Self-portraits {provide|offer|supply|give} {visual|aesthetic} {information|info|details} to art {historians|chroniclers} {investigating|examining|checking out|exploring} {famous|well-known|popular|renowned} {artists|musicians} of {past|previous} {eras|ages|periods}. {How|Exactly how|Just how} {useful|helpful|beneficial|valuable} a self-portrait can be in {uncovering|discovering|revealing} the {inner|internal} {workings|functions|operations} of {any|any type of|any kind of} {artist|musician}'s mind is the {question|concern|inquiry} that drives my {present|existing} {inquiry|query|questions}.

Rembrandt made {so many|a lot of|many|numerous} self-portraits, covering {the whole|the entire} of his {long|lengthy} {career|profession|occupation|job}, that he is {a contender|a competitor|a challenger} for {champion|champ} of the {field|area}. Like me, you {may|might} well {doubt|question} he had {any|any type of|any kind of} {interest|rate of interest|passion} in {competition|competitors} for the title {but|however|yet} his {rivals|competitors|opponents} {now|currently} {include|consist of} {most of|the majority of|a lot of} the names {found|discovered|located} in {any|any type of|any kind of} {History|Background} of Art.

First {among|amongst} these is Vincent van Gogh.

Unlike Rembrandt, Vincent left {detailed|comprehensive|in-depth|thorough} accounts of his {thought processes|mind} in the {many|numerous|lots of|several} {hundreds of|numerous|thousands of} letters he {wrote to|contacted} his {brother|sibling|bro} Theo, an art {dealer|dealership|supplier} in Paris. {A devoted|A dedicated|A committed} {friend|buddy|pal|good friend|close friend} {and|as well as|and also} {sponsor|enroller} of his {brother|sibling|bro}, Theo {encouraged|motivated|urged} Vincent by {giving|providing|offering} him {financial support|financial backing}, by {introducing|presenting} him to {other|various other} {artists|musicians} {working in|operating in} Paris {and|as well as|and also} by {trying|attempting} - without success - to {sell|offer|market} Vincent's {work in|operate in} his city gallery.
{Famously|Notoriously} {noted|kept in mind} is the {fact|truth|reality} that {during|throughout} his life, Vincent made {only one|just one} sale. At his {death|fatality}, {all of|every one of} the {work|job} he {produced|created|generated} was left in the {possession|belongings|ownership|property} of his {brother|sibling|bro}. {Just|Simply} {six|6} months after Vincent's {mysterious|mystical|strange} {death|fatality}, Theo {also|likewise|additionally} {died|passed away}. In his will, Theo {bequeathed|bestowed} {all of|every one of} the {artworks|art work} to his widow, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger.

Without this {lady|woman|girl}'s {efforts|initiatives} to {promote|advertise} Vincent as a painter of the {first-class|first-rate|superior|top-notch|excellent}, the {world|globe} {may|might} {never|never ever} {have|have actually} {heard of|become aware of|come across} Van Gogh, the Dutch master of Post-Impressionism. Johanna {displayed|showed|presented} her collection of Vincent's {works at|operate at} {private|personal|exclusive} {dinners|suppers} {and|as well as|and also} soirees to which she {invited|welcomed} the city's elite {and|as well as|and also} {powerful|effective}. She {also|likewise|additionally} {courted|dated} {influential|prominent|significant} art {critics|movie critics|doubters} {and|as well as|and also} {prominent|popular|famous|noticeable} {journalists|reporters} {who|that} {rewarded|awarded|compensated} her {generosity|kindness} by spreading her {opinion|viewpoint|point of view} of Vincent's {talent|skill|ability} {and|as well as|and also} {importance|significance|value|relevance}. By dint of her {enthusiasm|interest|excitement}, she was {soon|quickly} making sales of her brother-in-law's {paintings|paints} that, {in turn|consequently|subsequently}, {created|produced|developed} {a burgeoning|a growing|a blossoming|an expanding} market for them.

Johanna's {son|child|kid|boy}, Vincent Willem van Gogh, {inherited|acquired} her collection in 1925 {and|as well as|and also} {continued|proceeded} his {mother|mom|mommy}'s {mission|objective|goal} to {build|develop|construct} Vincent's {reputation|credibility|track record|online reputation}. As {owner|proprietor} of {the majority of|most of} Vincent's {output|outcome|result}, he {proposed|suggested|recommended} to {donate|contribute} them to {the people|individuals} of the Netherlands. The {offer|deal} was contingent on the {housing|real estate} of the collection on {permanent|long-term|irreversible} {display|screen|display screen} in a purpose-built {museum|gallery} in the {capital|funding|resources} city, Amsterdam.
{Many|Numerous|Lots of|Several} {tribulations|adversities}, not {least|the very least} the {death|fatality} of the {architect|designer|engineer}, {delayed|postponed} {completion|conclusion} of this {facility|center} {until|up until|till} 1973. When I {visited|went to|checked out|saw} in 1984, the {building|structure} itself {seemed|appeared} to me {the most|one of the most} {stunning|spectacular|sensational|magnificent} {artwork|art work} on {exhibition|exhibit|event}. Its {design|style|layout} was {far|much} {ahead|in advance} of {the times|the moments}, {setting|establishing} each of its {floors|floorings} at {slightly|somewhat|a little} {different|various} {levels|degrees}, {so that|to ensure that|to make sure that} {only|just} {natural|all-natural} {daylight|daytime} was {needed|required} for {display|screen|display screen} of the {paintings|paints} on {show|program}.

The collection was a shock to me. Like {anyone|anybody|any individual|any person} whose {exposure|direct exposure} to Van Gogh's {images|pictures|photos} comes {only|just} from {reproductions|recreations}, I was {expecting|anticipating} the {vivid|vibrant|brilliant|dazzling} colour saturation {shown in|displayed in|received} public gallery {catalogues|brochures} {and|as well as|and also} {home|house|residence} {decor|design|decoration|style} or art {magazines|publications}. To the {contemporary|modern} eye, Vincent's {palette|combination|scheme} is not as {extreme|severe} as it {may|might} have {seemed|appeared} to {viewers|audiences|customers|visitors} of his {own|very own} {period|duration}. Neither was I {prepared for|got ready for|planned for} the {many|numerous|lots of|several} {pictures|photos|images} that are {barely|hardly} re-worked {copies|duplicates} of Old Masters, {described|explained|defined} on the plaques as '{homages|tributes}.' What did {delight|thrill} me was the {extensive|comprehensive|substantial|considerable} collection of Vincent's {drawings|illustrations}, {displayed|showed|presented} in {a tunnel|a passage} well-lit by {electric|electrical} {lamps|lights}. {Again|Once again|Once more}, the {contrast|comparison} with Rembrandt struck me, {this time|this time around|this moment} with {surprising|unexpected|unusual|shocking} {pleasure|enjoyment|satisfaction}.
Rembrandt's {studies|research studies|researches} for his {paintings|paints} {often|frequently|typically|commonly|usually} {seem|appear}, to me, to {show|reveal} {an impatience|a rashness} to be on with the {real|genuine|actual} {business|company|service|organisation} of {getting|obtaining} paint onto the canvas {and|as well as|and also} bear {little|bit|little bit} {in common|alike} with the {towering|imposing} {skill|ability} of the painter. Van Gogh, on the {other|various other} hand, {seems|appears} to {lavish|luxurious|extravagant|lush} the {same|exact same|very same} {care|treatment} on his {drawings|illustrations} as on {the most|one of the most} {ambitious|enthusiastic} of his {paintings|paints}. The {drawings|illustrations} are as {personal|individual} to Vincent as his {signature|trademark} on the letters {sent|sent out} to his {beloved|cherished|precious} {brother|sibling|bro}.