In this portrait, Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler) serves as both spark and origin. The summer palette and sweeping brushstrokes follow the form rather than simply covering it, while the pensive gaze gives the figure a sense of withdrawal from the surrounding noise.
Beneath this painting lies an earlier, unsuccessful attempt. Its presence under the surface becomes a trace of the process, a fracture that enriches the life of the portrait.