Paris, Spring 1886. Van Gogh painted over 30 self-portraits between the years 1886 and 1889. His collection of self-portraits places him among the most prolific self-portraitists of all time. Van Gogh used portrait painting as a method of introspection, a method to make money and a method of developing his skills as an artist. (http://poulwebb.blogspot.nl/2013/05/vincent-van-gogh-self-portraits.html)