Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a photographic tour of the painting ‘Self-portrait with grey felt hat’ by Vincent Van Gogh at Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Van Gogh painted this self-portrait in the winter of 1887–88, when he had been in Paris for almost two years.
Vincent van Gogh’s “Self Portrait with Felt Hat” stands out among his numerous self-portraits. According to the gallery, he delved into the techniques of Pointillists, adapting them in a distinctive manner. Notably, he strategically applied short stripes of paint in varied directions, creating a halo-like effect along the outline of his head.
This piece marks one of Van Gogh’s fearless ventures into colour experimentation during his time in Paris. Employing long brushstrokes, he juxtaposed complementary colours—blue and orange in the background, and red and green in the beard and eyes. The deliberate placement of these colours enhances their mutual intensity. Over time, the red pigment has faded, transforming the purple strokes into blue, consequently diminishing the contrast with the yellow hues.
By Anthony King (c)