Shop art print and framed art Portrait of Theo van Gogh by Vincent van Gogh

Portrait of Theo Van Gogh by Vincent Van Gogh: A symbolic work of a timeless sibling

The portrait of Theo Van Gogh by his older brother, the celebrated painter Vincent Van Gogh, is one of the masterpieces that marked the history of art at the end of the 19th century. An emblematic and intimate work, this canvas bears witness to the complicity between the two brothers and represents an important milestone in Vincent Van Gogh's career.

History and context of the portrait of Theo Van Gogh

This magnificent painting was painted in 1887 while Vincent was staying in Paris, where he lived with his younger brother Theo, an art dealer and ardent supporter of his work. The two shared a flat at 54, rue Lepic, in the Montmartre district. This period in Paris marked a crucial stage in his painting style, as he discovered Impressionism and began experimenting with new techniques. The portrait of Theo Van Gogh attests to this intense period of pictorial research.

The fraternal bond at the heart of the work of art

Theo played an essential role in Vincent's life, both financially and morally. Their correspondence, rich in hundreds of letters exchanged, bears witness to a deep mutual affection but also to unwavering support on the part of Theo, who believed in his brother and financed his life as an artist until the end of his days. Over the course of these letters, we see the strength of the bond between the two brothers: while Theo tried to help Vincent sell his paintings without much success, the younger brother was keen to encourage and advise his elder sibling.

Visual description of the portrait of Theo Van Gogh

The painting depicts Theo in a bust and slightly low-angled. His intense gaze, placed in the centre of the canvas, gives the impression that he is ready to sustain a conversation. This setting is typical of portraits of the period, when models were often depicted in a relaxed, natural attitude, far removed from the formal poses of academic art.

Painting techniques and colours in portraiture

Vincent here uses broad, supple brushes to structure the shapes of his brother's face as well as his clothes. The strokes are deliberately imprecise to accentuate the general feeling of spontaneity and incompleteness. Finally, he used a limited palette of colours, with yellow ochre predominating and contrasting with touches of blue and green to enliven the space. This chromatic harmony testifies to the close bond between the two brothers and underlines the artistic vision of a singular work.

The role of Theo Van Gogh's portrait in Vincent Van Gogh's career

Beyond its biographical aspect, this masterpiece also embodies a major development in the painter's career. Indeed, this canvas highlights the transformation of his pictorial style influenced by the Impressionist and Pointillist movements of the time.

Fraternity as a source of artistic inspiration

Finally, the very choice of subject and the intimacy it reveals is a poignant expression of Vincent's affection for his brother Theo. It reveals a touching humanity that would be echoed in the artist's future masterpieces: still lifes, scenes of everyday peasant life and, of course, his famous autoportraits. The two brothers thus become, through this painting, the protagonists of a singular story in which brotherly love and artistic passion are intertwined.

This artwork is a painting from the modern period. It belongs to the post-impressionism style.

« Portrait of Theo van Gogh » is kept at Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.