This portrait of Joseph Roulin is one of six that van Gogh painted of his close friend, a postal employee in the southern French town of Arles. In 1888, van Gogh moved to Arles, a fifteen-hour train ride from Paris, in the hopes of creating an artist cooperative. The plan never came to fruition, and the artist found himself lonely and isolated¡ªa situation exacerbated by his inability to speak the challenging local Proven?al dialect. Van Gogh found comfort and companionship with the Roulin family, and they became the subjects of many of his most important paintings. Title Portrait of Joseph Roulin Creator Vincent van Gogh Creator Lifespan March 30, 1853 - July 29, 1890 Creator Nationality Dutch Creator Gender Male Creator Death Place Utrecht, Netherlands Creator Birth Place Groot-Zundert, Netherlands Date Created 1889 Style Post-Impressionism Provenance Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Rosenberg, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Mr. and Mrs. Armand P. Bartos, The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection, Mr. and Mrs. Werner E. Josten, and Loula D. Lasker Bequest (all by exchange) Physical Dimensions w552 x h644 mm Original Title Portrait de Joseph Roulin More Info More Artist Information, Related MoMA Online Courses, MoMA Mobile Type Painting Medium Oil on canvas
