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Watch the first minute here. The full film, with the painter, the history and a close reading of the details, is in Hear Art.
The rest of the story is in Hear Art
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Chapter 1 of 7
Van Gogh painted this self-portrait in 1889 at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, months after severing part of his ear. He requested a mirror — not to hide, but to look steadily at what he found. The result is not a document of illness.
It is a declaration of will.
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