Vincent van Gogh: Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat

It was painted in August 1888 by Vincent van Gogh in Arles. This sketchy self-portrait is an example of the amazingly rapid progress Van Gogh made in Paris.

The summery palette and loose brushwork betray the influence of the Impressionists. The smock, hat and background consist of large, outlined areas of color. The face and beard are built up in more detail using different tones.

Vincent painted this self-portrait in Paris prior to his departure for Arles. It shows him already imagining himself as a straw hatted man of the South.

Like all of van Gogh's self-portraits, this painting is a record of the artist's sense of identity at the time of the painting.
Vincent van Gogh: Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat by Van Gough

Vincent van Gogh painted many self-portraits throughout his career. In the last five years of his life Van Gogh painted thirty seven self portraits.

In this self-portrait, where he is wearing a straw hat, his technique of using and blending colors is evident. Short brush strokes, characteristics in his paintings, are readily apparent.

Self-Portrait with a Straw was probably painted toward the end of van Gogh’s two year stay in Paris, from March 1886 to February 1888, not long before he departed to live and work in the Provencal city of Arles. During this period van Gogh experimented with color theory, brushstroke and a variety of techniques then popular in Paris.
Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat by Van Gough