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Primary sourcePainting1888

Postman Joseph Roulin

Vincent van Gogh · 1888

Van Gogh's 1888 portrait of Joseph Roulin, the Arles postman who became one of his closest friends and supported him during a mental health crisis.

Van Gogh painted his close friend Roulin, who supported him through a crisis in Arles.

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Oil painting of a bearded man in a dark blue postal uniform and a blue cap labeled POSTES, seated in a chair with his hands resting on his knee and a green table edge. Light blue background, rendered in loose, visible brushstrokes.
Vincent van Gogh, Postman Joseph Roulin, 1888. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

About this source

What it is

Painted in 1888 by Vincent van Gogh, this portrait shows Joseph Roulin, a postal worker in Arles, in his blue uniform and cap. It is held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Why it matters

Roulin and his family became close friends of van Gogh during his time in Arles, and he painted several portraits of them. Roulin supported van Gogh through a serious personal crisis involving self-harm to his ear, showing how important ordinary working people were to the isolated painter's life.

Look closer

  • What do the loose, visible brushstrokes suggest about how quickly or emotionally this was painted?
  • Why might van Gogh have chosen to paint an ordinary postman rather than a wealthy patron?
  • What does this friendship tell us about van Gogh's life in Arles?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vincent van Gogh on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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