Vincent van Gogh · Portraits · 1881–1890
Self-portraits, the postman Roulin, the Arlésienne and Dr Gachet: Van Gogh does more than copy a face. He constructs a presence through colour, brushwork, clothing and background.
This gallery follows the development of portraiture, from Dutch studies to the sitters encountered in Paris, Arles and Auvers. Van Gogh’s colours give each person a distinctive presence: Joseph Roulin, Augustine and her children, Agostina Segatori or Dr Gachet.
The Subject in One Idea
A Gallery of People, Not a Single Work
‘Van Gogh’s portraits’ form a body of work. It brings together peasant heads painted in the Netherlands, Parisian models, friends met in Arles, members of one family, children, caregivers and inhabitants of Auvers-sur-Oise. The self-portraits are its most famous part, but not its entirety.
Van Gogh rarely works for fashionable society clients. His sitters come from his immediate surroundings: Joseph Roulin, a postal employee; Augustine Roulin and their children; Marie Ginoux, proprietor of the Café de la Gare; gardener Patience Escalier; Dr Gachet; or the artist himself when he cannot pay a model. This closeness does not justify turning every canvas into a psychological diagnosis. It does, however, explain the frankness of the poses and the development of certain series.
The main image shows the first version of Dr Paul Gachet, recognisable by the two yellow books on the table. Van Gogh painted a second oil, housed at the Musée d’Orsay. The pose, foxglove, blue coat and table allow the two compositions to be compared without confusing them.
From Brabant to Auvers
Ten Years to Reinvent Portraiture
Portraiture accompanies Van Gogh’s entire career. Its function changes with location: figure study, colour experiment, family image, tribute to friendship or an attempt to give the contemporary face the depth once reserved for heroes.
The Netherlands, Then Nuenen
Studies of heads and peasants, particularly in Nuenen from 1883 to 1885. A dark palette and an ambition to give ordinary lives a dignity of form.
Paris
Numerous self-portraits, a lighter palette, divided brushstrokes and discoveries of the Impressionists, Neo-Impressionism and Japanese prints.
Arles
Roulin, Ginoux, Boch, Escalier and La Mousmé. Colour becomes an explicitly stated means of expressing character rather than copying complexion.
Saint-Rémy
Fewer available models, new self-portraits and repetitions of L’Arlésienne. Brushwork increasingly connects the figure with the background.
Auvers
Gachet, Marguerite, Adeline Ravoux and children. Experiments with format and the only known etching, in an intensely productive final period.
Familiar Faces
Portraiture Begins with an Encounter
The sitters are not interchangeable pretexts. Clothing, bodily position and surroundings retain part of their identity, even when colour moves away from naturalism.
The Roulin Family: A Portrait Becomes a Series
Joseph Roulin, his wife Augustine and their children Armand, Camille and Marcelle form Van Gogh’s most extensive family series. The Detroit Institute of Arts counts at least six painted portraits of Joseph between late July 1888 and April 1889. The blue uniform, beard, frontality and floral decoration change from canvas to canvas without erasing the sitter’s identity.
This repetition is not mechanical. Van Gogh sometimes tightens the framing around the head, while elsewhere spreading the beard across a decorative background. He transforms the postman’s silhouette into an architecture of curves and colours. Portraits of Augustine, particularly La Berceuse, and then of the children, extend the study to every stage of life.
The personal connection matters: Roulin supports Van Gogh during a difficult period and remains in contact with him. Yet the paintings’ value does not depend solely on the anecdote. Above all, the series is a laboratory in which posture, costume and background produce different presences.
The Self-Portrait: An Always-Available Model
The Van Gogh Museum estimates that Van Gogh painted approximately thirty-five self-portraits. Most date to Paris, when he lacks money to pay models. The mirror becomes a working tool: it lets him study the head, beard, lighting and colour combinations without waiting for a sitting.
These works do not form a medical diary. Some show fatigue or tension, but nervous brushwork is not a diagnosis. Van Gogh deliberately varies hats, clothing, framing, support and technique. In the Paris canvases, small juxtaposed strokes assimilate Neo-Impressionism; in some Saint-Rémy self-portraits, the rhythm of background and face can almost merge. The accompanying image, however, dates to Paris in 1887.
The self-portrait also asserts an identity as a painter. A palette, smock or frontal gaze presents the artist at work. Likeness remains, but is reconstructed through paint and colour.
Anatomy of a Portrait
Six Details Give Dr Gachet a Voice
Van Gogh does not separate the face from its surroundings. Pose, hands, clothing, background, table and objects form a single expressive system.
The Gaze
Slightly averted, it avoids the effect of an official pose and gives the sitter a meditative presence.
The Hand
The head resting on the hand gives the body a diagonal of weariness, reflection or melancholy.
The Blue Coat
Its large cool mass stabilises the torso and extends the background’s palette without losing the silhouette.
The Red Table
It cuts across the bottom of the canvas and makes the blues vibrate through contrast, while bringing the sitter closer to the viewer.
The Foxglove
The plant cautiously points to Gachet’s medical profession. It does not alone provide the key to the painting.
Brushwork
Hatching, curves and impasto follow the face, clothing and background through distinct but connected rhythms.
Van Gogh wants to achieve something lasting in portraiture through the radiance and vibration of colour, rather than photographic accuracy alone.
Paraphrase of letter 673 to Theo van Gogh, 3 September 1888.
Colour, Texture, Technique
Likeness Comes Through Colour Combinations
Van Gogh begins with the observed face, then places it within a broader harmony. Pink and green may meet on skin; an orange beard may echo a blue uniform; a yellow background may push the figure forwards. Complementary colours increase luminosity through contrast.
Brush direction describes as much as it animates. Curved strokes construct a beard, hatching models a cheek, and parallel bands structure a jacket. Elsewhere, the background has its own movement. Impasto varies: some strokes catch the light, while thinner areas let the support breathe.
Deep Blue
Clothing, gravity and a broad structural mass.
Earth Red
Table, background or warm accent against blues.
Yellow
Light, frontal background and decorative vibration.
Green
Skin, vegetation or a counterpoint to reds.
Violet
Coloured shadow and transition between warm and cool.
Flesh Pink
A reconstructed complexion rather than fixed local colour.
Series and Variants
Repeating a Portrait Means Rethinking It
Van Gogh returns to several sitters without producing mere copies. He changes the background, framing, palette and intensity of drawing. Comparing versions makes his process more visible than reading one work in isolation.
| Series | Established Reference Points | What Varies | Associated Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Roulin | At Least Six Oils, 1888–1889 | Framing, floral decoration, background colour and the breadth of the beard. | Detroit, Boston, New York, Rotterdam, Winterthur and other collections. |
| La Berceuse | Several Versions of Augustine Roulin in 1889 | Background motifs, flowers and intensity of colour combinations; the cradle rope remains structural. | Boston, Chicago, Amsterdam, New York and Otterlo (Kröller-Müller Museum). |
| L’Arlésienne | Two Similar Portraits in Arles, Then Repetitions in Saint-Rémy | Objects on the table, execution, background and palette. | Paris, New York, Rome, São Paulo and other collections. |
| Dr Gachet | Two Oils and an Etching in 1890 | Background, table and the transition from colour to etched line. | Musée d’Orsay, private collection and several institutions holding impressions. |
| Self-Portraits | Approximately Thirty-Five in Total | Hats, clothing, framing, palette, brushwork and sometimes reused supports. | Amsterdam, Paris, London, New York, Washington and other museums. |
A Dispersed Gallery
Portraits to See from Amsterdam to Washington
The Van Gogh Museum holds the largest collection of the artist’s works and documents, including numerous self-portraits and portraits of the Roulin family. The Musée d’Orsay displays, among others, the Portrait of the Artist of 1889 and Dr Paul Gachet. The Detroit Institute of Arts holds a famous Portrait of Postman Roulin.
In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art displays L’Arlésienne: Madame Ginoux and also holds self-portraits. The National Gallery of Art in Washington presents La Mousmé, an oil painting on canvas from 1888. Other important portraits are in London, Chicago, Rotterdam, Basel, Winterthur, Rome and São Paulo. Since displays and loans change, consult the official entry before travelling.
Choosing a Reproduction
Display a Portrait Without Overwhelming the Room
A portrait creates a more direct relationship than a landscape. The sitter’s gaze and strong background naturally make it a focal point. Successful presentation depends less on accumulation than on the space left around the canvas.
Preserve the Framing
Avoid cropping a hand, table or background: these elements contribute fully to the portrait’s character.
Choose the Intensity
A solemn Gachet suits a living room or study; a lighter self-portrait may offer a less formal presence.
Coordinate Two Colours
A blue textile and a small touch of ochre are enough. There is no need to reproduce the entire palette in the room.
Allow Breathing Space
Keep the wall calm and leave generous space around the frame so the face remains the visual centre.
Suggested Palette and Frame
Cream, grey-green, midnight-blue or off-white walls complement Van Gogh’s portraits. Dark wood strengthens Dr Gachet’s gravity; natural oak lightens a Roulin; a slim black frame suits a contemporary interior.
Before ordering, mark the dimensions on the wall with tape and observe them from your usual viewing distance. The face should remain readable without the canvas seeming disproportionate.
Explore the PortraitsLiving Room
A generous format above a console or sofa, with a calm area around it.
Bedroom
A muted palette, pale wood and a sitter whose background remains uncluttered.
Study
Strong outlines and complementary colours to support a creative atmosphere.
Entrance Hall
An immediately readable vertical format creates a presence at first glance.
Choosing a Work
Four Portraits, Four Different Presences
A reproduction acts as a presence in the room. The choice may begin with the sitter’s story, but also with the palette, rhythm of brushwork and intensity of the gaze.
Dr Gachet
A melancholic pose, cool blues and the doctor’s foxglove.
Joseph Roulin
A blue uniform, calm frontality and a beard transformed into painterly rhythm.
Portrait of the Artist
A Parisian self-portrait: striped jacket, pale tie and a face captured through contrasting strokes.
La Berceuse
Augustine Roulin holds the rope of a cradle outside the frame.
Continue the Visit
Collections That Extend the Visit
Find the portraits, self-portraits, full Van Gogh catalogue and Post-Impressionist movement.
Van Gogh Portraits
Faces, families, friends and people encountered.
The Painter Faces HimselfSelf-Portraits
Van Gogh’s multiple painterly identities.
The Artist’s CatalogueVincent van Gogh
Portraits, landscapes, flowers and interior scenes.
The MovementPost-Impressionism
Expressive colours, strong structures and personal visions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Need to Know About Van Gogh’s Portraits
How Many Self-Portraits Did Van Gogh Paint?
The Courtauld counts 35 painted self-portraits and two drawings for its 2022 exhibition. Other catalogues give slightly different totals: the source and included works should be specified. Most paintings date to the Paris years.
Why Did Van Gogh Paint So Many Ordinary People?
His interest in peasants, workers, neighbours and friends is rooted in his Dutch beginnings and continues in France. He wanted to give lasting power to contemporary figures without relying on official or fashionable society commissions.
Who Was Joseph Roulin?
Joseph-Étienne Roulin was a postal employee in Arles and became Van Gogh’s friend. The artist painted at least six portraits of him between 1888 and 1889, as well as several members of his family.
Who Is the Woman Depicted in La Berceuse?
She is Augustine Roulin, Joseph’s wife. She holds a rope connected to a cradle outside the frame. Van Gogh made several versions of this portrait, varying particularly the flowers and background colour combinations.
Are There Several Portraits of Dr Gachet?
Yes. Van Gogh painted two oils in 1890. The first version, illustrated here, has two yellow books on the table and belongs to a private collection; the second is housed at the Musée d’Orsay. He also made an etching of the doctor.
Do the Colours Reveal Van Gogh’s Mental State?
A diagnosis cannot be made from a palette. Van Gogh consciously used contrasts and brushwork to produce expression. Letters and technical entries allow these choices to be studied without reducing the works to his illness.
Which Museums Hold the Main Portraits?
The Van Gogh Museum, Musée d’Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and National Gallery of Art are among the major institutions.
How Should I Choose a Reproduction of a Van Gogh Portrait?
First choose the sitter’s presence and palette, then check the available size. Preserve the original framing, coordinate one or two colours with the room and leave enough space around the canvas.
Main sources: Van Gogh Museum, Self-Portrait; Musée d’Orsay, Portrait of the Artist; Vincent van Gogh Letters, Letter 673; Musée d’Orsay, Dr Paul Gachet; Detroit Institute of Arts, Portrait of Postman Roulin; Metropolitan Museum of Art, L’Arlésienne; National Gallery of Art, La Mousmé. References supplemented and checked on 25 September 2026.
- Two Oils and an Etching of Dr Gachet — Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Second Version of Dr Gachet, 1890 — Musée d’Orsay
- Portrait of the Artist, 1887 — Musée d’Orsay
- Five Versions of La Berceuse — Metropolitan Museum of Art
- La Berceuse, 1889 — Kröller-Müller Museum
- Portrait of Agostina Segatori, 1887 — Van Gogh Museum
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