Vincent
Van Gogh - Self Portrait: Saint-Rémy
(oil on canvas, 1889)
Musée
d'Orsay, Paris
Vincent
Van Gogh charted his development as an artist in an amazing
series of candid self portraits. These not only record
the changes in his painting technique, but also reveal
his psychological decline with a humility and honesty
not seen since the self portraits of Rembrandt. In the
last five years of his life he painted over thirty self
portraits.
The
self portrait above from the Musée d'Orsay brings
together all the elements of Van Gogh's later work: a
choice of colour that reflects his emotional state and
a style of drawing that pulsates with energy. It was painted
shortly after he left the St. Remy asylum in July 1889
and shows that he was still fighting his demons. It is
arguably the most intense self portrait in the history
of art.
This
painting is a portrait of Van Gogh's internal crisis.
His piercing eyes hold you transfixed but their focus
is not on what is happening outside, but inside his head.
The energy of the picture builds from the eyes which are
the most tightly drawn feature. The rhythms of his brushstrokes
spread across the planes of his face, gaining energy as
they ripple through his jacket and hair, and finally burst
into the churning turbulence of the ice-blue background.
The cool blues and greens that he uses are normally calm
colours, but when they are contrasted with his vivid red
hair and beard they strike a jarring note which perfectly
sets the psychological tone of the portrait. This is a
very courageous image of a man trying to hold himself
together as he wrestles with his inner fears.
Vincent
Van Gogh - Self Portrait
(oil on canvas, 1886)
Van
Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
This
self portrait, painted before Van Gogh's move to Paris,
is typical of his earlier paintings. The dark earthy tones,
which are characteristic of traditional Dutch painting,
are used to create an image of humble dignity. This work
is influenced by the art of Anton Mauve who was Van Gogh's
cousin-in-law and tutor in the early 1880's. The style
of the image, particularly the beard and hair, bear a
strong resemblance to a Mauve
himself.
Vincent
Van Gogh - Self Portrait
(oil on canvas, 1887)
Art
Institute of Chicago
In
Paris, Van Gogh was influenced by the artist Georges
Seurat who devised a painting technique called Pointillism.
Seurat painted in tiny dots of unmixed colours which fuse
into subtle hues as the spectator steps back to take in
the image. However, without Seurat's patient and analytical
approach to the technique, Van Gogh's attempt at pointillism
was generally clumsy, but it does start to reveal the
main element of his his true genius - a natural instinct
for the expressive and emotional power of colour.
Vincent
Van Gogh - Self Portrait
(oil on canvas, 1887)
Rijksmuseum,
Amsterdam
This
portrait displays the influence of Impressionism
on Van Gogh's use of colour and brushwork.
The
Impressionists tried to create the colour of natural light
by only using pure hues as seen in the colours of the
rainbow. They banished pre--mixed browns, blacks and greys
from their paintings. Instead, they replaced them with
unmixed dashes of pure colour. For example, Van Gogh's
jacket is painted with red and green brushstrokes which
fuse together on the canvas. Some areas mix naturally
to form a brown, but some still retain the dashes of the
pure unmixed colours. These mix optically in the eye of
the spectator and increase the vitality of the colour.
The
vigour of Van Gogh's brushwork heightens the expressive
qualities of this self-portrait. The physical texture
of his brushstrokes helps to convey the roughness of his
tweed jacket and the softness of his felt hat.
Vincent
Van Gogh - Self Portrait
(oil on canvas, 1888)
Van
Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
In
this work we have a perfect balance between the vitality
of Van Gogh's colour and the energy of his brushwork.
His
confidence and control of colour is approaching its peak.
The tones of the face form a traditional, realistic portrait.
But the colours used to create these tones explode like
a firework of red, orange, yellow, white, lilac, sky blue
and green brushstrokes. He harnesses the energy of his
brushstrokes by controlling their rhythm, size and direction.
They radiate outwards from his eyes to eventually build
the blue and orange aura that encircles his head.
Vincent
Van Gogh - Self Portrait
(oil on canvas, 1889)
Courtald
Institute, London
This
self portrait with a bandaged ear is one of two famous
versions.
It
was Van Gogh's dream to form an artists' colony in Arles
with his friend, the painter Paul Gauguin. After Gauguin's
arrival it gradually became obvious that their personalities
clashed and they could not work together. They frequently
quarreled and after one exchange Van Gogh lost his self
control and attacked Gauguin. This resulted in the famous
incident when Van Gogh, overwhelmed by remorse and depression,
cut off the lobe of his ear.
This
painting, which was created within two weeks of that breakdown,
is most certainly the calm after the storm. He takes a
quiet and detached look at himself and expresses a feeling
of renewed hope through his bright colours and simplified
drawing. A clue to the origin of this bold style is found
in the Japanese woodblock print on the wall behind him.
Van
Gogh suffered from a nervous condition which caused him
to experience extreme mood swings. Although his illness
was responsible for his dark periods of depression and
eventual death, he also experienced periods of elation
when he painted with a unique understanding of the emotional
properties of colour and how to use them at their highest
pitch. People seem to instinctively recognise this quality
when they look at his paintings and they appreciate the
great personal price he paid for the masterpieces that
he created. This is what makes Van Gogh one of the most
popular artists in the history of art.
-
In
1869 at the age of 15, Vincent Van Gogh trained and
worked for five years as an art dealer for 'Goupil
et Cie' at their branches in the Hague and London.
Eventually he became resentful about the commercialism
surrounding the sale of artworks, insulted customers
and was fired.
-
In
1886 he went to live with his brother Theo in Paris
where he was influenced by Impressionism
and Post
Impressionism. The colours in his paintings brightened
spectacularly and his output increased dramatically
with over 200 paintings done in the two years that
he spent there.
-
In
1888, he set off with the intention of forming an
artists' colony in Arles with his friend, the painter
Paul Gauguin. After Gauguin's arrival it gradually
became obvious that their personalities clashed and
they could not work together. They frequently quarreled
and after one exchange Van Gogh lost his self control
and attacked Gauguin. This resulted in the famous
incident when Van Gogh, overwhelmed by remorse and
depression, cut off the lobe of his left ear.
-
In
1889, his depression deepened and entered the hospital
at St. Remy, near Arles. The paintings that he produced
here, such as ‘Starry
Night’ show a corresponding increase in
their emotive power as his brushwork becomes more
convulsive.
-
In
1890, he moved to Auvers-sur-Oise and lodged at the
Ravoux Inn as this was closer to his brother Theo.
His condition gradually deteriorated and on Sunday
29 July 1890, he walked out into a field and shot
himself in the chest. He managed to stagger back to
the inn but died two days later with his brother at
his bedside. According to Theo, his last words were,
‘’la tristesse durera toujours’
– ‘the sadness will last forever’.
