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Portrait of Doctor Gachet or Man with a Pipe

Original title: Portrait of Doctor Gachet or Man with a Pipe

Artist

Vincent van Gogh

Date

1890

Medium

Etching

Dimensions

Sheet (folded): 12 13/16 × 9 13/16 in. (32.5 × 25 cm)

Credit line

Purchase, Fletcher Fund, William R. Drexler Sr. and Violet Drexler Bequest, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, and The Derald H. Ruttenberg Foundation, in honor of Nadine M. Orenstein and Charles and Jessie Price Gifts, 2021

kurzbeschreibung

In 1890 Vincent van Gogh made an etching of a pipe-smoking man, now known as Porträt des Doktor Gachet. Measuring 32.5 by 25 cm, it is printed in black and white and belongs to a small group of graphic works made during the artist's final months.

Description

A smoking man appears in a buttoned shirt and a jacket worn over it. Behind him, buildings and a plant can be made out only in outline. The etching remains entirely in shades of grey; light falls evenly, with no shadows anywhere. The arrangement places the sitter's head and face at the centre and holds the viewer's gaze there.

Context

The etching dates from 1890, shortly before van Gogh's death, and was made using an etching technique he was learning at the time. It is one of the artist's very few printmaking works. The sheet is often linked to Dr. Paul Gachet, the physician who treated van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise; that identification, however, is not firmly documented.

Impact

A calm, familiar mood emanates from the print, carried by the grey tones and even light. The merely sketched elements in the background create depth without overpowering the central subject.

Technique

For this etching, a metal plate was treated with acid to produce the lines. Impressions were then printed on paper; the various grey values result from the density of the strokes and from the individual printing process.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)