If one were to analyze a portrait of Van Gogh, do you believe the portrait would reflect how the artist was feeling at the time? Give a reason for...

When one
considers the sheer number of self-portraits that Van Gogh painted, it becomes difficult to
believe that there isn't emotional expression contained within them. Indeed, self-portraits are
often thought to capture the artist's ideas of themself as well as their momentary emotional
states, even simply because of how much interpretation goes into viewing a face. While some of
Van Gogh's portraits can be considered more photorealistic when viewed individually, when they
are viewed as a group, there are clear tonal shifts that happen over time.

A
particularly clear example of emotional expression in Van Gogh's self-portraits can be seen in F
267, painted in the winter of 1886€“87. This portrait uses a very limited color scheme of blues,
grays, and just a few oranges and yellows. The eyes are large, sunken, and empty, and they
convey a desperate feeling. It stands out from other portraits from the same winter because it
is the darkest and most impressionistic, but also because it's the only one where he isn't
wearing a jacket with a lapel. Both of these elements are evidence that, of all the portraits he
painted that winter, this one was the one that he painted in the most distraught mental
state.