Van Gogh Zelfportret Cross Stitch Pattern

Description

Van Gogh Zelfportret cross stitch pattern was inspired by one of Vincent Van Gogh’s many self-portraits — an 1887 oil edition in brilliant Turquoise, Teal, and Rosewood.

It’s hard not to love the bright colour palette Van Gogh chose for the painting along with his stylish hat, coat and scarf. I simply adore the thick brushstrokes that define his red beard against the stunning spectrum of greens and aqua blues.

The Project

Van Gogh Zelfportret cross stitch recreates the original portrait in vivid detail, including the textured brushstrokes, and gorgeous turquoise and teal colour palette. It is a large full coverage chart (300 x 377 grid) measuring 54.4 x 68.4 cm when completed on 14-count Aida. You’ll need 101 different DMC colours.

Are you up for the challenge? This cross stitch will look amazing in your home and is sure to be a talking point for many years.

PLEASE NOTE: you’ll receive an extra ‘Pattern Keeper’ chart in your download pack that will allow you to use PK to manage this big project.

The Painting

Van Gogh painted about 35 self-portraits and this one was actually painted on cardboard. In the project, I’ve trimmed off the rough edges along the bottom and around each side, but left the original strokes along the top.

Here’s a little bit about the portrait from the Rijksmuseum (Netherlands), where it has been held since 1936:

After hearing about the new colorful French painting from his brother Theo, Vincent went to live in Paris in 1886. He soon tried the French style on a number of self-portraits. He did this mainly to save the costs for a model. Here he painted himself as a fashionable Parisian, with loose, rhythmic brushstrokes in striking colours.

The Artist

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch Post-impressionist painter who is arguably one of the world’s most famous and influential artists. It’s sadly ironic that he hardly sold a painting during his life (living in poverty for all of his career) — but now reproductions of his artwork can be found on cushions, wall prints, mugs, t-shirts, stickers, screensavers … and of course cross stitch projects. His work is so beautiful we all want to share of the Van Gogh genius.