There are at least 9 portraits made of the Postman Joseph Roulin, and 17 of his family. The Postman became one of his Van Gogh’s favorite sitters in the French town of Arles. Van Gogh wrote to his brother about him:
“I am now at work with another model, a postman in a blue uniform, trimmed with gold, a big bearded face, very like Socrates.”
Van Gogh compared Roulin to Socrates on many occasions. He described him as “such a good soul and so wise and so full of feeling and so trustful.”
Postman Joseph Roulin, 1888
Van Gogh loved to paint portraits but models were difficult to afford. Joseph Roulin, his wife, and his children all agreed to several sittings, so Van Gogh created 23 paintings of the Postman and his family between 1888-1889.
After her husband had posed several times for van Gogh, Augustine sat for both van Gogh and Paul Gauguin in the house the two men shared. During the sitting, she kept her gaze on Gauguin, possibly because she was not comfortable in the presence of van Gogh.
The Mother or Portrait of Madame Augustine Roulin, Nov–Dec 1888
Van Gogh created several works while Augustine rocked her cradle by a string. Van Gogh titled the group of paintings La Berceuse which means “lullaby” or “the woman rocking the cradle.”
Armand Roulin, their eldest son, lived from 1871 – 1945. He was 17 when painted by van Gogh.At the time the paintings were made Armand had left his parents’ home, working as a blacksmith’s apprentice.
Portrait of Armand Roulin, 1888
Portrait of Armand Roulin, 1888
Young Man with a Cap (Armand Roulin), 1888
Camille Roulin, the middle child, lived from 1877 – 1922. He was eleven when his portrait was painted.
Portrait of Camille Roulin, 1888, Oil on Canvas, 40.5 X 32.5 cm
Portrait of Camille Roulin, 1888
he Schoolboy with Uniform Cap (Camille Roulin), early December, 1888
Marcelle Roulin, the youngest child lived for 100 years, from 1888 to 1980! She was four months old when van Gogh painted her. She was painted three times by herself and twice on her mother’s lap.
Portrait of Marcelle Roulin, 1888, Oil on Canvas, 35 X 24.5 cm
Portrait of Marcelle Roulin, 1888
Roulin’s Baby, 1888
Portrait of Madame Augustine Roulin and Baby Marcelle, 1888
Excerpt from Mitchell Albala’s Book: Simplification and Massing The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hoffman At a recent workshop, several students pointed to a cottonwood tree that was gently swaying in the breeze. “How are we going to paint all those leaves?” they asked. …
We spend our lives around and within the internet, using email and text messages. But these digital layers of information have yet to integrate into our paintings. Why? These images present us with quandaries. How do we combine the “real world” with “online world” … and should these screen images really be put in paint at all? How many …
[image_with_animation image_url=”8555″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Yesterday I talked about Joseph Cornell, and how he didn’t consider himself an artist, but felt he was a collector, and a maker of things. I like to think sometimes I make things. Contrary to my website, I avoid calling myself an artist. Doing so can be validating, but …
Sometimes I wonder what happens to artworks after a class ends. Kate Fluckinger sent out an invitation including some paintings I recognized from Padlet. She’s having a show, and some of the paintings were made in League classes. I asked Kate if pieces of the show were influenced by her recent classes at the League: …
Van Gogh: The Postman and his Family
There are at least 9 portraits made of the Postman Joseph Roulin, and 17 of his family. The Postman became one of his Van Gogh’s favorite sitters in the French town of Arles. Van Gogh wrote to his brother about him:
“I am now at work with another model, a postman in a blue uniform, trimmed with gold, a big bearded face, very like Socrates.”
Van Gogh compared Roulin to Socrates on many occasions. He described him as “such a good soul and so wise and so full of feeling and so trustful.”
Van Gogh loved to paint portraits but models were difficult to afford. Joseph Roulin, his wife, and his children all agreed to several sittings, so Van Gogh created 23 paintings of the Postman and his family between 1888-1889.
After her husband had posed several times for van Gogh, Augustine sat for both van Gogh and Paul Gauguin in the house the two men shared. During the sitting, she kept her gaze on Gauguin, possibly because she was not comfortable in the presence of van Gogh.
Van Gogh created several works while Augustine rocked her cradle by a string. Van Gogh titled the group of paintings La Berceuse which means “lullaby” or “the woman rocking the cradle.”
Armand Roulin, their eldest son, lived from 1871 – 1945. He was 17 when painted by van Gogh. At the time the paintings were made Armand had left his parents’ home, working as a blacksmith’s apprentice.
Camille Roulin, the middle child, lived from 1877 – 1922. He was eleven when his portrait was painted.
Marcelle Roulin, the youngest child lived for 100 years, from 1888 to 1980! She was four months old when van Gogh painted her. She was painted three times by herself and twice on her mother’s lap.
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Mitchell Albala: Simplification and Massing
Excerpt from Mitchell Albala’s Book: Simplification and Massing The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hoffman At a recent workshop, several students pointed to a cottonwood tree that was gently swaying in the breeze. “How are we going to paint all those leaves?” they asked. …
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We spend our lives around and within the internet, using email and text messages. But these digital layers of information have yet to integrate into our paintings. Why? These images present us with quandaries. How do we combine the “real world” with “online world” … and should these screen images really be put in paint at all? How many …
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[image_with_animation image_url=”8555″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Yesterday I talked about Joseph Cornell, and how he didn’t consider himself an artist, but felt he was a collector, and a maker of things. I like to think sometimes I make things. Contrary to my website, I avoid calling myself an artist. Doing so can be validating, but …
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Sometimes I wonder what happens to artworks after a class ends. Kate Fluckinger sent out an invitation including some paintings I recognized from Padlet. She’s having a show, and some of the paintings were made in League classes. I asked Kate if pieces of the show were influenced by her recent classes at the League: …