Artwork
Portrait of Vincent van Gogh
Portrait of Vincent van Gogh is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Imitator of Vincent van Gogh. It dates from 1926 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Its iconography follows conventional portrait conventions, focusing on the sitter's facial features without additional allegorical elements.
The work presents a likeness of Vincent van Gogh rendered as a portrait by an unidentified imitator, dated 1926. Its iconography follows conventional portrait conventions, focusing on the sitter's facial features without additional allegorical elements. The painting's symbolic content is not specified in the source material; its significance lies in its identification as an imitation of van Gogh rather than an authentic work.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1926, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 59.1 cm in height and 47.5 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece is identified as the product of an imitator of Vincent van Gogh rather than the artist himself.
The composition adheres to the portrait genre, focusing on the likeness of the subject through the application of oil paint on a woven support.
History & Provenance
The portrait, an oil on canvas measuring 59.1 by 47.5 cm and recorded as an imitation of Vincent van Gogh dated 1926, was originally held by Otto Wacker in Berlin. It was then acquired by the New York dealer Joseph Stransky of French Galleries, Inc., who sold it on 28 May 1928 to the collector Chester Dale. Dale bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1963, where it remains.
The Chester Dale papers list the Wildenstein gallery as the source, reflecting that French Galleries, Inc. then operated at Wildenstein & Co. No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Legacy
Its designation as a work by an imitator of Vincent van Gogh has made the portrait a reference point for scholarship on early twentieth-century responses to the artist. Acquired by Chester Dale in 1928 and bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in 1963, it illustrates the growing appreciation of van Gogh's portraiture among collectors and museums.
Overview
This oil on canvas painting depicts a self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh. The artist presents himself with a shaved head and a prominent red beard, dressed in a paint-splattered, blue-striped shirt. He holds the tools of his trade, a paintbrush and a palette, against a simple, unadorned background. The work captures a direct and unidealized portrayal of the painter at work.
Artist & collection
Artist
