Van Gogh, Vincent (1853-1890)
Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (Zelfportret met strohoed)
1887
Oil on canvas, 41.8 cm x 31.5 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
F0061v-JH1302
Paris, July-August 1887
It’s lucky for us that Van Gogh was so often unable to afford a model. To practice figure painting, he had to resort to making self-portraits. So we get an impression of how he saw himself. Only one portrait photo of him has survived and neither shows him as an adult.
He painted this self-portrait when he was living in Paris. Unable to pay for new canvas, he used the back of an earlier still life. (VGM)