Editing Vincent van Gogh (section)

====Self-portraits====
{{main|Portraits of Vincent van Gogh#Self-portraits}}
[[File:Self-Portrait (Van Gogh September 1889).jpg|alt= A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left, with an extreme intense, intent look, and a red beard.|thumb|180x180px|''Self-Portrait'', September 1889. [[Musée d'Orsay]]]]

Van Gogh created more than 43 self-portraits between 1885 and 1889.{{sfnp|McQuillan|1989|loc= 15}}{{efn|group=note|[[Rembrandt]] is one of the few major painters to exceed this volume of self-portraits, producing over 50, but he did so over a forty-year period.{{sfnp|McQuillan|1989|loc= 15}}}} They were usually completed in series, such as those painted in Paris in mid-1887, and continued until shortly before his death.{{sfnp|Walther|Metzger|1994|loc=263–269, 653}} Generally the portraits were studies, created during periods when he was reluctant to mix with others or when he lacked models and painted himself.{{sfnp|van Uitert|1981|loc= 242}}{{sfnp|Sund|2002|loc= 261}}

Van Gogh's self-portraits reflect a high degree of self-scrutiny.{{sfnp|Hughes|2002|loc= 10}} Often they were intended to mark important periods in his life; for example, the mid-1887 Paris series were painted at the point where he became aware of [[Claude Monet]], [[Paul Cézanne]] and Signac.{{sfnp|Walther|Metzger|1994|loc= 265–269}} In ''Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat'', heavy strains of paint spread outwards across the canvas. It is one of his most renowned self-portraits of that period, "with its highly organised rhythmic brushstrokes, and the novel halo derived from the Neo-impressionist repertoire was what Van Gogh himself called a 'purposeful' canvas".{{sfnp|van Uitert|van Tilborgh|van Heugten|1990|loc=83}}

They contain a wide array of [[Physiognomy|physiognomical]] representations.{{sfnp|McQuillan|1989|loc= 15}} Van Gogh's mental and physical condition is usually apparent; he may appear unkempt, unshaven or with a neglected beard, with deeply sunken eyes, a weak jaw, or having lost teeth. Some show him with full lips, a long face or prominent skull, or sharpened, alert features. His hair is sometimes depicted in a vibrant reddish hue and at other times ash coloured.{{sfnp|McQuillan|1989|loc= 15}}

Van Gogh's self-portraits vary stylistically. In those painted after December 1888, the strong contrast of vivid colours highlight the haggard pallor of his skin.{{sfnp|Sund|2002|loc= 261}} Some depict the artist with a beard, others without. He can be seen with bandages in portraits executed just after he mutilated his ear. In only a few does he depict himself as a painter.{{sfnp|McQuillan|1989|loc= 15}} Those painted in Saint-Rémy show the head from the right, the side opposite his damaged ear, as he painted himself reflected in his mirror.{{sfnp|Walther|Metzger|1994|loc= 535–537}}{{sfnp|Cohen|2003|loc=305–306}}

<gallery widths="165" heights="165" class="center">
File:Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait with grey felt hat - Google Art Project.jpg|alt=A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left, with a relaxed but intent look, a red beard and wearing a grey hat.|''Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat'', Winter 1887–88. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
File:Van Gogh Self-Portrait with Straw Hat 1887-Metropolitan.jpg|alt=A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left, with a relaxed look, a red beard and wearing a straw hat.|''[[Self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh|Self-Portrait with Straw Hat]]'', Paris, Winter 1887–88. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
File:Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889, NGA 106382.jpg|alt=A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left (good ear) holding a palette with brushes.  He is wearing a blue cloak and has yellow hair and beard. The background is a deep violet.|''Self-Portrait'', 1889. [[National Gallery of Art]], Washington, D.C. His Saint-Rémy self-portraits show the unmutilated ear, as reflected in the mirror.
File:Vincent Willem van Gogh 102.jpg|alt=A portrait of Vincent van Gogh from the left (good ear), with no beard.|''[[Self-Portrait Without Beard]]'', (c. September 1889) may have been Van Gogh's last self-portrait, which he gave to his mother on her birthday.{{sfnp|Pickvance|1986|loc= 131}}{{sfnp|Van Gogh|2009|loc=[http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let806/letter.html#n-16 Letter 806, note 16]|ps= . Vincent to Theo van Gogh. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Saturday, 28 September 1889.}}
</gallery>