin pigment, and additional rustic colored touches, this piece appears much darker than the others, showing a variation in his use of color and value. Additionally, his brush strokes, while still identifiable, have continued to grow less distinct. Van Gogh also adds a pipe to this portrait, expanding the image content and differentiating it from the others.

Self-Portrait with Straw Hat

Vincent Van Gogh

August-September 1887

Oil on cardboard

40.9 cm x 32.8 cm

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum

Although sticking to his theme of self-portraits and distinct brush strokes, this piece in particular is easier to distinguish from the others. In this painting, Van Gogh strays from his color theme, painting himself in a tan coat rather than the blue used in every other piece. He also makes the decision to paint himself with two different colored eyes here, and uses large splotchy strokes in the background rather than having them all run together. These differences help to show Van Gogh's interest in developing his skills by trying new tactics in his works.

Self Portrait with Grey Felt Hat

Vincent Van Gogh

September-October 1887

Oil on cotton

44.5 cm x 37.2 cm

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum

This piece is the largest in the exhibition and also portrays Van Gogh in a felt hat rather than the straw hat which is used in each of the other portraits. Additionally, unlike the others, this piece is painted on cotton as opposed to canvas or cardboard. These difference help to portray Van Gogh's willingness to practice on anything and change up his depiction of himself in order to develop his abilities further. However, this painting is much like the first self-portrait in this exhibition, in the way he portrays his face with more detailed features and evident brushstrokes, and mimics two of the earlier portraits in his heavy use of blue.

Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat

Vincent Van Gogh

September-October 1887

Oil on canvas

41.9 cm x 30.1 cm

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum

This piece is more noticeably different from the others purely based on the difference in color value used. In this portrait, Van Gogh strays from the darker primary color palette and uses a much brighter blue for his clothing paired with a nearly white background that appears to be textured. He also alters the style of straw hat used here, where the rim of the hat falls downward rather than curving back up, and he uses less detail in developing his face on this piece. However, Van Gogh continues to be consistent in the repeated lines seen in his brush strokes to develop movement across the artwork.