Van Gogh was a well-known Post-Impressionist painter in the Netherlands, who had a profound influence on the art of the twentieth century, especially Fauvism and Expressionism, and was thus known as the "father of modern art". Unfortunately, Van Gogh was not successful during his lifetime, and his paintings were not recognized by many people, and he was deeply tormented by mental illness. It is said that between 1885 and 1889, Van Gogh painted more than 40 self-portraits, but only 38 can now find clear paintings and specific provenance.
These self-portraits present us with the image of an angry, crazy, melancholy and determined genius artist.
This is the first self-portrait painted by Van Gogh, a work of sketches with furrowed brows and firm eyes.
The early self-portraits were all completed in Paris, except for the last one in early 1887, the rest were completed in 1886.
At this time, Van Gogh had not yet been influenced by the Impressionist school, and the overall tone of the painting was still relatively deep, giving people a depressing feeling. At this time, Van Gogh was indeed in a more melancholy stage, and he began to starve and be treated for syphilis. With 10 teeth extracted, Van Gogh grew a beard to cover up the defects in his cheeks.
Self-portrait in a straw hat
These self-portraits in straw hats were all completed in 1887, when they began to be influenced by Impressionism and became brighter in color. Unlike the clothing of the middle class before them, these self-portraits in straw hats show Van Gogh as a peasant, which indicates the author's own yearning for rural life. The bright blue, green and yellow backgrounds are all depictions of the rural environment, and these costumes were all depicted when Van Gogh painted peasants before.
Point painting self-portrait
These works were also completed in 1887, and the common denominator is that they all use the stippled painting method. The dot color method is one of the representative techniques of Impressionism, which is based on the various monochromatic lights in the spectrum to form the color of all things, and combines them with simple primary color pigment ideas to restore various complex colors on the human retina. At that time, Van Gogh was in Paris and had close contacts with some Impressionists, and this method of painting became a technique often used in Van Gogh's paintings.
Self-portrait after recovery from illness
This is the first self-portrait of Van Gogh after his initial recovery from illness in 1887, and it has been speculated that Van Gogh's mental disorder may be related to family changes, but it is undeniable that Van Gogh also has deep anxiety and uneasiness about his profession. In this self-portrait, Van Gogh's cheeks are emaciated and his face is pale, especially in the blue-purple and black background.
Japanese print taste self-portrait
This is a relatively special one of Van Gogh's self-portraits, completed in December 1887, when Van Gogh saw an exhibition related to Japanese art and was inspired by Japanese prints.
After leaving Paris
This is the last self-portrait Van Gogh made before leaving Paris. During his time in Paris, van Gogh's paintings were brighter overall due to their constant contact with the Contemporary Movement in France. This is in the form of a traditional self-portrait of a painter, that is, holding a palette in his hand, before drawing the board, van Gogh also signed his name on the back of the painting, which is an oath of his profession; at the same time, Van Gogh is wearing the blue coat of a blue collarless craftsman, indicating his class identity.
Self-portrait in the middle of sketching
The painting, completed in 1888, is a scene from Van Gogh's journey to sketch. For Van Gogh, painting was an absolute need that allowed him to escape from melancholy for a while and indulge in his own pleasures.
A self-portrait dedicated to Gauguin
This one was completed in 1888, when Van Gogh was in the small town of Ar in the south of France. In the previous series of self-portraits in Provence, often seen as a display of Van Gogh's mental abnormality, in this work, Van Gogh painted himself as a Japanese monk, using the image of religious figures to neutralize his crazy state. Painters often exchanged self-portraits with friends as souvenirs, and Van Gogh gave them to Gauguin, so Van Gogh used this self-portrait to show his multiple identities: he was both a modern painter and a spiritual pursuer; and in return, Gauguin also created a "Self-Portrait dedicated to Van Gogh".
Self-portrait after cutting off the ear
This self-portrait is one of the more famous in all of Van Gogh's works. In 1888, Van Gogh invited Gauguin to live with him in Arle, however, the two stubborn artists often quarreled together. After an argument, Gauguin angrily leaves, and Van Gogh blames everything on his own mistakes, cutting off his right ear, which has become the most astonishing act of self-harm in art history. The surface of the painting is very calm, but the melancholy eyes, skeletal cheeks, and the bandages on the head still give people a strong visual impact. Afterwards, Van Gogh tried to reconcile with Gauguin many times, but Gauguin refused to meet him, saying that "in case he falls ill, it will be dangerous"
Saint-Rémy period
In May 1889, Van Gogh came to the Saint-Rémy Hospital for treatment, and both self-portraits were completed in Saint-Rémy. He himself saw the second as a sign of his own sanity, and he was anxious to leave the hospital and return to the painter community. In the picture, Van Gogh's eyes are firm and powerful, blue is the main color, the background is mixed with gray and green, and the spiral circuits are the signs of the author's high spirits, but these circuits are still orderly.
The last self-portrait
This is Van Gogh's last self-portrait before his death, completed in 1889, when he shaved off his beard because it was a birthday gift for his mother, who wanted to show her the healthiest side of her son, despite the fact that he did not have a very good relationship with her mother and had little contact. But he eventually hung it on the wall of his house and chose another one with Al's bedroom for his mother. The overall blue tone of the picture, different levels of blue, with tough lines to show subtle expression changes, which shows that Van Gogh has mastered the modeling skills of the characters very skillfully. The self-portrait sold for $71.5 million at auction in 1998, making it the most expensive self-portrait in history.
Source: Chinese watercolor
EDIT: Pony