This was a pain to write, but is a quality paper and will pull in a good grade "Excellent work, well-

researched and organized"

A Tormented Mind: Vincent van Gogh's Mental Illness Reflected in His Self-Portraits

On a beautiful summer day in July 1890 Vincent van Gogh, now

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

isolation, preventing van Gogh from achieving much recognition or success

in his own lifetime. Much of van Gogh's inner pain is reflected in his

paintings -- especially in his own self-portraits. In fact, the fluctuations in

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-

portraits. His Self-Portrait painted in 1887 reflects van Gogh's mental

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

his Self-Portrait in Front of the Easel (1888) gives a foreshadowing of van

Gogh's passage from a time relatively free of symptoms to a period of mental

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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

sadness as well as to his phenomenal talent.

Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 at Groot Zundert, a

village in Dutch Brabant. He was the eldest son of a Protestant clergyman

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

"highly strung, over-sensitive temperament" which contributed to his sense

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

disenchanted with the business world and decided to devote himself to

preaching the word of God. He was a devoted missionary, committing his

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

behaviors began to develop into serious mental illness, marked by episodes

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of periodic depression and melancholy often accompanied by mild psychotic

features. During these years van Gogh's relationship with his brother Theo

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

period, experiencing life and conversing with many artists as he developed

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

mental illness, as his depressive mood swings began to be accompanied by

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

van Gogh committed suicide in Auvers, France, shooting himself with a

revolver. He died in his brother Theo's arms on July 29. His last words:

"The sadness will never go away" (Barnes 17).

From the very beginning of his career, Vincent van Gogh had very

specific goals concerning the emotional impact of his work:

I want to do drawings which touch some people... In either figure or

landscape I should wish to express, not sentimental melancholy, but

serious sorrow... I want to progress so far that people will say of my

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work, he feels deeply, he feels tenderly -- notwithstanding my so-

called roughness, perhaps even because of it. (Barnes 11)

Van Gogh wanted to move people through his art. He wanted them to

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,

energy and determination -- a van Gogh relatively free of the symptoms of

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

brushstrokes which are painted surrounding van Gogh's head. The

brushstrokes radiate outward from van Gogh's head "symbolically, as if they

originated from a luminous source" and create an "intensity of expression"

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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

communicate the painter's contentment during this pleasant and most

productive time of his life.

Unfortunately, times of peace and inner contentment were relatively

short-lived for van Gogh. Tormented by his illness, van Gogh experienced

frequent bouts of serious melancholy and depression. Shortly after he

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

melancholy feelings of isolation and loneliness (Crispino 38). In contrast to

his self-portrait of 1887, van Gogh here appears gaunt and tired, pale and

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

impression of weakness. His eyes communicate a great sadness to the

viewer, a sign of "feverish tension, the sign of a desperate internal struggle

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

things and people in his paintings inevitably had a mood of

melancholy and pity; in the act of painting, the artist's emotional world

acquired independence -- and objectivity, in that it could clearly be

seen in the object of contemplation. (102)

In this case, the "object of contemplation" is van Gogh himself. Van Gogh

was indeed skilled at communicating "melancholy and pity" in his painting,

and nowhere is this more evident than in his self-portraits.

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.

Van Gogh's extreme behavior was likely precipitated by the presence of

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

this painting as "strangely serene and almost indifferent," perhaps reflecting

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

communicate a great deal to the viewer, giving a sense of ambiguity and

disinterest in the world. Denvir describes van Gogh's mental state at the

time of this painting as "acute mental derangement accompanied by

delirium" (13), which would be consistent with van Gogh's known behavior

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

suppressed than in the other self-portraits here discussed, which further

enhances the general feeling of misery and depression induced by this

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

in communicating his mental anguish and exhaustion to the viewer. As in

his other self-portraits, van Gogh once again successfully manipulated the

elements of color, style, and facial expression to capture his current mental

and emotional state and communicate it to the world.

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

during times of transition between stability and illness. An example of this

is his Self-Portrait in Front of the Easel (1888), a painting which captures

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

painted this self-portrait he was beginning to feel a deepening depression

and he knew that his mental health was once again declining. This sense of

mental distress is communicated vividly by the painter's self-portrait. In the

painting van Gogh sits in front of a painter's easel, palette and brushes in

hand. He wears a kind of blue overcoat similar to those seen in so many of

his self-portraits, the now-familiar white shirt peeking out from above the

collar. His hair is close-shaven, but a careful inspection reveals the use of

chaotic brushstrokes, indicating that his hair is "unkempt and neglected"

(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

death's head" (Denvir 10). The background is a shade of flat gray-white. In

fact, the dominant color in this self-portrait is a gray-white tone which

communicates a sense of despair or impending trouble. Bronkhorst notes

the "unhealthy expression" (53) seen on van Gogh's face, an impression

enhanced by the use of shadowing. The painting is of a man who appears

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

anguish and despair (Gruitrooy 43). The entire painting communicates a

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

describes van Gogh's self-portrait in the following terms:

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

the face of a man with no more time for friendliness. (536)

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

the time he painted this self-portrait. It is a testament to his great talent as a

painter that he was able to so successfully capture his sense of depression

during a time of transition from a period of stability to a time of mental

sickness. Once again, van Gogh succeeds in capturing his thoughts and

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feelings at a particular point in time in his self-portrait and communicating

them to the viewer. His talented use of technique, color and facial

expression allow him to speak to us of his private torment so many years

after his passing away.

Vincent van Gogh painted approximately forty-three self-portraits during

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,

showing us a man of great passion, energy and dedication as well as a man

of highly changeable mood and temperament. "He was given to outbursts of

anger, yet capable of great tenderness" (Crispino 35). Nowhere are van

Gogh's transitions from times of great optimism and feverish energy to

periods of misery and psychotic depression more eloquently expressed than

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

self-portraits. His 1887 Self-Portrait succeeds in conveying a sense of

fleeting tranquility and contentment, while his 1889 Self-Portrait

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-

Portrait in Front of the Easel shows van Gogh in a state of transition

between a time of happiness and a time of despair. These paintings are

lasting testaments to the unrivaled skill of Vincent van Gogh in expressing

his ever-changing temperament through art, and allow the artist to

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

accomplishment, and he still speaks to us today through his self-portraits.