As a group they represent, on one level, the artist\u2019s personal longing for the stability of a wife and family and, on another, his radical rethinking of portraiture as a genre. They were painted at a time when, in correspondence with his two friends, Paul Gauguin<\/a> and Emile Bernard, he was struggling with the idea of art as \u201cabstraction\u201d. That is, as a fusion of the real and the imaginary.<\/p>\n Van Gogh wanted to paint ordinary people as he \u201cfelt\u201d them and to raise them to the level of the universal. He was interested in creating symbolic \u201ctypes\u201d, of portraiture such as \u201cthe poet\u201d or \u201cthe soldier\u201d, and also sought to evoke the character and soul of the sitter. <\/p>\n As the exhibition cleverly demonstrates \u2013 through the careful placement of comparative works and \u201cglimpses\u201d via various sight-lines \u2013 he was inspired by artists such as Rembrandt<\/a>, Frans Hals and even Honor\u00e9 Daumier, all of whom devoted themselves to what Van Gogh termed \u201cthe painting of humanity\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Postman Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh (1888) and The Merry Drinker by Frans Hals (1628-1630). In July and August 1888 Van Gogh painted two expressive and colourful portraits of the bearded Roulin, whom he viewed as the modern equivalent of Frans Hals\u2019s painting, The Merry Drinker (1628-1630). The first portrait shows this jolly barfly in his smart blue cap and uniform leaning awkwardly on a table in the Caf\u00e9 de la Gare. <\/p>\n It recalls the artist\u2019s description of the postman in a letter to Bernard<\/a> as \u201csomething of an alcoholic, and with a high colour as a result\u201d. He was also a \u201craging republican\u201d and the two spent long hours conversing about politics.<\/p>\n In October Van Gogh moved to the \u201clittle yellow house\u201d<\/a> in Arles, where he rented two rooms and a studio for only 21 francs 50 centimes a month. A reconstruction of the house is installed on the first floor of the exhibition, which is devoted entirely to wider interpretation and family activities. <\/p>\n It was close to the station, where Roulin often worked, and also had a pleasant aspect, opposite the leafy Place Lamartine. Gauguin soon joined him there and for the next two months they enjoyed a fruitful relationship.<\/p>\n In November 1888, Van Gogh decided to paint all five members of the Roulin family, including baby Marcelle in her mother\u2019s arms<\/a>. Gauguin, too, produced his own somewhat austere portrait of Augustine, and it is interesting to compare his more abstracted approach with Van Gogh\u2019s more personal interpretation.<\/p>\n Gauguin\u2019s portrait of Augustine, Madame Roulin (1888). Rather than pay the family to sit for him on numerous occasions, Van Gogh then embarked on several \u201crepetitions\u201d or variations of his own paintings. The exhibition devotes a whole section to these repeated portraits of the family, inviting the visitor to compare the first version with its copy. Although dating them is a challenge, the repetitions appear more systematic, producing a calmer, more contemplative image, in emulation of Rembrandt.<\/p>\n Particularly curious are two portraits of Marcelle<\/a> who, with her intense blue eyes and chubby features, takes on an almost grotesque appearance. She is dressed in a white christening robe, with a gold bracelet and pinkie ring, which were common christening gifts.<\/p>\n Portrait of Marcelle Roulin by Van Gogh (1888). At the end of December 1888, Van Gogh\u2019s mental state deteriorated dramatically, culminating in him severing most of his left ear with a razor. He was admitted to hospital in Arles, where both Joseph and Augustine paid him regular visits. As a selection of touching letters in the exhibition testify, Roulin also kept in touch with Vincent\u2019s brother Theo.<\/p>\n Once back at the yellow house, Van Gogh continued to work almost obsessively on his repetitions, producing five extraordinary portraits of Madame Roulin<\/a>, portraying her as the universal symbol of the comforting mother. <\/p>\n Dressed in green, she is seated in a red chair and set against a background of swirling daisies. She holds the rope of a baby\u2019s cradle, evoking the idea of the comforter. Van Gogh even imagined the perfect location for the portrait as the cabin of a ship, where it would rock with the waves, reminding the sailors of their own mother.<\/p>\n This is a wonderful, absorbing exhibition, but with a salutary message. For, before he left Arles, Van Gogh gave the five original Roulin portraits to the postman as a token of their friendship. In 1900, in desperate need of money, Joseph sold all five, together with three other paintings, to the art dealer Ambroise Vollard for a pittance. If only he could have held on to them \u2013 today the portraits are recognised as among Van Gogh\u2019s greatest achievements.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20251013-56-zrp9bw.jpg\")
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\n Museum of Fine Arts Boston\/Rijksmuseum<\/p>\n![\"Colourful](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20251013-56-a1ri50.jpg\")
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\n Saint Louis Art Museum<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Painting](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20251013-66-r28915.jpg\")
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\n Van Gogh Museum<\/a><\/p>\n