Agnes-Joanie, aged 17
Digital photography
Vincent van Gogh did not title Self-Portrait with
Bandaged Ear. Though he describes it in letters to his
brother Theo, he never named it; it was titled later by
the art world.
Bandaged ear. Not mutilated. Art historians often describe this as an optimistic piece, saturated with
determination and hope. But is that reading superficial?Was Van Gogh duping himself – and everyone else – into believing everything was fine? He had an aversion to photography: paintings can spin stories; photographs tend not to.
You can’t spin your way out of this one, Vincent.