Self-portrait with grey felt hat

Van Gogh painted this self-portrait in the winter of 1887-1888, when he had been living in Paris for nearly two years. Since his arrival in the city he had devoted much study to the dotted Pointillist technique. Van Gogh managed to apply it in his own fashion. His brushstrokes are running in a variety of directions, resulting in a self-portrait with a halo-like circle round his head.