The First Selfie: Vincent Van Gogh’s Expressive Journey through Art

Vincent Van Gogh is an extraordinary artist from the Impressionist period. He is best known for his paintings in the 1880s and ’90s. Van Gogh was renowned for creating emotions in his works and had the ability to evoke feeling with just one stroke of the brush. He could stir emotion even in the most unfeeling soul. “Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90) is the definitive modern artist in that his life and work broke with traditional social bonds. Almost invariably, van Gogh drew and painted from nature.

The influence of his exceptional emotional and spiritual intensity on his art is most evident when van Gogh deviated from the depiction of natural scenes, particularly in the rendering of the sky, in several of his masterpieces” (Dietrich Blumer). He seemed to express an isolated, alienated vision – the vision of the man who felt outcast by society (Jones). Van Gogh used color and line to convey a story and bring the canvas to life. In his famous painting “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear”, he unquestionably represents himself after he cut off his ear. To understand the expressive lines and use of colors in the painting, we must first understand Van Gogh’s life leading up to and after the self-portrait.

Van Gogh was a troubled artist; this is evident through his paintings. “At the age of 16, Vincent began to work as an apprentice for an art dealer in a firm founded by his uncle. After four years near his family in The Hague, he was transferred to London, where he stayed for two years. During that time, he endured a severe disappointment in his first romantic infatuation and became deeply depressed” (Dietrich Blumer). These were some of the first indications of Gogh’s burgeoning depression. Between 1886 and 1888, Gogh styled dozens of similar self-portraits; each one showed a brooding, enigmatic individual, yet rendered with his signature vibrant lines. Van Gogh painted the original “Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat” in 1887. In this piece, he employed Neo-impressionist techniques and used color according to color theory. This painting is significant because it provides a clear depiction of Van Gogh’s countenance before he cut off his ear. Just like in his other paintings, Van Gogh uses his techniques to introduce dynamic lines that add expression to his works. His distinctive lines are what make his paintings feel alive and restless. In the self-portrait, Gogh depicts himself as a mysterious figure. It’s impossible to look at his representation and think he looks content. It’s evident that he wanted people to see him as he felt – distressed. If he had wanted to appear happy, he would have painted a smile. Gogh gazes back at you, anguish reflected in his eyes; he’s desolate inside. Why would he want others to realize his sadness? We paint things as we perceive or imagine them to be. Gogh knew he was depressed and saw himself as sad; this is our insight into his battle with mental illness years before he entered an asylum, ingested yellow paint, or severed his ear. This evidence is crucial because many believe the self-portraits are a cry for help. Vincent had been wrestling with inner turmoil for years before he openly exhibited it through his actions.

The story truly escalates when Van Gogh cuts his ear off. The night of the incident, a woman told the police that she had encountered a man who had handed her his ear and asked her to guard it with her life. “Whatever underlying motivations could have compelled Van Gogh to do it, the episode effectively put an end to one of the most famous working relationships in the history of art, as Paul Gauguin boarded the train to Paris the next day” (Pollitt). After the loss of his ear and longtime colleague, he painted ‘Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear’ after returning home from the hospital (Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear). Just like in the first self-portrait, he represents himself in a melancholy manner. Still, by adding the color green into his eyes with this painting, it evokes an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Gogh often used color to represent an emotion in his paintings, adding an even more somber effect to the second portrait. He gives off a post-impressionist vibe by adding optical effects of color dominance in aesthetic ways. Gogh adds value at the bottom of the blue doors to make the foreground stand out, and he stipples his strokes on his hat to give off a three-dimensional effect. This shows Vincent van Gogh’s vast knowledge behind the meaning of art.

“This is a very controlled painting, although the clashing colors used in the face seem to suggest turmoil” (Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear). The painting shows Vincent van Gogh as he portrays himself at a half profile angle, giving us a better view of his mutilated ear. Van Gogh painted in cubism, providing a larger perspective and allowing us to gather more information about this event. “He takes a quiet and detached look at himself and expresses a feeling of renewed hope through his bright colors and simplified drawing” (Vincent Van Gogh Self-Portraits). He stands in front of a lime green wall with another painting and a blank canvas in the background of his studio. “The dark earthy tones, characteristic of traditional Dutch painting, are used to create an image of humble dignity” (Vincent Van Gogh – Self Portraits). This is a mirrored image of what he looked like; in the painting, it’s his right ear that is bandaged, but he actually cut off a piece of his left ear. In the painting, Van Gogh uses short, jagged strokes of the brush to give a texture effect on the piece. It’s as if he intentionally leaves space in between his lines. It is one of his more depressive self-portraits, its linework being somewhat less engaging than usual. He uses harsh dark outlining and fills it in with color. He does not use the expressive swirled lines he famously brought up, which could be a sign that his manic episodes were becoming more frequent. He doesn’t display much use of the color theory in this piece because he’s mixing the light greens of the wall with the dark greens and yellows on his body. The wall behind him makes him look flushed; he doesn’t stand out. What does stand out in the painting is the Oriental artwork in the background. Gogh painted this simply because he was influenced by artists of that culture and era, filling space with the Japanese art he so adored. Could this be Gogh’s way of accentuating the things that make him happy?

“He has become this walking emblem of what it is to live the life of art” (Jones). A few days after the painting, Van Gogh admitted himself into a mental asylum following a petition signed by dozens of townspeople and acquaintances that “he was a danger to himself and others” (Biography). “He tended to be untidy and quarrelsome; his irascible temper caused many unpleasant scenes and rendered him an undesirable in a number of places” (Dietrich Blumer). Little was known about mental illness at that time; the subject has not been taken seriously until recent years. Nevertheless, Vincent van Gogh is believed to have dealt with bipolar disorder where he would have manic mood swings, varying from very high levels of dopamine and serotonin to super low levels. One can even see his moods changing in his artwork. In “Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear”, it’s evident that he took time with his work, slowly painting one object after the next. He paints himself in the foreground; as stated before, he’s a melancholy subject. There are other details to note. For instance, the shading added to the canvas behind his left shoulder, to the trained eye, may even look like the outline of a face. Moreover, the face or figure seems to be smiling or at least happier than his own face. On the other side, the Japanese poster shows two women, relaxed and content, fanning themselves. From this, we can infer that Gogh had a sense of different emotions and he chose to paint others happier than himself.

Gogh stayed in the asylum for a little over a year, spending time recovering and working on his art. During this period, he painted some of his most famous works like “Irises” and “Starry Night”. After leaving, he stayed under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet (Biography). Despite all these events and people trying to help, the sick artist could not recover. In July of 1890, two months after leaving the asylum, Van Gogh succumbed to his mental illness with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He left behind parents, siblings, friends, and a legacy. A legacy that would become so famous and controversial that his own mother would destroy and burn many of his paintings. Today, only a few of his original pieces are on display with most being just copies, effortlessly enhancing the value of his genuine art pieces.

I picked this art piece because it spoke to me. I feel an overwhelming sadness when looking at it, as if I knew him myself. I believe it’s beautiful how he was able to paint how he felt and left behind a legacy for art appreciators to know him by.

Did you like this example?

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