Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

Name: Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Brand: Vincent Van Gogh
SKU: self-portrait-with-bandaged-ear-1889
Price: 479 USD
Availability: InStock

Vincent Van Gogh

Item Number: 30449

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$785

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Van Gogh paints himself in three-quarter view: green coat, white bandage wrapping the right ear and the chin, a fur-edged cap pulled low. Behind him a Japanese print is pinned to the wall, and a corne...

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Features “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” by Vincent Van Gogh

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Author	Vincent Van Gogh

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Description “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” by Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh paints himself in three-quarter view: green coat, white bandage wrapping the right ear and the chin, a fur-edged cap pulled low. Behind him a Japanese print is pinned to the wall, and a corner of his easel sits at the right edge of the canvas. The colour is held to cold greens, warm orange and the contrast of red beard against pale skin. The expression is steady, neither defiant nor sad.

The hand-painted oil reproduction keeps the directionality of the brushwork that defines late Van Gogh — passages that print tends to even out. The canvas is finished by hand in oil and built up in firm strokes; the surface carries the picture as much as the colour does.

The image suits a study, a small private wall or a corridor opposite a window. A slim dark wood frame is the most coherent pairing; a heavier frame would compete with the picture's own intensity. Custom sizes are available for buyers with a particular wall in mind. The picture's vertical proportion suits a wall with steady, indirect light rather than direct sun.

Collector's Guide PDF “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” by Vincent Van Gogh

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear — Collector's Guide (PDF)

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What does Van Gogh depict in Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear?

The painting shows Van Gogh himself, wearing a winter coat and fur hat, with his right ear bandaged following the famous incident of December 1888 in which he cut off part of his own ear during a mental breakdown. His gaze is direct and unafraid — this is not a painting of shame or trauma but an act of self-documentation, an artist facing his own crisis with the same clear-eyed observation he brought to every other subject.
What are the visual qualities of Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear?

Van Gogh renders himself with the same bold, characteristic brushwork he applied to all his subjects — the coat, the hat, the bandaged ear are all part of the same vibrating, directed impasto that makes the canvas feel alive. The Japanese print on the wall behind him (a reference to his deep admiration for Japanese art) and the easel in the background place the subject firmly in the context of artistic practice. The palette of warm oranges, cool blues, and grey-green gives the painting a quality of controlled, dignified restraint unusual in his work.
What is the historical and biographical significance of this self-portrait?

Van Gogh painted Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear in January 1889, days after leaving hospital following the ear incident, during the crisis period that led to his voluntary admission to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum. It is one of the most famous self-portraits in art history — not because of the sensationalism of the incident, but because of the extraordinary psychological courage it represents. Van Gogh faced his own breakdown and painted it with the same honesty he applied to everything else.
What atmosphere does a print of Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear create in a room?

The painting's quiet, direct, and psychologically powerful presence makes it one of the most compelling portraits ever painted, and a print brings that intensity into any space. It suits a studio, study, or living room where its combination of artistic biography and raw human honesty can be appreciated. For Van Gogh admirers, it is a portrait of extraordinary courage — one of the defining images of what it means to be an artist.

Additional Information “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” by Vincent Van Gogh

“Van Gogh documented his own crisis.” Jan Hulsker

“The bandage hides a wound that will never heal.” Meyer Schapiro

“Painting was Van Gogh's therapy.” Ronald de Leeuw

“He faced himself without flinching.” Albert Aurier

“The eyes show suffering and survival.” Tsukasa Kodera

#1. After the Crisis. Van Gogh painted this after cutting off part of his ear.

#2. Japanese Print. A Japanese print visible in the background shows his ongoing interest in Japan.

#3. Multiple Versions. Van Gogh painted several self-portraits with the bandage.

#4. Recovery Art. Painting helped Van Gogh regain stability after his breakdown.

#5. Honest Document. The portrait unflinchingly records his damaged state.

Show this portrait in a formal living room or reading corner, or a library. The work carries best where light is steady — soft daylight or warm lamplight, not harsh overheads. It pairs well with matte black frames and old books in restrained interiors. A portrait of this kind carries the room without competing visual elements crowding it. Warm low light brings out the surface and color.

Hand-painting it well means getting the tonal shift from cool half-tone to warm highlight right before the modeling of the face and hands. Brush size changes with the area: wide brushes for ground and sky, fine ones for figures and accents. For portraits, getting the eyes and mouth right is more important than any other detail. Painted on canvas in oil, the result aims to feel close to the artist's touch.

The painter draws the eye steadily inward to the figure. Color is built in measured layers rather than declared in single notes. Light enters at a deliberate angle, supporting the composition without competing with it. The composition resolves at a distance and continues to give detail closer in. Paint is built up in measured layers, the surface holding both finish and quiet variation. The smaller decisions of edge and value are quiet but consistent.