Self-Portrait with Dark Felt Hat 1886

Curator: Here we have Van Gogh's "Self-Portrait with Dark Felt Hat," painted in 1886. It’s currently held at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Editor: Intense. The first thing that strikes me is the gaze, unwavering. There’s something almost confrontational about the way he meets the viewer’s eyes. Curator: Absolutely, and that intensity is heightened by the impasto technique, the thick layers of oil paint he employed. It's not just a likeness, it's a psychological study. A window into his soul, wouldn’t you say? Editor: It is, but let’s not forget the formal elements. The color palette, for instance. That reddish-brown background sets off the green tones of his face so dramatically. It creates a sense of unease, like something is not quite right, a slight disturbance of visual harmony. Curator: I see it as his emotional honesty breaking through. That red, the dark tones...it evokes feelings of inner turmoil and maybe a bit of a smoldering creative energy just trying to get out. Editor: Perhaps. Although from a formalist view, you could see the red background almost as a screen on which we can examine the figure. The hat creates a visual tension, pulling our eyes upward against our instincts. Curator: Oh, yes. But to consider his intention… I wonder, was the mirror more friend or foe? I think it can go either way. Sometimes his friend and sometimes making him furious because he can not catch what he sees in the moment. I can relate... Can you? Editor: Formally speaking, a self-portrait such as this is really always already an other, something foreign when taken through the visual mediation of art. As viewers, we will also stand outside. It will be there and we are here. Curator: Very true. Considering all, there's this inescapable human element...it lingers. I guess it always will. Editor: Indeed. The visual, always something in itself.