This self-portrait still holds evidence that even when Vincent was broke, he carried on painting. To save money, Vincent reused canvases. He painted this self-portrait on the back of another work. And instead of paying for a model, he simply painted himself. But there’s another telling detail you can’t see with the naked eye. Vincent was using a cheap paintbrush that was losing its hairs, and some of them are still embedded in the paint today. A reused canvas, a free model and a cheap brush. Vincent made it work. 1. ‘Self-Portrait’, 1887 © Van Gogh Museum 2. ‘Head of a Woman’, 1885 © Van Gogh Museum