Joseph Roulin Sitting on a Chair by van Gogh

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Illustration

Mark Cartwright
by Boston Museum of Fine Arts
published on 17 March 2022
Joseph Roulin Sitting on a Chair by van Gogh Download Full Size Image

An 1888 oil on canvas portrait, Joseph Roulin Sitting on a Chair, by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), the Dutch post-impressionist artist. Painted in August in Arles, France. Roulin was the artist's local postman, and the two became good friends, with Vincent painting him several times and members of his family. In a letter to his sister Wil, the artist describes the postman as:

Right now I'm working on the portrait of the postman in his uniform of dark blue with yellow. A head a bit like Socrates, almost no nose, a high forehead, bald crown, small grey eyes, highly coloured plump cheeks, a big pepper-and-salt beard, large ears. The man is a well known republican and socialist, argues quite well and knows a great deal. His wife gave birth to a child today, so he's in fine fettle and beaming with satisfaction. (LW 5D)

(Boston Museum of Fine Arts)

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Arts, B. M. o. F. (2022, March 17). Joseph Roulin Sitting on a Chair by van Gogh. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15478/joseph-roulin-sitting-on-a-chair-by-van-gogh/

Chicago Style

Arts, Boston Museum of Fine. "Joseph Roulin Sitting on a Chair by van Gogh." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 17, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15478/joseph-roulin-sitting-on-a-chair-by-van-gogh/.

MLA Style

Arts, Boston Museum of Fine. "Joseph Roulin Sitting on a Chair by van Gogh." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 17 Mar 2022. Web. 14 Dec 2024.

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