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Primary sourcePainting1886

Vincent van Gogh

John Peter Russell · 1886

A realistic 1886 portrait of Van Gogh painted by his friend and fellow student John Peter Russell in Paris.

Van Gogh is the sitter, painted from life by his close friend Russell during their shared studies in Paris.

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Oil painting of a red-bearded man with short reddish hair, shown in three-quarter view turned toward the viewer. He wears a dark coat and holds a thin pencil or brush between his hands at chest level. The background is dark olive-brown with visible brushwork.
John Peter Russell, Vincent van Gogh, 1886. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

About this source

What it is

This is an oil-on-canvas portrait painted in 1886 by Australian artist John Peter Russell, who studied alongside Van Gogh at Fernand Cormon's studio in Paris. It is now held by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Why it matters

It is one of the earliest portraits of Van Gogh made from life by someone who knew him, showing him in a three-quarter view with a thoughtful, downcast gaze. The painting reflects the friendship between Russell and Van Gogh, who bonded as outsiders among the French students, and it shows the realist, academic style Russell was trained in, with traces of the newer impressionist brushwork both artists were exploring.

Look closer

  • What does the pose and expression suggest about how Russell saw his friend?
  • What details of light and brushwork hint at the impressionist techniques to come?
  • Why might a friend's portrait differ from a self-portrait?

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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