Portrait of Joseph Roulin, 1889

Portrait of Joseph Roulin, 1889. Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo of his excitement about "the modern portrait," a picture that renders character not by the imitation of the sitter's appearance but through the independent, vivid life of color. Van Gogh's subject in this painting, Joseph Roulin, worked for a post office in the French town of Arles. He was not a letter carrier but rather held a higher position as an official sorting mail at the train station. Van Gogh and Roulin lived on the same street and became close friends. Van Gogh painted many portraits of Roulin. This picture, which van Gogh boasted of having completed quickly, in a single session, was painted after Roulin got a better-paying job and left Arles. Some scholars think that this portrait was not painted from life but rather from memory or from previous portraits.  100% Hand painted art: Size: Various Sizes Available  Medium: Oil Painting on Canvas Type: Reproduction Artist: Vincent van Gogh  Delivery Time: