Agostina Segatori by Van Gogh

Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith’s Van Gogh: The Life paints a clear picture of how often Vincent hurled himself into relationships and was largely rebuffed. I’ve been especially drawn to his 1887 portrait of Agostina Segatori.

This was painted in Paris while Vincent—then in his early thirties and living with his brother Theo—was first absorbing Impressionist color and finding himself as an artist. It captures a worldly sitter who owned the Café du Tambourin and had also modeled for many other impressionist artists.

Vincent showed work and even paid for meals with paintings at her café, and sources suggest a brief affair that ended abruptly. What I love is how the painting signals him finding his voice: it feels quick, perhaps done in a single pass. Her tilted head is skewed and mutated, but at the same time, the slightly off-kilter rendering adds personality and a psychological bite that I love.