Art & Critique

Vincent van Gogh: Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

It is easy to identify a tormented soul in this face. This is van Gogh after the infamous incident of cutting off his earlobe. The tortured, retired and introspective gaze leaves no doubt as to the state of mind of the portrayed man.

Self-Portrait with Bandag… Buy From Art.com

Yet despite the surfacing inner pain, this countenance and the self-portrait as a whole communicate, and even impose, an infinite tranquility and peace of mind. We witness only the aftermath of the breakdown; the bandage has been applied, the medicine taken — the artist regained his faculties and was able to paint again. The price paid for this recuperation transpires from the eyes, but the merchandise bought is evident throughout: assured artistic skill that enabled this painting. Thus, a complex correlation between the ability to perform and the psychic prerequisites and consequences is established: a tense and a difficult exchange. It appears that eventually the man’s mental resources have dried out, which resulted in the known tragic outcome. Perhaps, if it is possible to recognize an ongoing spiraling process in this piece, it is similarly possible to predict its result. This self-portrait represents another coil of the spiral that was destined to snap.

Van Gogh possessed an unusual, distinctive physiognomy, and perhaps it can bear on this clash between the confident craftsmanship and mercurial temperament. I think that the genre of the discussed painting makes physiognomy especially relevant. The man boasted a very high and broad forehead but a relatively small chin. While the former may declare a strong intellectual capacity, the latter, along with the chiseled, almost feminine lips, may betray susceptibility to spiritual instability and emotional highs and downs. This evident physiognomic imbalance may be seen as the extension of van Gogh’s personality, or vice versa — but it is only a pseudo-scientific argument. However, as already mentioned, the portrait itself evinces similar distribution of power and weakness: a technically confident and calm execution, which presents an emotionally broken man. Both qualities are made visible, one on the physical level, the other on the metaphysical.

There is an interesting expressionistic streak: the green of the overcoat travels on to the eyes. This may seem as a mere clever trick of economy in a color (the original blue of the painter’s visual organs) that might appear too bright and optimistic. But green here has a meaningful symbolic, as well as more direct reference: it usually signifies poison, and, in van Gogh’s case, the poison was absinthe, the alcoholic beverage known for its distinctive green hue. The psychosomatic effects of absinthe became infamous and equally sought for by artists, largely due to van Gogh’s personal experience. The terrible price he paid doesn’t seem to deter the drinkers; on the contrary, most insist on mixing it in their favorite cocktail — perhaps in a hope to borrow some of the inspiration.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 8:54 pm and is filed under Post-Impressionism, Vincent van Gogh. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.