Behind "Portrait of Camille Roulin" (1888) lies the beautiful friendship between Van Gogh and the postman Joseph Roulin, who helped the artist in his final years.
Artnet reported on February 17th that Samuel Reily, a writer for the international art magazine Apollo, spoke with Nienke Bakker, art curator at the Van Gogh Museum (Netherlands), about the painting of the boy Camille Roulin.
The painting is on display at the Museum of Modern Art (USA). Photo: Artnet
The portrait of Camille Roulin is one of 23 works about the Roulin family, completed in 1888. At that time, Van Gogh wanted to paint a "modern portrait," so he used many vibrant colors to depict the appearance and personality of the subject. The work is impressive with its contrasting color combination: a green shirt accented with bright red buttons, a dark blue hat against a deep yellow background. When painting the face, Van Gogh used many colors: green, orange, and yellow to depict skin tone and shadows. According to Samuel Reily, the large, simple brushstrokes in the portrait resemble Japanese prints, but the artist added many characteristic parallel brushstrokes, increasing the expressiveness of the subject.
Vincent Van Gogh painted this picture while living with the artist Paul Gaugin in the town of Arles (France), before he cut off his left ear due to a conflict with a colleague. Camille, then 11 years old, was the youngest child of the postman Joseph-Étienne Roulin. The two became acquainted when Joseph helped him send paintings to Paris for Theo – the artist's brother who was an art dealer – and transport painting supplies from Theo to the famous painter.
In 1888, on his journey from Paris to Arles, Vincent Van Gogh could not have foreseen the loneliness he would face, leading to many difficulties. He struggled with poverty and mental illness. Joseph was the one who helped him through those dark days. In the painter's eyes, the postman, Mr. Roulin, was an active social activist and an exemplary husband and father. When the painter could not afford to pay for his models, the postman's family, including Joseph, his wife, and three children, agreed to help him. The painter created two or three different versions of each character, giving one back to the model.
In a letter to his brother, Van Gogh described Joseph as a man who was "not suffering, not melancholic, not perfect, not happy, and never absolutely honest, but a good, wise, affectionate, and loyal friend."
Van Gogh painted a portrait of Joseph-Étienne Roulin in "The Postman" in 1889, based on memories of his friend after the Roulin family moved from Arles to a nearby town. Photo: RX/Museum
During the period of 1889-1890, the Dutch painter had to live in a psychiatric hospital due to a nervous breakdown. Joseph often visited, cared for, and encouraged him, helping him send letters to Theo and his sister Willemien in the Netherlands. In May 1890, Van Gogh was discharged from the hospital but died two months later. He ended his own life at the age of 37 by shooting himself in the stomach while painting.
Self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, painted in 1889. Photo: artcyclopedia
Phuong Thao (according to Artnet, RX/Museum)
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