Self portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh
It was painted within a short time of his having had a mental breakdown. During which he cut off part of his ear. The picture shows that van Gough must have mutilated his right ear, because it is clear this one that is bandaged in the picture. A moment’s reflection though, tells that it actually must have been his left ear that was cut, because the picture is a self portrait, carried out with him looking in a mirror and therefore inverting left and right.
Van Gogh’s self portrait makes the point that anything with asymmetry from left to right is distinct from its mirror image. But it turns out for us to be able to distinguish an object’s left and right, it also has to have asymmetries along two other axes. In the case of van Gogh’s picture, for example, these are the asymmetries from top to bottom and front to back.
He was hospitalized after the incident following an attack of his friend and then admitted himself to a mental hospital. Before that, he became very ill with heat stroke, fainting spells and seizures. In angers, he cut off part of his ear with his razor. After Vincent’s ear had healed sufficiently, his doctor advised him to avoid excitement and alcohol and to wear his hat in the sun.
Self portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh
