Self-portrait, Vincent van Gogh Vincent moved to Paris in 1886, after hearing from his brother Theo about the new, colourful style of French painting. Wasting no time, he tried it out in several self-portraits. He did this mostly to avoid having to pay for a model. Using rhythmic brushstrokes in striking colours, he portrayed himself here as a fashionably dressed Parisian. During his lifetime, hardly anyone paid attention to Van Gogh’s radically innovative way of painting. This makes him feel lonely and misunderstood. Only after his suicide does he become famous; today his paintings are admired by millions of people from all over the world.