Talk:Van Gogh self-portrait (1889)

Eerie ear exchange

'Bandaged ear' selfie

The ear seen is his left. –sca

Hmmmm...

... Hulsker considering that it was painted in Arles following Van Gogh's admission to hospital after mutilating his ear

In December 1888 Van Gogh severed his left ear, visible in this painting. Does this mean that Hulsker believes he painted an ear that was no longer there? Sca (talk) 14:47, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

• He mutilated his right ear, not the left. Cheers - SchroCat (talk) 14:53, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Then why does Vincent van Gogh say, "That evening, van Gogh severed his left ear...."?

I noticed that Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (at right) – if it's a "mirror-image self portrait," I guess that would indicate that it was his right ear? Sca (talk) 16:02, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

My mistake - it was the left, but either way, the paintings are all telling the same story - they were all mirror-image portraits. The two "final" self-portraits (this and File:Vincent Willem van Gogh 102.jpg show the same thing: the ear to the right-hand side of the image is undamaged, while the 'bandaged ear' selfie shows the ear to the left-hand side being the damaged one. - SchroCat (talk) 16:09, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Ergo, Hulsker contends he painted a left ear at a time when it wasn't there. Sca (talk) 21:50, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

By that logic he painted his right ear as the bandaged one... - SchroCat (talk) 21:54, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps I'm getting confused, but when I look in a mirror, my left ear is on the left side of the reflection in the mirror – no? Are we saying a "mirror-image painting" is like rotating the image 180° horizontally – not just the artist looking in a mirror and painting the image he sees? Sca (talk) 23:07, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

From This Day in History for Dec. 23:

"On this day in 1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor while staying in Arles, France."

Sca (talk) 14:40, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

I think it's fair to say that the source are as confused as anyone else...

• [1]
• [2]

- SchroCat (talk) 14:46, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Sca (talk) 15:06, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

What topic you guys found. Could it be that the picture is reversed? Was he left or right handed, by the way. Hafspajen (talk) 15:16, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Youtube say left. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxzbJRuwiQc Hafspajen (talk) 15:22, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

^{Xcllnt video. (Typical Dutch accent.) Sca (talk) 17:25, 26 February 2015 (UTC)}

Books say ... right. NO IDEA. Hafspajen (talk) 15:23, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Just to clarify, some books say right, and some say left... - SchroCat (talk) 17:17, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Svend Hendriksen (Danish) argues- in a self-portrait with palette and brush, van Gogh is holding his brush with left and palette with right. His jacket is buttoned left over right, consistent with the style of that time, and therefore the portrait is not a mirror image, and shows that van Gogh was left-handed. So, how does a pipe smoker stoke their pipe? Do they hold it in their subservient hand and fill and light it with their dominant hand?

^{Yes. Sca (talk) 17:25, 26 February 2015 (UTC)}

Since the pipe is on the left of his mouth, that would indicate that the portrait is a mirror image, and it was his left ear. Or, if he holds the pipe in his dominant hand, it's his right ear, right now. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 16:58, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Here he seems to be holding palette with his left hand, which implies he painted with his right & was right-handed – ?? – sca

Oh, just noticed the jacket, buttoned right over left. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 17:02, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

So, the consensus is ... ?? Sca (talk) 17:25, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

I think the answer lies in which side his jackets buttoned up (assuming consistentcy) Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 17:38, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

But if image is horizontally reversed? Sca (talk) 17:43, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

As two of the paintings show jackets buttoned up on different sides, it suggests that one of the paintings is a mirror image, assuming that all van Gogh's jackets buttoned the same way. Yes, def OR! Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 17:51, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

I think we're getting too far into WP:OR territory here: the sources are confused and unclear and I haven't seen any that can be regarded as a "definitive" and unquestionable work which can help us with an answer... - SchroCat (talk) 17:47, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Given the artist's fame and potential to fascinate the public, you'd think some 'experts' would long since have researched this question and reached a definite conclusion.

Never been an Irving Stone fan, but maybe I'll have to read Lust for Life and see which one gets slashed therein. Sca (talk) 18:14, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Even the VG museum don't get off the fence! - SchroCat (talk) 18:20, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Issue solved! In the movie, Kirk Douglas slashes his right ear. That's proof! Sca (talk) 18:27, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, but Gauguin's right handed- that means it was Vincent's left ear he slashed off with his sabre^* (unless Vincent was running away).^{*German professors' theory} Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 19:38, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Vang Gogh was left-handed. The left ear was missing.

All other claims are false. But funny what is discussed here. 134.2.64.136 (talk) 14:14, 17 September 2022 (UTC)