The “Head of a Man” is an artwork by Vincent van Gogh, created in 1886 while he was in Paris, France. This piece is a chalk on paper sketch and is associated with the Post-Impressionism movement, fulfilling the genre of sketch and study. It is currently housed in the Van Gogh Museum located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The sketch depicts the head of a bearded man wearing a bowler hat, and he appears to be looking downward. The man’s face is rendered with a series of expressive lines and shading, indicative of van Gogh’s style during this period. The figure seems to be smoking a pipe, suggested by a line extending from the man’s mouth area. The use of light and shadow in the sketch brings out the contours of the man’s face, hat, and clothing, capturing a moment of quiet introspection or perhaps a casual pose. The artist has conveyed a sense of character and mood through dynamic and somewhat hasty strokes, which is characteristic of van Gogh’s sketches and studies.
