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A Tormented Mind: Vincent van Gogh's Mental Illness Reflected in His Self-Portraits
recognized as one of the world's most gifted painters, went down into the
open country of Auvers, France and shot himself in the heart with a revolver
(Martini 3). The man who is now known throughout the world for his
revolutionary artistic talent died in his brother Theo's arms, little known or
appreciated in his own time (Barnes 17). Van Gogh's suicide marked the
end of a life-long struggle with mental illness and depression which affected
every aspect of his personal and social life. His unpredictable, sometimes
even violent mental and emotional states led to a life of loneliness and
van Gogh's mental state and mood due to his mental illness directly
influenced his choice of color schemes and facial expressions in his self-
excitement and optimistic energy during this very productive period of his
life. In contrast, Van Gogh's 1889 Self-Portrait was painted during his
darkest period of illness and misery and these qualities are expressed
through van Gogh's technique. His Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889-
90) is a testament to the physical effects of van Gogh's illness as well as how
close he was to finally giving up and ending his life by his own hand, while
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pain and turmoil. Through his self-portraits van Gogh communicated his
pain and sorrow to the viewer, creating lasting monuments to his chronic
Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 at Groot Zundert, a
named Theodorus van Gogh, and his mother's name was Anna Cornelia
Carbentus (van Uitert, van Tilborgh, and van Heugten 27). In 1857 van
Gogh's brother Theo was born, and for the rest of his life van Gogh would
remain very close to his younger brother. In many ways, Theo was van
Gogh's only friend, and lent him support in times when van Gogh felt totally
isolated and alone. Throughout his childhood van Gogh suffered from a
of isolation and loneliness (Barnes 8). He felt alone in the sense that no one
else could really understand him, and this further cemented the bond
between van Gogh and his brother. In 1869 van Gogh found employment
with an art dealership called Goupil and Co, but he soon became
entire heart and soul to helping the poor and the afflicted, but his somewhat
eccentric and extreme behavior often worked against his efforts, frightening
those whom he intended to convert. It was at this time, at the age of twenty-
seven, that van Gogh finally decided to become a painter. The final ten
years of his life were spent in a frenzy of painting and it was during these ten
years that all of van Gogh's most memorable works were produced. It was
also during this time that van Gogh's extreme tendencies and eccentric
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became a lifeline, and the two corresponded closely with one another up to
the time of van Gogh's death. Van Gogh traveled a good deal during this
his style. Eventually he settled in Paris to live with his brother (Barnes 12).
His years in Paris were relatively happy, but van Gogh eventually decided to
move to Arles in 1888. It was during the last two years of his life, spent
mainly in Arles, that van Gogh would experience his darkest period of
violent attacks or fits, one of which led to the cutting off of his own ear.
During this time, the painter Gauguin, an acquaintance whom van Gogh
admired and respected, came to live with Vincent in Arles. Gauguin's three-
month stay placed great stress on van Gogh, as the two argued incessantly.
Gauguin's visit began to wear down Vincent's nerves, and this had a negative
impact on his already unstable mental condition. Van Gogh began to make
several visits to the St. Remy Mental Hospital as his attacks became more
frequent. Eventually, his illness defeated his will to live and on July 27 1890
revolver. He died in his brother Theo's arms on July 29. His last words:
From the very beginning of his career, Vincent van Gogh had very
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understand his feelings and emotions -- to experience the very same feelings
that van Gogh himself felt while painting his subjects. It is in his self-
portraits that van Gogh comes closest to achieving his goal, for in them one
gains a profound sense of van Gogh's mental and emotional condition at the
time he created the portrait. Crispino writes that van Gogh's self-portraits
"provide much evidence of his appearance and above all, of his moods" (36).
For example, in his 1887 Self-Portrait we see a van Gogh filled with passion,
mental illness which darkened so much of his adult life. In the painting we
see van Gogh wearing a grey felt hat. He is wearing a well-kept beard and
moustache, painted orange, and a white shirt and coat painted blue. The
strong blues contrasted with the vivid oranges provide a sense of energy and
optimistic activity. This was doubtless van Gogh's intention, for as Martini
writes, van Gogh knew that "the external world, once placed in a particular
light and a specific color, was the emotional equivalent of his inner world"
(6). Van Gogh's facial expression is one of healthy focus and determination,
and van Gogh himself called his expression in this portrait "purposeful" (van
Uitert, van Tilborgh, and van Heugten 83). His skin tone is vibrant and
healthy, his face full and well-formed. One striking characteristic of this
self-portrait not found in van Gogh's others is the "halo" effect created by the
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(Martini 13). Van Gogh painted this self-portrait during one of the happiest
and most productive periods of his life while living with his brother in
France. Van Gogh's use of color, technique, and facial expression all work
together to create an impression of energy and determination, qualities which
short-lived for van Gogh. Tormented by his illness, van Gogh experienced
moved from Paris to Arles in 1888 van Gogh experienced some of his most
severe bouts of mental illness (Barnes 13). It was during van Gogh's last
two years (1888-90) that his psychotic, often violent attacks began to
appear, leading eventually to the cutting off of a portion of his own ear. It
was also during this time that van Gogh began to require periodic
hospitalization for his illness. In 1889, during his first stay in the asylum of
St. Remy, van Gogh painted another Self-Portrait which captures his
drained of energy. In the painting van Gogh peers at the viewer holding a
painter's palette and brushes. He wears a dark blue cape over a white shirt.
The background is a deep, almost purplish, blue, and van Gogh's hair, beard
and moustache are painted in more muted tones than in his 1887 self-
portrait, with greater emphasis on yellow than orange tones. The overall
effect is one of sadness and ill health. Van Gogh describes himself in this
portrait as being "as pale as the devil" (Crispino 37). His face is gaunt and
indeed "pale," and his eyes have a haunted, almost weary look. Schapiro
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writes that van Gogh has a "profoundly earnest, troubled face" in this
portrait (48). Surely this is a reflection of van Gogh's mental state at the
time. The yellow tones of van Gogh's beard and hair also give one the
which is brought out into the open" (Martini 6). Van Gogh used color, facial
expression, and technique to once again communicate his mental state to the
viewer. This time, the message is one of pain and loneliness. As Taschen
writes,
Van Gogh was inimitably skilled at representing the fate of man... the
melancholy and pity; in the act of painting, the artist's emotional world
In this case, the "object of contemplation" is van Gogh himself. Van Gogh
Another self-portrait done by van Gogh during this same time period is
his Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889-90). This painting was done
during van Gogh's stay at the St. Remy Mental Hospital after the violent
episode during which he sliced off a portion of his own ear with a razor.
Gauguin, who was staying with Vincent in Arles. The two argued
constantly and van Gogh felt bitter and filled with self-doubt. This violent
attack of van Gogh against himself was the first of many seemingly
psychotic episodes and marked the beginning of van Gogh's final decline
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toward suicide. Martini writes that "after the tragic crisis that unleashed the
quarrel with Gauguin, van Gogh lived his saddest days, and this reflected in
his work" (10). Of van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear Denvir
writes that "he (van Gogh) looks haggard and depressed" (13). Van Gogh
writes to his brother Theo that at the time of this self-portrait "my reason has
half-foundered" (Barnes 76). Martini describes van Gogh's appearance in
how close van Gogh was to finally giving up on the struggle and ending his
own life (15). In the portrait van Gogh is wearing a dark green overcoat
buttoned at the top. A hint of a white undershirt can be seen over the top of
the coat. On his head is a small but well insulated blue cap, indicating a
time of cold weather. The bandage is seen covering his right ear in the
portrait, indicating that van Gogh was working from a mirror image since it
was his left ear that he damaged (van Uitert, van Tilborgh, and van Heugten
188). His face is gaunt and haggard. His beard and moustache are no
longer present, having been recently shaven. Once again, the eyes
disinterest in the world. Denvir describes van Gogh's mental state at the
at the time. The background of the painting is a pale yellow wall, although a
surprisingly bright print of Japanese style can be seen hanging behind the
artist's head. Overall, the colors of this painting are more muted and
painting. Van Gogh substituted "the intense solar colors of his previous
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paintings with the muffled tones of his solitude" (Martini 15), and succeeded
his other self-portraits, van Gogh once again successfully manipulated the
elements of color, style, and facial expression to capture his current mental
However, van Gogh was not limited to the use of his self-portraits to
capture his mental states during opposing periods of relative contentment
and deep mental anguish. He was equally adept at capturing his moods
van Gogh just prior to a major decline in mental health. This self-portrait
was created near the end of van Gogh's contented stay with his brother Theo
in Paris. Van Gogh was beginning to feel restless and was preparing to
move to Arles, where he would quickly decline in mental health. Within the
next two years, he would end his life by his own hand. At the time he
and he knew that his mental health was once again declining. This sense of
painting van Gogh sits in front of a painter's easel, palette and brushes in
collar. His hair is close-shaven, but a careful inspection reveals the use of
(Crispino 36). His beard and moustache are painted in bright orange, but
these brighter tones are muted by the overall shading which covers the face.
In fact, the deepest shading evident in this portrait is covering the artist's
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own face, indicating that van Gogh knew what was happening to him
mentally and emotionally. He sensed that "dark times" lay ahead for him
(Shone 10). Van Gogh himself describes his face in this portrait as "a
unkempt and sad. Gruitrooy writes that in this portrait van Gogh is "clearly
on the verge of depression. Describing his face here in a letter to his sister,
he refers to the wrinkles on his forehead and 'about the wooden mouth' "
(43). Perhaps the most striking feature of all are the eyes, which appear
totally black and lost in shadow. The impression is one of intense inner
grim sense of almost prophetic foreshadowing on the part of van Gogh, who
seemed to understand the danger of his dark moods to his health. Toschen
There are deep creases by the nose and cheekbones, the eyebrows are
thick and prominent, the corners of the mouth have turned down: it is
Van Gogh had lived his entire life with mood swings, depression, and mental
illness, and he was well aware that he was entering a period of ill health at
sickness. Once again, van Gogh succeeds in capturing his thoughts and
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them to the viewer. His talented use of technique, color and facial
his brief ten-year career as an artist (Crispino 36). Each one of these
paintings communicates the painter's mood and mental state at that time,
anger, yet capable of great tenderness" (Crispino 35). Nowhere are van
in his self-portraits. The changes in van Gogh's mood and mental state
directly influenced his choice of color scheme and facial expression in his
communicates his sense of despair and mental confusion during the darkest
time of van Gogh's life. His 1889-90 Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
demonstrates his mental state just prior to his suicide, while the 1888 Self-
communicate with viewers for as long as his paintings exist. Van Gogh once
wrote to his brother that "the truth is, we can only make our pictures speak"
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(Barnes 6). This was van Gogh's greatest talent and greatest