ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was an artist who painted pictures of the things he saw around him. Sometimes, he painted pictures of himself too! These paintings are called self-portraits because they are pictures of Vincent himself.

Now, Vincent was a very interesting person. He had a lot of feelings about things and sometimes he felt happy and sometimes he felt sad. He also had some mental health problems that made him feel even more emotional sometimes.

When Vincent painted his self-portraits, he wanted to show how he was feeling inside. Sometimes he used bright colors and happy faces to show that he was feeling good. Other times, he used darker colors and sad faces to show that he was feeling down.

One thing that's really cool about Vincent's self-portraits is that he painted them in lots of different styles. Sometimes, he used thick brush strokes to make the picture look rough and messy. Other times, he painted very carefully and made the picture look neat and tidy.

People love Vincent's self-portraits because they are so unique and interesting. They are like a window into his mind and help us understand the kinds of things he was feeling in his life.