Portrait of Theo van Gogh

Theo van Gogh was not only Vincent's younger brother but his primary financial supporter, dealer at Goupil & Cie, and most loyal correspondent throughout his entire adult life — the recipient of more than 800 letters that form one of the richest documents in art history. This 1887 portrait, painted in Paris while the brothers were living together, is one of the few direct likenesses Vincent made of the person who made his work possible. There is a quality of intimacy in it that differs from portraits of acquaintances — a sense of genuine knowledge of the sitter. The Van Gogh Museum holds this alongside the brothers' entire correspondence.

The portrait favors a lighter, higher-key palette than Van Gogh's pre-Paris portraits, with strokes of orange and yellow warming the flesh tones. The background is loosely handled in complementary colors, the technique showing clear influence from Impressionist practice.