Camille Roulin by Vincent Van Gogh Square Wall Clock

Camille Roulin by Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas 1888, is a frontal portrait painting of a young Frenchman with piercing blue eyes wearing a blue cap and green-brown coat against an acidic yellow background. The subject was the son of the postman of the town of Arles who befriended Van Gogh and let his family pose for many portraits. The thick, impasto brush strokes of heightened, bold and contrasting colours remarkably capture the character and inner life of the subject as Van Gogh’s style became more bold and assured during his time in Arles in the south of France. Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionist movement known for bold, expressive drawing, swirling brushstrokes and bold, heightened colours. In early adulthood Van Gogh worked as an art dealer, teacher and pastor before taking up the full time study of drawing and painting in his late twenties. Influenced by Rembrandt, the 19th century Realists and Barbizon school, Van Gogh's early paintings featured studies of workers and peasants in sombre earth tones. Moving to France in 1886, Van Gogh met with the startling innovations of the Impressionist painters and began to apply their approach to colour and subject matter, which continued into the mature style for which the artist is most renowned. Van Gogh produced many hundreds of drawings and paintings including portraits, landscapes, still life and flower paintings, and numerous self-portraits that became a dominating influence on the modern art of the 20th century and made him one of the most popular artists of all time.