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Primary sourcePainting1888

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin

Vincent van Gogh · 1888

A self-portrait Van Gogh exchanged with Paul Gauguin in 1888, showing himself as a shaven monk-like figure.

Van Gogh painted this self-portrait and sent it to Gauguin as a token of artistic brotherhood.

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Oil painting of a man with cropped light-colored hair, a reddish-blond beard, and a dark brown jacket with blue trim over a white collar, against a bright green background. He looks to the side with a serious expression.
Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin, 1888.

About this source

What it is

This oil self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh, painted in 1888, shows the artist with closely cropped hair against a bright green background. He exchanged it with fellow painter Paul Gauguin that year as part of a gift exchange of self-portraits among artist friends.

Why it matters

Van Gogh depicted himself almost like a shaven Buddhist monk, reflecting his hope for a close brotherhood among artists working together, an idea central to his friendship and later falling-out with Gauguin. The painting later passed through a collection labelled

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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