Ian Patterson
4th Hour
Mrs. Pendo
12/6/14
Self-Portrait Vincent Van Gogh Creating 30 self portraits between the years 1886 and 1889 put Vincent Van Gogh as one of the most successful self-portraitists of all time. Van Gogh was using portrait painting as a method of introspection trying to discover his own mind, as a way to make money for himself and a method of developing his skills to become one of the greatest artists to ever live. Through painting The Straw Hat Portrait Van Gogh was trying to develop his skills as an artist while he did not have the money to afford models to paint his portraits of. Van Gogh was a very poor man living in Paris trying to develop himself as an artist, when he first began to paint he used peasants as models. After this stage of his art, he began to experiment with his use of color in painting landscapes and flowers because he could not afford to pay models. The fragileness of Van Gogh's life was told by his stark contrasts of color on canvas and his restless strokes with his brush. “I was thin and pale as a ghost,”(BBC) Van Gogh said when he described one of his portraits to Théo, his brother. …show more content…
Van Goghs message in this portrait was to show how difficult his life was. Not being able to afford models he painted himself, adding to the effect that he is not a wealthy man with a difficult life. He displays this message in the portrait with restless intense brush strokes and stark contrasts of color. This combination of painting style suggests ups and downs with drastic changes in his life. He also shows himself very pale like a ghost and a very skinny complexion suggesting he was very poor. These are very subtle things seen in his portrait that show his hardship in
4th Hour
Mrs. Pendo
12/6/14
Self-Portrait Vincent Van Gogh Creating 30 self portraits between the years 1886 and 1889 put Vincent Van Gogh as one of the most successful self-portraitists of all time. Van Gogh was using portrait painting as a method of introspection trying to discover his own mind, as a way to make money for himself and a method of developing his skills to become one of the greatest artists to ever live. Through painting The Straw Hat Portrait Van Gogh was trying to develop his skills as an artist while he did not have the money to afford models to paint his portraits of. Van Gogh was a very poor man living in Paris trying to develop himself as an artist, when he first began to paint he used peasants as models. After this stage of his art, he began to experiment with his use of color in painting landscapes and flowers because he could not afford to pay models. The fragileness of Van Gogh's life was told by his stark contrasts of color on canvas and his restless strokes with his brush. “I was thin and pale as a ghost,”(BBC) Van Gogh said when he described one of his portraits to Théo, his brother. …show more content…
Van Goghs message in this portrait was to show how difficult his life was. Not being able to afford models he painted himself, adding to the effect that he is not a wealthy man with a difficult life. He displays this message in the portrait with restless intense brush strokes and stark contrasts of color. This combination of painting style suggests ups and downs with drastic changes in his life. He also shows himself very pale like a ghost and a very skinny complexion suggesting he was very poor. These are very subtle things seen in his portrait that show his hardship in