https://preview.redd.it/caivvq6zbxj61.png?width=1008&format=png&auto=webp&s=507e769032ec0f778bcbebae6100d47f0df05c74
(note: absolutely no flair fits, but this is the closest. So sorry)
The Van Gogh Brothers & the Painting:
Vincent van Gogh was the oldest son (barring one who died in infancy), but it was Theo who was considered the ‘man of the family.’ After their father’s early death, it was Theo—a respected art dealer who exhibited the likes of Monet, Cezanne, and Gaugin—that held the family together. Theo supported the troubled, transient Vincent for most of his adult life, giving him money and almost unconditional support. From 1886 to 1888—when Vincent made his fateful move to Arles—the two lived together in Paris, during which time Vincent painted prolifically. Soon, both brothers were dead, tragically young, Vincent from suspected suicide and Theo likely from complications of syphilis.
But among these Paris paintings were two portraits, both from some time in 1887. Because of their similar size and style, most assume they are a pair. And most assume the two men are Vincent and Theo van Gogh. It is reasonable to think, as many have, that the one in the straw hat is Vincent and the one in the felt hat is Theo; it would match their professions and the known dress of Vincent. Really, there should be no question as to who the portraits represent. But there is.
Basic Appearance:
Vincent and Theo were, obviously, brothers. By all accounts they were strikingly similar in appearance, differentiated mostly by their dress and manners. But there were differences:
Vincent: Vincent was careless with his personal appearance, bathing rarely and often wearing little more than rags, a constant source of embarrassment to his buttoned-down family. By his 20s, his teeth were rotten and falling out, and he had had most removed. But other than a few scattered descriptions of Vincent as “ugly” or “very ugly”—and one picture from when he was 19 (Vincent was a notorious hater of photographs, which he described as “frightful”)—most of what we know about his appearance comes from his numerous self portraits. Here, he’s usually shown with a thin face, long nose, light bluish or greenish eyes, and his signature reddish hair and beard. (note: I will add that another photograph may exist, but that it is highly disputed).
Theo: Theo was slighter than his brother (though likely around the same height), with thin features thinned further from illness, pale reddish hair, and light
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This is not a cancel culture type post. I’m not a snowflake. However, I have been a big fan of Vincent Van Gogh for a long time, like so many people are. I had the joy of seeing some of his artwork in person at a museum exhibit recently. I was in complete awe and moved by his work, as was everyone else there I’d imagine. Then I go to the gift shop and there’s countless figurines and magnets and keychains and toys with caricatures of Vincent Van Gogh and his missing ear. One of them was literally a bobble head doll with a removable ear and the box it was in had an exclamation on the front “comes with removable ear!“ I’m disgusted that a respectable art museum would have this trash just steps away from some of the most compelling paintings ever created. The man was seriously disturbed, and likely had some mental illnesses that we may not know about. In spite of this, created beautiful artwork that has moved countless people for countless years. It’s just not right to make fun of him when he can’t defend himself and it’s such a low blow to use someone for the beauty of their work, but then completely exploit their most vulnerable moment and treat it like a circus act to be mocked and made light of. Just because he lived a long time ago and none of us knew him personally, doesn’t mean he wasn’t a person, just like the rest of us, who deserves empathy.
