Expressionist

self-portraits
and the artist
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890

Born in Holland on March 30

Began painting at age 27. He was self taught.

He painted during the post-impressionist movement, but

many called him the “father of expressionism.” Expressionist
artists used emotion and their personal vision to create
images that distorted or exaggerated reality.

He suffered from mental illness and depression.

In his short 10 years as an artist, Van Gogh created 900

paintings and made 1,100 drawings and sketches. Most of
Van Gogh's works were left to his older brother Theo.
 Vincent only sold one painting
during his lifetime, Red Vineyard at
Arles, and only became famous
after his death.

Starry Night is Van Gogh’s

most famous painting and
experts value it at over
$100 million!
Let’s look at some of Van Gogh’s self portraits.
Keep an eye out for:

 How he uses color to show emotion and feeling

 What mood you think he’s feeling and trying to show

 Brushstrokes!

 Is he looking at you? Facing straight ahead or looking to the side?

Vincent van Gogh painted over 30 self-portraits between the years
of 1886 and 1889.
His collection of self-portraits places him among the most prolific
self-portraitists of all time!
Van Gogh was known for his thick application of paint on canvas,
called impasto. An Italian word for “paste” or “mixture”, impasto is a painting
technique where paint is laid on so thickly that the texture of brush strokes or
palette knife are clearly visible.
Intensely exaggerated color which was very thickly applied and use
of energetic brushstrokes are the hallmarks of Van Gogh’s art.
Van Gogh struggled with mental illness and depression. He once cut
off part of his earlobe after a fight with his friend Gauguin, a fellow
artist. He shot himself and died at the age of 37.
Van Gogh inspired self portraits using oil pastel on paper…
Will you be looking straight ahead or to the side? Make sure we see a little of your
shoulders.

Use color to convey mood

Use marks in an expressive way!

Think about expressionism –showing

how you are feeling! The eyes and
mouth are important!

Think about your background…

Van Gogh often used pattern and/or
colorful marks

You can use a mirror if you want to