Portrait of Joseph Roulin

The Portrait of Joseph Roulin by Vincent van Gogh, executed in 1889, is a profound oil on canvas painting created during the artist's intensely productive and emotionally complex period in Arles, early 1889. The work exemplifies Gogh’s dramatic shift toward a post-Impressionist style, characterized by highly saturated colors and energetic impasto. This iconic canvas is a key holding within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Joseph Roulin, a postmaster in Arles, was one of the few individuals with whom Gogh formed a sustained, deep friendship during his time in the South of France, serving as an important model for the Dutch artist. Roulin is depicted frontally, wearing his dark blue postal uniform, which anchors the figure against the vibrant, swirling background. Gogh utilized thick layers of paint, or impasto, evident in the texture of Roulin's robust beard and the expressive movement of the background, creating a visual rhythm that transmits intense emotional energy. The colors are highly symbolic and non-naturalistic; the fiery orange and yellow-green hues surrounding the figure intensify the deep blues and greens of the subject's clothing, resulting in a powerful optical vibration.

This portrait goes beyond simple representation, aiming to capture the subject’s intrinsic character and spirit. Gogh viewed the Roulin family as symbolizing the essential goodness and sincerity of the working class, and he produced several celebrated portraits of Joseph and his family between 1888 and 1889. The intensity and immediacy of this canvas reflect the urgency of the work produced during this critical phase of the artist's career, shortly before his voluntary commitment to the asylum at Saint-Rémy. While the original oil on canvas resides at MoMA, the universal appeal of this masterpiece ensures that high-quality prints derived from the public domain are widely circulated, confirming the painting's status as a cornerstone of modern art history.