A bearded man, with a loosely knotted scarf and a wide-brimmed hat, the right side of his face in shadow: a sketch causes a stir in the art world.
Because the gentleman who looks so penetratingly at the viewer is in all probability Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) – the world-famous Dutch painter probably drew himself. “Yes, you read that right,” said the Scottish National Gallery in a statement on Thursday. “We have almost certainly discovered a previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh.”
Van Gogh had to save
The drawing came to light when van Gogh’s Head of a Peasant Woman in a White Cap (1885) was being X-rayed in preparation for an exhibition in Edinburgh. The museum emphasized that this treatment was purely routine. “The find was a complete surprise.”
The self-portrait is on the back of the canvas. It was covered with several layers of glue and cardboard, which were probably installed around 1905 for an exhibition. It is well known that van Gogh repeatedly used the back of paintings for new sketches and pictures – the artist often had little money and had to save. “That’s why pictures keep appearing, including self-portraits,” said Cologne art historian and journalist Stefan Koldehoff of the German Press Agency.
Tough work ahead
The left ear, which the painter cut off in 1888, is clearly visible. The drawing must therefore have been created beforehand. The museum said it was probably an early work and one of the first attempts at self-painting. The National Gallery does not want to be 100 percent sure that it is a genuine van Gogh. International experts were consulted during the investigation. But: “We can currently only work with the X-ray image. We hope that if we manage to remove the glue and cardboard to reveal the self-portrait, we can be absolutely certain.” This work should be difficult – not that the painting on the other side is damaged.
The Dutchman was not the only painter who also used the back of the canvas. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), the central figure in the “Brücke” group of artists, often worked in this way. However, presenting the back is not always well received by critics. They point out that the practice obviously goes against the will of the artist. Scientifically, however, such sketches and discarded works are considered to be particularly revealing.
The public should see the picture at the end of July
Art historians are also hoping for clues in this case. Van Gogh was particularly keen to experiment during his Paris years from 1886 to 1888, said van Gogh biographer Koldehoff. Contrary to what is often portrayed, he was by no means a lone wolf, but made friends with impressionists such as Camille Pissarro and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the French capital. “His pictures themselves became more impressionistic, brighter, more colorful,” said the expert. “If this possible self-portrait, which we have only known as a bad black-and-white X-ray, comes from this period, it could also show how van Gogh was learning. But that’s speculation as long as we don’t see the picture in the original and in color.”
The discovery is to be presented to the public as early as the end of July. The gallery wants to give visitors a look at the sketch with the help of a specially made light box. Curator Frances Fowle is thrilled. It is a unique gift to the cultural scene in Scotland. (SDA)