Description
Vincent – Original oil on canvas by John Peter Russell (1858 – 1930), Paris, 1886.
Held (and currently on view) at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (Vincent van Gogh Foundation).
John Russell was born in Australia; travelling to England to study art when he was 18 years old. This portrait of Vincent van Gogh is believed to be the master’s favourite depiction of himself; the Dutch artist imploring his brother before he died to “take good care of my portrait by Russell, which means a lot to me”.
Russell and van Gogh were friends: Van Gogh’s private letters reveal his deep fondness for Russell and his art, and although faint, the words “Vincent, in friendship” were painted in red above Van Gogh’s head.
All images of the original artworks are in the public domain, allowing me to make modifications without copyright restrictions. I will always endeavour to provide information and links to the original artwork and show the original for comparison. I do not for a minute, believe my embellishments make the artwork better. However, I hope my little ‘twists’ help expose these beautiful paintings to a new audience.
