This self portrait of Van Gogh is of equivalent fame to the Mona Lisa in several ways. Even though this portrait does not have as fine and delicate strokes, it is very appealing to the eye. Van Gogh began a different type of painting known as Expressionism. He used lots of paint in his paintings, and he was even known to eat his paint at times. He had a mental illness, which affected his art and life. He was constantly harassed and poked fun at by the townspeople. Van Gogh is also missing his ear in the portrait. Mona Lisa's brush strokes are very smooth unlike Van Gogh's rough canvases. Van Gogh's portrait has much more interesting history behind it, than the Mona Lisa.