Il postino Joseph Roulin
1888
Van Gogh was absolutely obsessed with his friend Joseph Roulin, the local postman in Arles, sketching and painting him and his family repeatedly. This scratchy, energetic drawing captures Roulin's intense gaze and bushy beard with lines that feel like they're vibrating with life. Van Gogh considered the postman a 'Socrates' figure—a wise, common man—and used studies like this to prepare for his famous, colorful oil portraits. You can clearly see the 'POSTES' on his hat, but it's the raw, nervous energy of the work that really shows the artist's unique Post-Impressionist style bursting onto the page.
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