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Primary sourcePainting1888

Self-portrait with Portrait of Bernard

Paul Gauguin · 1888

A self-portrait by Paul Gauguin, painted for Van Gogh as part of a portrait exchange and sent to him in Arles.

Van Gogh requested this self-portrait from Gauguin as part of a portrait exchange among painter friends.

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Painting of a man with dark hair, a mustache and beard, wearing a green jacket, set against a yellow background dotted with white and blue flowers. In the upper right corner is a smaller green-framed portrait of a bearded man in profile. Handwritten text reads 'Les Misérables' and 'Vincent' with a signature and date.
Paul Gauguin, Self-portrait with Portrait of Bernard, 1888. Van Gogh Museum.

About this source

What it is

This is a self-portrait by Paul Gauguin, painted in 1888. Gauguin shows himself in the role of Jean Valjean from the novel Les Misérables, with a small portrait of the painter Émile Bernard in the background. It is now held by the Van Gogh Museum.

Why it matters

Van Gogh had asked several painter friends to exchange self-portraits with him, and Gauguin sent this one to Arles. It shows the network of artists Van Gogh belonged to, and how he saw himself and his art in relation to others around him.

Look closer

  • Why might Gauguin choose to paint himself as a character from a novel?
  • What does the small portrait of Bernard in the corner tell you about the friendships between these painters?
  • Why do you think artists exchanged self-portraits instead of just sending letters?

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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