Self-Portrait
Van Gogh’s face is as well known as his art—in fact, it is inseparable from it. The artist painted more than 35 self-portraits over his lifetime. This one was created in Paris under the influence of Seurat and pointillism. The intense dabs of paint and color, anchored by his eyes, create a turbulent energy, giving the viewer a deep sense of the artist’s presence.
Colors in this work
Details
- Artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Date
- 1887
- Dimensions
- 41 × 32.5 cm (16 1/8 × 12 13/16 in.); Framed: 61.6 × 53.4 × 8.9 cm (24 1/4 × 21 × 3 1/2 in.)
- Origin
- Netherlands
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Palette
-
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- Image provider
- art-institute-chicago
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Joseph Winterbotham Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
9 tags
Subject Matter
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Self-Portrait Both · 100%
The title and museum metadata identify the work as a self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh, while the image visibly shows a single male sitter presenting his own face.
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Eye Contact Visual · 96%
The sitter’s eyes are directed outward toward the viewer, creating a clear visual connection.
Styles and Movements
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Post-Impressionism Metadata · 100%
The museum identifies the work’s style as Post-Impressionism.
Visual Qualities
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Dotted Both · 98%
The catalog describes densely dabbed, staccato dots and dashes, and the image visibly shows numerous short, separated marks across the face, hair, clothing, and background.
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Bright and Vivid Colors Both · 98%
The catalog emphasizes intense greens, blues, reds, and oranges, which are visibly prominent throughout the face, clothing, and background.
Medium and Techniques
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Gestural Visual · 95%
The visible strokes vary in direction and follow the forms of the hair, beard, facial planes, clothing, and background, producing an energetic painted surface.
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Oil Painting Metadata · 100%
The work is cataloged as oil on artist’s board mounted on a cradled panel.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 100%
The catalog dates the work to 1887, placing it within nineteenth-century art.
Geographic Regions
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Dutch Art Metadata · 99%
The artist is identified as Dutch and the place of origin is listed as the Netherlands.
Source & rights
Vincent van Gogh. Self-Portrait. The Art Institute of Chicago.
High-resolution sources
- IIIF image service ↗ 1,686 × 2,149 · Art Institute Chicago · Availability not yet probed