Shop art print and framed art Self Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin by Vincent van Gogh

Self-portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin: A key work in the life of Vincent van Gogh

Self-portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin is a work by the famous Dutch artist and painter, Vincent van Gogh. The canvas was created in September 1888 and is part of the collections of the Harvard Art Museums in the United States.

History of the work

In 1888, Van Gogh decided to leave Paris and settle in the town of Arles, located in the south of France. The artist was fascinated at the time by the beauty of the natural landscapes and the exceptional luminosity offered by this region. He also invited his friend and mentor, Paul Gauguin, to join him to work together and create a true artists' studio.

This self-portrait was made with a view to this joint project with Gauguin. Vincent van Gogh hoped to persuade his friend to move to Arles and familiarise him with his new colour palette and artistic technique.

This self-portrait was made with a view to this joint project with Gauguin.

Unfortunately, their collaboration was short-lived as the two artists quickly developed artistic and personal differences that led to the end of their friendship. Nevertheless, this intense creative period produced some of the most famous and inspiring works in Western art.

Visual description of the work

The self-portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin takes the form of an oil on canvas measuring 38.1 centimetres wide and 61.6 centimetres high. The composition features Vincent van Gogh himself, who adopts a three-quarter pose and a frank, enigmatic gaze turned towards the viewer.

The background is composed of broad brushstrokes dipped in shades of green-grey and celadon. These hues are strikingly reflected in the painter's face, illuminated by a whitish light. His red hair, cut very short, highlights an emaciated face. Here, Van Gogh uses a rich palette made up of warm tones such as brown, and cooler shades of blue and green.The contrasts between these colours bring an expressive and vibrant dynamic to the canvas. The artist's brush, highly charged with pictorial material, leaves thick, sinuous traces on the canvas, in a style that characterises the way he constructed his works during this period of his work.

The role of this work in the artist's career

The self-portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin is a key element in Vincent van Gogh's artistic career. It symbolises his transition from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism, as well as his desire to detach himself from the influence of his peers in order to develop his own pictorial identity.

An artistic turning point

By moving away from Paris and choosing to settle in Arles, Vincent van Gogh marked a real turning point in his career. During his stay in the south of France, he experimented with a new artistic approach based on the use of bright, contrasting colours and a more expressive line. This enabled him to assert his singularity in relation to other Impressionist painters such as Monet or Renoir.

A period of intense creativity

Although the meeting between Van Gogh and Gauguin was marked by many disagreements and tensions, these two months spent together in Arles were extremely fruitful on an artistic level. Van Gogh produced some of his most emblematic works during this period, such as "Vincent's Room in Arles", "Starry Night" and "The Sunflowers".

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

« Self Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin » is kept at Fogg Art Museum - Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, United States.

Find the full description of Self Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin by Vincent van Gogh on Wikipedia.