Van Gogh Blog » Van Gogh Self Portrait

Van Gogh Portrait – Vincent or Theo

Sonya — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:34:46 +0000

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of coverage in the news about a Van Gogh self-portrait (Self Portrait with Straw Hat, 1887), shown below, which is now thought by the Van Gogh Museum to be a portrait not of Vincent, but instead of his brother Theo van Gogh. The findings come from research by the Van Gogh Museum research team and as part of the exhibition “Van Gogh in Antwerp and Paris: New Perspectives,” which opened at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on June 22 of this year. It is thought that the painting was “the companion painting” to Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait, 1887 in which he is wearing a grey felt hat. The differences in the two portraits pointed out by the museum are in the beards as well as the eye color and ear shape. If the research proves true, this would be the only known portrait that Van Gogh painted of his brother Theo. The exhibition runs until the 18 of September 2011, so if you are in the Amsterdam area this summer, be sure to take a look to see for yourself. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, read more about their research here.

Share your thoughts and comment; do you think the portrait in question is Vincent or Theo?

Van Gogh Self Portraits

Sonya — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:42:40 +0000

From the years 1886 through 1889 Van Gogh completed over 30 self-portrait paintings. This is not only an incredible number of self-portraits in general, but to have completed so many in such a short time frame is impressive as well. Despite the fact that these were all painted within the span of just a few years, Van Gogh’s appearance changes dramatically from one to the next. His early self-portraits, much like his earlier paintings, are dark and often in shadows, while his later ones are full of the color and light. While each resembles what we know Van Gogh to look like, his paintings and perception of himself changes. His impressions of himself are honest, not idealized, often conveying looks of pain in his eyes. View some of Van Gogh’s self-portraits below, or view this video compilation of his self-portraits to see them change over the years.

Van Gogh and Gauguin

Sonya — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:46:41 +0000

Throughout history artists have worked together and inspired each other. Possibly one of the most recognized pairs of artists who had profound influences on each other was Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. One reason this is so well known is because of the collection of Van Gogh’s letters, which chronicles his artistic development first-hand, is an incredible record of the artist’s journey which we do not have in such great detail for many other artists. In addition, Van Gogh and Gauguin lived and worked together in a yellow house in Arles during 1888 called the Studio of the South. It was here that Van Gogh painted Sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s room and here that the artists collaborated constantly learning from each other’s style and techniques.

The link between these two artists is so great that exhibitions have been held around these two artists and their influences on each other. The Art Institute of Chicago had an exhibition a number of years ago called Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South. On the site you will find information about the artists as well as a slide show and maps of Arles. In addition, The Van Gogh Museum has an interactive site which provides quotes from letters and images of paintings by the artists.

Below are some of Van Gogh’s paintings from this time.

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin, September, 1888

Paul Gauguin’s Armchair, December, 1888

Van Gogh Photo

Sonya — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:43:24 +0000

Recently, a photo of Vincent van Gogh has been the topic of many discussions surrounding Van Gogh. The photo can be seen on VanGoghFoto.com where it states that it has been proven to be a photo of Vincent van Gogh from 1886. The photo is also in the book by Ken Wilkie The Van Gogh File, the Myth and The Man. While there are known images of Van Gogh’s family members, there are very few of Van Gogh himself especially as an adult. Since this is thought to be one of the few photos of Van Gogh, we would love to get your opinion about the photo and whether or not you think it resembles the likeness he captured in so many of his self portraits such as these. Comment and share your thoughts.

Van Gogh Foto

Van Gogh Photo?

Comparing Van Gogh Photos