IDENTITY

Letter 547 — Portrait & Method

Antwerp, 1885

Content Summary

On 14 December 1885 at Antwerp, Van Gogh reflects on portraiture through Rubens, Hals and Rembrandt and considers painting in relation to photography.

CONTEXT

Topics

Portrait, Method, Rubens, Hals, Rembrandt, photography

Materials & Pigments

Related People

Vincent van Gogh, Delacroix, Eugène Fromentin, Rubens, Hals, Rembrandt

Paintings

RESEARCH

Quotation

Research Focus

The letter places Van Gogh’s developing approach to portraiture within a historical tradition while clarifying his interest in qualities of painted representation that differ from photographic likeness.

Related Work / Relevance

SOURCES & EVIDENCE

Source Type

Letter

Source

Letter 547

Source Edition

Vincent van Gogh — The Letters, scholarly online edition (Van Gogh Museum / Huygens ING)

Source URL

https://vangoghletters.org/en/let547

Evidence Type

Primary Source, Scholarly Annotation