Vincent van Gogh
Today it's our last Sunday with the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen's collection. We hope you enjoyed our selection! Time for the last masterpiece: a beautiful portrait painted by Vincent van Gogh.
While staying in Arles in the south of France, Van Gogh befriended the station postal clerk Joseph Roulin. He portrayed the whole family: the postal clerk, his wife, and also their two sons, Camille and Armand, who can be seen here. This series is unique in many ways. Although Van Gogh loved to paint portraits, it was difficult for financial and other reasons for him to find models. So, finding an entire family that agreed to sit for paintings—in fact, for several sittings each—was a bounty. The 17-year-old Armand, with his downy mustache and gloomy look, is a true adolescent. He was a serious young man who, at the time the paintings were made, had left his parents' home to work as a blacksmith's apprentice. He seems to be sad a little here; even the angle of the hat seems to indicate sadness.
P.S. Do you know why Van Gogh is today considered one of the greatest artists of all time? We have a woman named Jo van Gogh-Bonger to thank!
P.P.S. Happy New Lunar Year! To celebrate it, get all our amazing calendars with a -25% discount! :)) Also, as we love Vincent van Gogh, we have created some amazing artsy stuff, including notebooks and socks. Check them out in our DailyArt Shop. :)