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Primary sourcePainting1887

Self-Portrait (1887, Art Institute of Chicago)

Vincent van Gogh · 1887

A self-portrait Van Gogh painted in Paris in 1887 using small dotted brushstrokes influenced by Neo-Impressionism.

A self-portrait painted by Van Gogh showing his rapid stylistic change after arriving in Paris.

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Painting of a man with reddish-orange beard and swept-back light hair, seen three-quarters view against a background of dotted blue and green brushstrokes. He wears a brown jacket over a white collar and blue shirt.
Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1887. Art Institute of Chicago.

About this source

What it is

This 1887 self-portrait was painted by Vincent van Gogh in Paris. It is held today by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Why it matters

Painted during van Gogh's two years in Paris, the work shows his quick absorption of new artistic ideas after moving from the Netherlands. Living with his brother Theo, an art dealer, he was exposed to Impressionist and Pointillist painters and began experimenting with broken, dotted brushwork to build color and light.

Look closer

  • What do the small dots of color do to the way the background looks compared to earlier self-portraits?
  • Why might van Gogh have painted himself so often rather than other people?
  • What might this portrait tell us about the artistic community he had just joined in Paris?

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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