Vincent van Gogh is as famous for his self-portraits as is Rembrandt, though instead of creating them over a lifetime, he painted the majority, twenty-two of them, within two tumultuous years. Van Gogh's images during that period (1886-1888) and for the two years before his suicide in 1890 reveal a man who was struggling with life, and perhaps searching for answers through his painted image. Each painted portrait captures detailed emotions of shock, disturbance, tranquillity or confusion. He even captured his own image, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Head, (1889) after his infamous mutilation of his ear. In it he appears troubled and somewhat dazed. He appears to be lost within himself, isolated, a sign of how his tragic life would ultimately end.

Compare/Contrast:
Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Head has many similarities and differences with the Mona Lisa. The first similarity is in the point of emphasis. In both of the portraits, it’s a feature on the face. For Mona Lisa, it’s her mysterious smile. For Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Head, it’s the bandage on the ear. Another similarity is the balance of the portraits. They both have an equal amount of balance. However, a difference is the colors. Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Head has bright colors that give quiet, boring feelings. In Mona Lisa, the colors are dark and gray. This gives a strange, depressing feeling. In Mona Lisa, you also get a strange feeling that her eyes are moving. In Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Head, there is nothing of the sort.