Vincent van Gogh, Self-portrait without beard, end September 1889, (F 525), oil on canvas, 40 × 31 cm., private collection. This may have been Van Gogh's last self-portrait. Given as a birthday gift to his mother.[1]

The portraits of Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) include self-portraits, portraits of him by other artists, and photographs—one of which is dubious—of the Dutch artist. Van Gogh's dozens of self-portraits were an important part of his œuvre as a painter. Most probably, van Gogh's self-portraits are depicting the face as it appeared in the mirror he used to reproduce his face, i.e. his right side in the image is in reality the left side of his face.

Self-portraits

1885

On July 14, 2022, an almost certainly authentic self-portrait of van Gogh was uncovered under his 1885 painting "Head of a peasant woman".[2] Lesley Stevenson, a conservator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, discovered it during an X-ray examination of their existing pieces. It shows a bearded van Gogh in a brimmed hat and a neckerchief around his throat. His left ear was clearly visible.[3] The portrait is covered under layers of cardboard and glue, which experts are searching for ways to remove in order to confirm its authenticity.[4] They believe it was painted when van Gogh moved to France and learnt about the work of the impressionists there, an experience that influenced his more colourful and expressive style that is much admired today.[3] Van Gogh was known to often reuse his canvases or work on their reverse in order to save money. The X-ray image will be featured at a Royal Scottish Academy exhibit in Edinburgh and displayed using a specially made lightbox.[2][5]

Paris 1886

The first self-portrait by van Gogh that survived is dated 1886.

Paris 1887

Arles

Saint-Rémy

All the self-portraits executed in Saint-Rémy show the artist's head from the left, i.e. the side with non-mutilated ear.

Auvers-sur-Oise

No self-portraits were executed by van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise, during the final weeks of his life.

Remarks

Provenances

Scandals

In Nazi Germany, Vincent van Gogh's works were among those labelled generally "degenerate art". Several works were seized and sold/or destroyed by NS authorities including the self-portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin, September 1888, which was seized from the Moderne Staatsgalerie in Munich to be sold at auction in 1939 in Lucerne, Switzerland, while other works by van Gogh could remain in this collection, but were kept under lock and key.

Fakes

Self-Portrait, à l'oreille mutilée, 1889? (F528)
Oil on canvas, 40 × 31 cm
National Gallery, Oslo

Almost at the same time as when his Catalogue raisonné was published, Jacob Baart de la Faille had to admit that he had included paintings emerging from dubious sources, and of dubious quality. Shortly after, in 1930, De la Faille rejected some thirty odd paintings, which he had originally included in his catalogue – together with a hundred of others he had already excluded: Self-portraits – and Sunflowers – held a prominent place in the set he now rejected. In 1970, the editors of De la Faille's posthumous manuscript brand marked most of these dubious Self-portraits as forgeries,[16] but could not settle all disputes, at least on one:

Meanwhile, the authenticity of a second "self-portrait" has been challenged:

Note the painter shows his right ear, if painted via a mirror, while Van Gogh cut his left ear.

Portraits of Vincent van Gogh by other artists

Photographs

See also

Sources

Notes

  1. ^ a b Pickvance (1986), 131
  2. ^ a b "Vincent Van Gogh: Self-portrait discovered in Scotland – CBBC Newsround". Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  3. ^ a b Ogg, Jordan (2022-07-14). "Hidden Van Gogh self-portrait discovered". National Galleries of Scotland. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14.
  4. ^ Timsit, Annabelle (2022-07-14). "Secret Van Gogh self-portrait discovered by X-ray of another painting". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  5. ^ "Hidden Van Gogh self-portrait found behind painting in Scotland". Reuters. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  6. ^ "Vincent Van Gogh – Self-portrait". Online catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
  7. ^ "To Theo van Gogh. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Thursday, 5 and Friday, 6 September 1889". Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Van Gogh Museum. Note 4. Retrieved 26 February 2012. People say – and I'm quite willing to believe it – that it's difficult to know oneself ...
  8. ^ "To Theo van Gogh. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, on or about Friday, 20 September 1889". Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Van Gogh Museum. Note 14. Retrieved 26 February 2012. I have another one which is an attempt from when I was ill.
  9. ^ "To Willemien van Gogh. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Thursday, 19 September 1889". Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Van Gogh Museum. Note 16. Retrieved 26 February 2012. Lately I've done two portraits of myself, one of which is quite in character, I think, ...
  10. ^ a b Walther 2000, p. 74.
  11. ^ Dorn 2005 pp. 19, 21
  12. ^ Hendriks, Tilborgh 2011 pp. 271–273
  13. ^ Tralbaut 1961. pp. 188–189
  14. ^ "To Theo van Gogh. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Saturday, 28 September 1889". Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Van Gogh Museum. 1r:1. ... a little portrait of me.
  15. ^ "From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin".
  16. ^ De la Faille 1970, nos. CHK
  17. ^ De la Faille 1970, no. 476a: inscribed étude à la bougie
  18. ^ Marit Ingeborg Lange: The provenance of Vincent van Gogh's 'Self-portrait' in Oslo, Burlington Magazine CXLVIII/1235, February 2006, pp. 113–116
  19. ^ "Onderzoekers concluderen over betwijfeld schilderij: Dit is toch echt een van Gogh".
  20. ^ "A portrait of the artist as a middle-aged man?". TheGuardian.com. 24 February 2004.

References