The Many Faces of Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh frequently used himself as a model, painting some 36 self-portraits in the space of a decade. He saw these portraits as integral to his development and identity as a painter, telling his sister, “I am looking for a deeper likeness than that obtained by a photographer.” In a letter to his brother Théo, in September 1889, Van Gogh wrote: “People say, and I am willing to believe it, that it is hard to know yourself. But it is not easy to paint yourself, either. The portraits painted by Rembrandt are more than a view of nature, they are more like a revelation.”