Portrait Of Armand Roulin 1888

Vincent van Gogh painted this portrait of Armand Roulin with oil on canvas. Van Gogh's distinctive application of paint is particularly striking. The thick, expressive brushstrokes build up the forms and capture the light. Notice the contrasts between the smooth planes and the more textured areas, where the brushstrokes are visible. It's almost sculptural, an effect Van Gogh achieved through careful layering and manipulation of the oil paint. He wasn’t afraid to use ordinary materials, and in his hands, paint becomes so much more than just a medium for representation. Van Gogh was deeply interested in the lives of working-class people. Here, it's impossible to separate his artistic practice from his social concerns. He saw beauty and dignity in the everyday, elevating the lives of ordinary people through his art. The materiality of the painting is integral to its meaning, challenging us to look beyond the subject matter and appreciate the artist’s unique vision and the labor involved in its creation.