IDENTITY
Letter 695 — Explicit mixture, exaggeration and teasing out the essence
Arles, 1888
Content Summary
Van Gogh describes an explicit colour mixture for a self-portrait and explains his attempt to exaggerate character and extract the essential character of a landscape.
CONTEXT
Topics
Explicit Mixture, Working Method, Exaggeration, Simplification, Artistic Intention, Colour, Arles Practice
Materials & Pigments
Veronese Green, Orange Lead
Related People
Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Theo van Gogh, Émile Bernard, Eugène Boch
Paintings
Self-portrait (F476 / JH1581), The Poet’s Garden series
RESEARCH
Quotation
In the decoration I’ve tried to tease out the essence of what constitutes the changeless character of the region.
Research Focus
The letter connects concrete colour practice with a broader artistic principle of selective exaggeration, showing technical decisions and expressive intention operating together.
Related Work / Relevance
SOURCES & EVIDENCE
Source Type
Letter
Source
Source Edition
Vincent van Gogh — The Letters, scholarly online edition (Van Gogh Museum / Huygens ING; website version December 2024)
Source URL
Evidence Type
Primary Source, Scholarly Annotation
Related Readings