Vincent van Gogh
Paris, August-September 1887
Oil on artist’s board
In summer 1887, Vincent van Gogh introduced a new element in his self-portraits: a yellow straw hat, to contrast with the complementary blue of his jacket. An indispensable accessory to shield painters working outdoors from the sun, it embodies Van Gogh’s commitment to painting directly in the landscape. Made in Paris, this self-portrait evokes Van Gogh’s day trips on the outskirts of the capital to paint the river and its surroundings.
He exchanged this self-portrait for a work by his fellow painter Emile Bernard. Years later, Bernard noted that he was attached to the self-portrait ‘as much as a token of friendship than as a painting’.