Portrait of Joseph Roulin by Vincent Van Gogh

About the Artwork
The Portrait of Joseph Roulin (1888) is one of several portraits Van Gogh made of his close friend and postman Joseph Roulin during his time in Arles, in the south of France. Van Gogh held Roulin in great affection, describing him as a man with a "silent gravity and tenderness" reminiscent of the ancient Greeks. The painting depicts Roulin in his distinctive postal uniform — dark blue jacket adorned with gold lettering — his full beard and steady gaze conveying a quiet dignity. Van Gogh painted multiple versions of this portrait, and several are now held in major museums including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

About the Artist
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter whose work, though largely unrecognised during his lifetime, went on to profoundly influence 20th-century art. Born in Zundert, Netherlands, he produced over 2,100 artworks in just a decade — including around 860 oil paintings — marked by bold colours, expressive brushwork, and an emotional honesty rarely seen before. Struggling with mental illness throughout his adult life, Van Gogh channelled his anguish and wonder into canvases that today rank among the most celebrated and valuable in the world.