Portrait of Postman Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh Postcard

Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin by Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas 1889, is a painting of a bearded man in blue postal uniform with gold buttons and hat against a patterned, decorative wallpaper background with white flowers. While working in Arles in the south of France Van Gogh befriended the postman and painted many portraits of him, his wife and children. In the bold, swirling brushstrokes, areas of primary color flattened against the floral motif, and incisive drawing capturing the inner character of the portrait subject, Van Gogh came into his own with a new level of expressive power, using heightened color to intensify expression instead of painting what was before his eyes. Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionist movement known for bold, expressive drawing, swirling brushstrokes and bold, heightened colors. In early adulthood Van Gogh worked as an art dealer, teacher and pastor before taking up the full time study of drawing and painting in his late twenties. Influenced by Rembrandt, the 19th century Realists and Barbizon school, Van Gogh's early paintings featured studies of workers and peasants in somber earth tones. Moving to France in 1886, Van Gogh met with the startling innovations of the Impressionist painters and began to apply their approach to color and subject matter, which continued into the mature style for which the artist is most renowned. Van Gogh produced many hundreds of drawings and paintings including portraits, landscapes, still life and flower paintings, and numerous self-portraits that became a dominating influence on the modern art of the 20th century and made him one of the most popular artists of all time.